Notice of Intention to Designate

The Corporation of the City of Richmond Hill

Re:       Notice of Intention to Designate
             12261 Yonge Street
             City of Richmond Hill ON L4E 3M7
             City File No.: D12-07496

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:

Built circa 1916, the Frank Legge House at 12261 Yonge Street has design and physical value because it is a representative example of the Edwardian Classicism architectural style. The Frank Legge House consists of a main structure with rear and side wings. Architectural features that contribute to the Edwardian Classicism style include the building’s red brick cladding, medium-pitched side gable roof with shed-roofed dormers and return eaves, red brick chimneys, pedimented portico on Tuscan columns surrounding a front doorway, rectangular window openings with flat-headed brick and stone voussoirs and stone sills, quarter-circle attic window openings with brick and stone voussoirs and stone sills, raised brick quoins, and the frame flat-roofed south sunroom wing with flat-arched rectangular windows with wood surrounds and stone sills.

The subject property at 12261 Yonge Street has historical and associative value for its association with Frank Legge, who built the subject property around 1916 and resided there until the 1950s. The prominent Legge family were farmers and early settlers in the hamlet of Jefferson beginning the mid-nineteenth century, helped establish the St. John’s Anglican Church, and owned hundreds of acres of farmland in the area. Frank Legge built the subject building, lived there with his family for over forty years, and was active in the Jefferson community with his work as a school board trustee and with the St. John’s Anglican Church.

The subject property also has associative value for its association with Anthem Records, who rented the building as recording space from 1978 to the early 1980s. Anthem Records is significant to Canadian music history because it was created in part to give Canadian artists greater control of their music production, and for its strong association with the popular Canadian rock band, Rush.

The subject property at 12261 Yonge Street has contextual value for its visual and historic links to the surrounding hamlet of Jefferson. The Frank Legge House was built around 1916, when it was surrounded by agricultural and forested land. Although the surrounding context experienced commercial and residential development in the late-20th and early-21st centuries, the property retains its visual connection to agricultural and forested land to the south. As well, the property has longstanding historic links to the hamlet of Jefferson. The Legge family, who built the subject building, helped develop the hamlet, was part of its church community, and owned hundreds of acres of farmland in the community during the 19th century.

Description of Heritage Attributes:

• The scale, form, and massing of the 2 ½ storey building with a T-shaped footprint, comprised of a main portion with rear (east) and side (south) wings;
• The medium-pitched side gable roof with shed-roofed dormers;
• The red brick cladding and raised red brick quoins;
• The symmetrical five-bay composition of the front (west) elevation;
• The balanced composition of the side (north and south) elevations;
• The windows, including:
• The flat-headed window openings with stone sills and brick and stone voussoirs on the north, south, east, and west elevations;
• The quarter-circle attic windows with stone sills and brick and stone voussoirs on the north and south elevations;
• The flat-headed window openings with wooden surrounds on the side (south) sunroom wing;
  • The centered entranceway on the front (west) façade, including:
  • The centered principal doorway surrounded by a classical doorcase with sidelights and a fanlight;
  • The pedimented one-storey portico with Tuscan columns;
    • The scale, siting, and orientation of the 2-storey south sunroom wing, including:
    • The flat roof; and
    • The wood and red brick veneer material palette;
      • The building’s scale, siting, and orientation on the east side of Yonge Street; and
      • The building’s Edwardian Classicism architectural style and material palette.

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