Photo supplied.
The Old Millbrook School is one of the designated heritage buildings due to its historical significance and architectural features including brick and metal clad details and buff-coloured brick.
Last month, the township held an Open House to outline plans to update the township’s Heritage property by-laws, some of which are more than 40 years old. Our community boasts one of the highest heritage buildings per capita, so these structures make a significant contribution to our community identity. Protecting these cultural assets is believed to promote cultural tourism and economic development, as well as community pride.
At the moment by-laws relating to heritage buildings are quite vague and do not meet provincial requirements. The lack of clarity makes these by-laws difficult to understand and enforce. One of the implications of this is that heritage property owners seeking to make alterations to their homes face a municipal approval process that can sometimes feel arbitrary.
A heritage designation aims to protect the façade of historically significant buildings to maintain their historic feel from the street. Changes to the rear of private homes are not regulated, nor are there any restrictions to changes to the interior of these buildings or how they may be used. Owners are not required to restore a property to an earlier historic appearance or restore missing or damaged features. The objective is to prevent unsympathetic changes and hasty demolition to properties of historical significance to the community.
The project is in the consultation phase which will be followed by a series of other public meeting where current heritage designations will be reviewed. The first of these meetings is scheduled for March 6th, where the designation for nine properties will be discussed. The project is not seeking to identify new heritage property designations, but this remains a possibility in the future.
Upon completion, each heritage property will have its own Heritage by-law and a publicly accessible register of heritage buildings will be available, complete with descriptions of what makes them significant. This will help current and future property owners understand what alterations are possible before any plans are developed, saving time and money.
Phot supplied.
Close-up of the Old Millbrook School building.
One of the public buildings on the heritage list is the Old Millbrook School located at 1 Dufferin St. in Millbrook, which hosts the Millbrook library branch, the EarlyON Child and Family Centre, Millbrook and District Foodshare and the Millbrook Farmers’ Market. It is the only 19th century school building still standing in the village, situated between conservation land and residential land. It was built in 1889 on land purchased from Thomas Medd by the local school trustees at the time seeking to replace the former school which had been destroyed by fire. The building served as a local school until 1982
Project Manager Konner Mitchener explains that most municipalities in Ontario have a register of listed and designated historic properties that are reviewed regularly to ensure they comply with current legislation. The Cavan Monaghan project to update our heritage by-laws has long-time been in the works and will streamline the approach to protecting heritage assets in the Township for the future.
Some potential property owners might shy away from an historical designation, but Mitchener suggests that others might elect to apply for the designation for their homes. It’s a way to recognize efforts to preserve a home’s character and also ensures a degree of protection going forward.
Descriptions in each new by-law can enhance our understanding of our history and deepen our respect for those who came before us, inspiring us to protect the buildings where they worked, lived and worshiped. KG
