Inventory Report: 210 Lakeshore Road East, Towne Square

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11: 210 Lakeshore Road East, Towne Square

1. Description of Property Municipal Address 210 Lakeshore Road East Name (if applicable) Towne Square Legal Description PCL A-11-1, SEC H-1 ; FIRSTLY ; PT LT A, BLK 11, PL 1 , PART 28, 32 , 20R10980 ; SECONDLY ; PT

GEORGE ST, PL 1 , CLOSED BY 656034, 664162, 678054, 678055, 657594, 727007, PTS 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13 15, 19, 21, 23, 29, 31, 20R10980 ; THIRDLY ; PT GEORGE ST, P

Location of Property Located along the George Street road allowance between Robinson Street and Lakeshore Road East.

Ownership Public – Town of Oakville Access Site Visit Completed August 11, 2015 (AB, ES, CU) Current Use Public Park (Urban) Existing Designation Located within the Downtown Oakville HCD, designated in 2013 under Part V of the OHA (by-

law 2013-04) General Description Towne Square is located along the George Street road allowance between Robinson Street

and Lakeshore Road East. This urban park is primarily concrete and brick pavers with six large, natural stones at the Robinson Street entrance, with a grassy green in the north portion of the property. The square is characterised by hard landscaping elements and is flanked by commercial buildings. Towne Square functions as a gathering place and urban park.

Priority Level N/A – No Further Action Required

Figure 1: West half of square (George Street road allowance), from Lakeshore Road towards Robinson Street (CU, 2015)

Green

Steps

Steps

Lake

shor

e Rd.

E.

Robin

son S

t.

George St.

George St.

Steps

Planters

Planters

MilleniumClock

LEGEND

Town SquareCultural Heritage LandscapeInventory Map

Drawing not to scale

Corporation of theTown of Oakville1225 Trafalgar RdOakville, ONL6H 0H3

Watercourse

Site Structures

Vegetation

Assessment Boundary

Building

CHL Study Area

Heritage District

Heritage Trail

Parkland

Park Trail

Road

Inventory Report: 210 Lakeshore Road East, Towne Square

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2. Key Recommendations

No further action is recommended, for the following reasons:

• No known vulnerabilities; and • Listed status on Heritage Register provides sufficient protection for any potential cultural heritage resources.

3. Documentation and Inventory of Built Form List of Built Features:

• Millenium clock • Paving bricks • Steps • Railings • Benches • Planter boxes (trees and annual flowers) • Light standards and flags

4. Documentation and Inventory of Natural Form List of Natural Features:

• Urban tree plantings (Acer and Gleditsia) in raised boxes and at ground level

5. Design (Typology) ‘X’ all that

apply Categories of Cultural Heritage Landscape

Description

X Designed Landscape “…clearly defined landscape designed and created intentionally by man.”

Organically Evolved Landscape

“…results from an initial social, economic, administrative, and/or religious imperative and has developed in its present form in response to its natural environment”

Relict Landscape (Evolved Landscape)

“…in which an evolutionary process came to an end at some time in the past.”

Continuing Landscape (Evolved Landscape)

“…retains an active social role in contemporary society closely associated with the traditional way of life, and which the evolutionary process is still in progress.”

Associative Cultural Landscape

“…justifiable by virtue of the powerful religious, artistic, or cultural associations of the natural element rather than material cultural evidence, which may be insignificant or even absent.”

Inventory Report: 210 Lakeshore Road East, Towne Square

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6. Historical and Thematic Associations The urban park at Town Square was established in 1987, when George Street was closed to traffic between Robinson Street and Lakeshore Road East (by-law 1987-220). The park has been designed and maintained as an urban park and municipal gathering place. Towne Square was chosen as the location for a Millennium Clock in March, 1999.1

7. Contextual Associations Towne Square is located within the Downtown Oakville HCD. The HCD plan references the property in Section 4: Guidelines for Managing Change to Property, stating:

Public Art (s. 4.12.9) “Public art should be strategically located at the entrances to Downtown District and at Towne Square and where there are opportunities to add to encourage the sense of place of the commercial core.”

8. Evaluation (O. Reg 9/06)

O.Reg.9/06 Criteria Criteria

Potentially Met (Y/N)

Potential Justification

1. The property has design value or physical value because it,

i. is a rare, unique, representative or early example of a style, type, expression, material, or construction method,

N Not shown.

ii. displays a high degree of craftsmanship or artistic merit, or

N Not shown.

iii. demonstrates a high degree of technical or scientific achievement. N Not shown.

2. The property has historical value or associative value because it,

i. has direct associations with a theme, event, belief, person, activity, organization or institution that is significant to a community,

N Not shown.

ii. yields, or has the potential to yield, information that contributes to an understanding of a community or culture, or

N Not known.

iii. demonstrates or reflects the work or ideas of an architect, artist, builder, designer or theorist who is significant to a community.

N Not shown.

1 Oakville Public Library, “Towne Square chosen as Millennium Clock site” in Oakville Beaver, 19 March 1999 on Oakville Images http://images.oakville.halinet.on.ca/1531772/data.

Inventory Report: 210 Lakeshore Road East, Towne Square

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O.Reg.9/06 Criteria Criteria

Potentially Met (Y/N)

Potential Justification

3. The property has contextual value because it,

i. is important in defining, maintaining or supporting the character of an area, Y

The square is an important public space within the Downtown Oakville Heritage Conservation District and within the surrounding area of Old Oakville, more generally.

ii. is physically, functionally, visually or historically linked to its surroundings, or

Y

The Town Square is located near the southeastern corner of the Downtown Oakville Heritage Conservation District. The hard surfaces of the urban square reflects the commercial character of the surrounding streetscape. The open nature of the park provides a space for gathering as well as open views along the surrounding streetscapes.

iii. is a landmark. Y This property is a landmark

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9. Photographic Documentation

Figure 3: Towne Square from George Street at Robinson Street, facing north (CU, 2015)

Figure 4: Towne Square from George Street at Lakeshore Road East, facing south (CU, 2015)

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Figure 5: Sixteen Mile Creek Heritage Trail Kiosk overlooking lawn (CU, 2015)

Figure 6: Millennium Clock (CU, 2015)

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Figure 7: View from the square facing west along Lakeshore Road East (CU, 2015)

10. Analysis & Recommendations Potential Heritage Value:

The potential heritage value of this space is derived from its use as an urban park and gathering place within the commercial downtown core of Old Oakville, and in particular, within the Downtown Oakville HCD.

Actions:

The HCD Plan and Guidelines adequately protects the use of the park as an urban park.

No further action is recommended, for the following reasons:

• No known vulnerabilities; and • Listed status on Heritage Register provides sufficient protection for any potential cultural heritage resources.

11. Sources MHBC and George Robb Architect, Downtown Oakville Heritage Conservation District Study: Downtown Oakville Heritage Conservation District Plan and Guidelines, Prepared for the Town of Oakville, January 2013.

Oakville Public Library, “Towne Square chosen as Millennium Clock site” in Oakville Beaver, 19 March 1999 on Oakville Images http://images.oakville.halinet.on.ca/1531772/data.

Town of Oakville, “By-law 1987-220: A by-law to authorize the closing and leasing of parts of George Street as laid out by Plan 1.” 1987.