Notice of Intention to Designate

The Corporation of the City of Richmond Hill

Re:       Notice of Intention to Designate
             10350 Yonge Street
             City of Richmond Hill ON L4C 5K9
             City File No.: D12-07476

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 March 27, 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 circa 1894, the Andrew Newton House at 10350 Yonge Street has design and physical value as a rare example of late-Victorian residential architecture in Richmond Hill that combines elements of both the Queen Anne and Richardsonian Romanesque styles. The building’s original scale, form, massing, and orientation are still legible, despite being incorporated into a modern (1970s) office building. Further, many of the house’s original architectural details representative of both the Queen Anne and Richardsonian Romanesque styles have been conserved, including the complex building and roof forms, bargeboard trim, rounded windows with rock-faced lugsills, voussoirs, and keystones, original wood and leaded art-glass window units, and masonry detailing including decorative stringcourses and terra cotta tiles.

The Andrew Newton House also has design and physical value for the high degree of craftsmanship and artistic merit displayed in a number of its features, including the rock-faced window surrounds, decorative stringcourses, leaded art-glass windows, and terra-cotta detailing.

The Andrew Newton House has historical value for its direct associations with both Andrew and John Earle Newton. Andrew Newton was one of the owners of the Newton Tannery in Elgin Mills; he built the existing dwelling circa 1894, and resided there until his death in 1912. “Earle” Newton was one of Richmond Hill’s most eminent musicians; he founded the Richmond Hill School of Music, and used the subject dwelling (then known as “Rock Haven”) to host music lessons and performances during the 1910s and 1920s. The house remained under the ownership of the Newton family until 1942. As local business leaders, employers, and active citizens, the Newton family were significant members of the community who contributed to the early development of Richmond Hill in the 19th century. The grand house at 10350 Yonge Street is also a rare surviving testament to the success of both the Newton family and the industrial hamlet of Elgin Mills during this period.

The Andrew Newton House has contextual value because it is functionally and historically linked to its surroundings on Yonge Street. Located at the northern edge of historic Richmond Hill village, the house features a prime Yonge Street address representing the success of Andrew Newton, while also being proximate to both the amenities of the village and the family tannery business to the north in Elgin Mills.

Description of Heritage Attributes:

• The two-and-a-half-storey massing and complex plan and form, comprised of a central hipped-roof component with projecting gable-roofed wings to the south, east, and north;
• The roof form and finishes, including:
• Slate shingles;
• Metal flashing;
• A metal ball finial atop the central hipped-roof; and
• South and east gable-ends containing paneled bargeboards topped with dentiled wood trim;
  • The dark red brick cladding, laid in stretched bond, and the brick and stone foundation;
  • The masonry detailing, including:
  • Decorative masonry stringcourses on all elevations, comprised of a raised stretcher course of bricks overhanging rows of angular-cut masonry; and
  • Decorative terra cotta tiles on the south elevation;
    • The windows, including:
    • Typical flat-headed window openings organized in pairs or balanced groupings, with rock-faced stone lugsills and lintels;
    • The square, leaded art-glass window on the south elevation, with corners punctuated by terra cotta tiles depicting stylized maple leaves;
    • The pair of angular, near quarter-round attic window openings with rock-faced stone lugsills and brick voussoirs in the southern gable; and
    • Foundation-level windows including flat-headed openings with rock-faced stone lugsills and brick voussoirs, and a small round window opening on the house’s north elevation;
      • The balanced and symmetrical organization of the principal (east) projecting bay, featuring:
      • A large, round-arched window opening at ground-floor level, with a rock-faced lugsill, voussoir and keystone, topped by masonry stringcourse detailing, and containing a period wood window unit, with a leaded artglass transom and dentiled trim;
      • A half-round attic window with a rock-faced stone lugsill, voussoir, and keystone, surrounded by angular-cut masonry detailing, and containing a period wood unit divided in three sections, with multi-paned sidelights;
        • The property’s scale, siting, and orientation on the west side of Yonge Street, south of Benson Avenue;
        • The high standard of craftsmanship and materials employed in its design, including the slate roof, rock-faced window surrounds, decorative masonry stringcourses, leaded art-glass windows, and terra-cotta detailing.

Note: that the four-storey 1970s side/rear office building addition is not considered to possess any 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 May 8, 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 8th day of April, 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