Notice of Intention to Designate

The Corporation of the City of Richmond Hill

Re:       Notice of Intention to Designate
             10094, 10096 Yonge Street
             City of Richmond Hill ON L4C 1T8
             City File No.: D12-07443

Take notice that the Council of the Corporation of the City of Richmond Hill (“Council”) intends to designate the above noted property as a property of cultural heritage value or interest under part IV and pursuant to section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act, R.S.O. 1990,c.0.18.

And take notice that the Council of the Corporation of the City of Richmond Hill stated their intention to designate said property under the Ontario Heritage Act on June 19, 2024.

A statement explaining the cultural heritage value or interest of the property and a description of the heritage attributes of the property is set out below.

Statement of Cultural Heritage Value or Interest:

Dating to 1860, the Jerry Smith Building at 10094 and 10096 Yonge Street has design and physical value as a representative example of a mid-Victorian Gothic Revival architectural style and mid-19th-century mixed-use building typology typically found on historical main streets in Ontario. While the building has seen a number of alterations over time, it remains legible as a mid-Victorian Gothic Revival mixed use building due to its existing architectural elements, such as its historical L-shaped form, 1½-storey massing, medium-pitched cross-gabled roof, orientation towards Yonge Street, flat headed window and door openings, and the presence of storefronts at grade.

The Jerry Smith Building has historical value for its associations with Richmond Hill newspaper the York Herald, and its proprietors, editors and publishers Alexander Scott and Matthias Keefler. Scott owned and published the York Herald out of the subject building from 1860 to 1876, when he was succeeded by Keefler, who continued the business until 1890. Scott and Keefler also lived with their families in the residential unit above the printing office. As the editors and owners of the York Herald, a local newspaper recording events in Richmond Hill and beyond from the 1850s to the 1890s, both Alexander Scott and Matthias Keefler were highly significant early residents of the village.

Further, the subject building has historical value for its associations with internationally renowned Richmond Hill watchmaker Jerry Smith, whose business and home were located in the subject property for nearly half a century from 1904 to his death in 1953.

The Jerry Smith Building has contextual value because its scale, form, and mid-19th-century architectural style and mixed-use typology are important in defining and maintaining the predominantly 19th- and early-20th-century main street character along Yonge Street in Richmond Hill’s village core. The property also contributes to the historic character of Richmond Hill’s village core more broadly, which is typified by a mixture of 19th- and early-20th-century small-scale residential and commercial structures along Yonge Street, and fine-grained residential built form located on side streets east and west of Yonge Street.

The Jerry Smith Building has further contextual value because of its physical, functional, visual, and historical links to its surroundings within a grouping of institutionally-owned buildings on the west side of Yonge Street between Major Mackenzie Drive and Arnold Crescent, erected on land originally donated by Richmond Hill’s prominent Miles family in the 19th century. The subject property originated in the mid-19th century as one of four “Church Lots” within the five-acre Presbyterian Church lands donated by James Miles around 1821. The M. L. McConaghy Public School to the north, established as the Richmond Hill Public School in 1847, was also built on lands donated by Miles.

Description of Heritage Attributes:

• The scale, form and massing of the 1 ½-storey building with an L-shaped plan;
• The medium-pitched cross-gable roof with south, east, and west gable ends, and a central gable on the north elevation;
• The frame construction;
• Historical flat-headed window openings including:
• Paired second-storey window openings in the east (front) and south (side) gable ends;
• The single second storey window opening in the central gable on the north elevation; and
• The single first-storey window opening towards the rear (west) of the north elevation;
  • The presence of storefronts at-grade (*note the existing storefront design is not original, and is not considered a heritage attribute);
  • The building’s scale, siting and orientation on the west side of Yonge Street; and
  • The building’s Gothic Revival architectural style and mid-19th century mixed-use building typology.

Note: the building’s single-storey south commercial addition and single-storey rear (west) additions are not considered to possess significant heritage attributes.

Notice of Objection:

Any person who objects to the above noted Council’s intention to designate shall, within 30 days after the publication of this notice, serve on the Clerk of the City of Richmond Hill, a Notice of Objection setting out the reason for the objection and all relevant facts.  The last day to submit the Notice of Objection is July 26, 2024.

Service may be made digitally by email to clerks@richmondhill.ca or by delivery personally to the City Clerk or by Regular Mail at the following address:

Stephen M.A. Huycke, City Clerk
The City of Richmond Hill
225 East Beaver Creek Road
Richmond Hill ON  L4B 3P4
 

Obtaining Additional Information:

Additional information about heritage planning at the City of Richmond Hill may be obtained by contacting Heritage Planning City staff by e-mail at heritage@richmondhill.ca. Take note that a Notice of Objection may only be served to the Clerk of the City of Richmond Hill as stated above.

Dated this 26th day of June, 2024

Stephen M.A. Huycke, City Clerk
The Corporation of the City of Richmond Hill
225 East Beaver Creek Road
Richmond Hill, Ontario L4B 3P4
E-mail: clerks@richmondhill.ca