Notice of Intention to Designate

The Corporation of the City of Richmond Hill

Re:       Notice of Intention to Designate
            9853 Leslie Street
            City of Richmond Hill ON L4B 3Y4
            City File No.: D12-07250

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 c. 1876, the Patrick & John Kelly House at 9853 Leslie Street has design and physical value as a representative example of the late-Victorian Gothic Revival architectural style. The building has retained its historical 1 ½-storey scale, form, massing and southern orientation towards the former Headford Mill Lane (now a private access road). The building has also retained many historical architectural details that are representative of the late-Victorian Gothic Revival style including its L-shaped plan, medium-pitched cross-gabled roof with additional central gable inset with a lancet-arched window on its south elevation, red/orange-brick cladding with decorative buff brick details, segmental-headed windows and doors, two-storey canted bay window with hipped roof on its south elevation, and south-facing principal entrance with transomed doorway.

The Patrick & John Kelly House also has design and physical value for the high degree of craftsmanship and artistic merit displayed in its elaborate dichromatic patterned brickwork, attributed to significant Headford bricklayers and masons Patrick and John Kelly, who built, owned, and resided in the house from the 1870s to the early 1900s. Brick detailing at the Patrick & John Kelly House includes a projecting buff-brick building base, quoins, window and door voussoirs, decorative brick banding in different patterns, and decorative lozenges in the east and west gable-ends as well as the central gable on the south elevation.

The subject property has historical and associative value as the former residence of Patrick and John Kelly, who were both significant local masons in Headford during an era of prosperity in the hamlet during the late 19th century. Patrick Kelly moved to Headford in the 1850s, and the Kelly family owned and occupied the subject dwelling from the 1870s to the early 1900s.

The Patrick and John Kelly House also has historical value because it reflects the work of celebrated Headford bricklayers and stonemasons Patrick and John Kelly. As skilled masons and builders working throughout York County from the 1850s to the late 1890s, Patrick and John Kelly were instrumental in the development of Headford during an era of prosperity in the community during the latter half of the 19th century.

In addition to the subject property, Patrick and John Kelly are attributed with the brickwork of the William Munro House at 9835 Leslie Street (c. 1875) the Headford Church at 9550 Leslie Street (1882), 9838 Leslie Street (c.1885, demolished), the Adam Henricks House at 1600 Major Mackenzie Drive East (1889), the David Hislop House at 1621 Major Mackenzie Drive East (1877, demolished), and the Richmond Hill High School at 10268 Yonge Street (1897). There are, undoubtedly, other unidentified examples of their work in the vicinity.

The Patrick & John Kelly House has contextual value because its scale, form, and Gothic Revival architectural style are important in defining and maintaining the remaining historical 19th-century character of the hamlet of Headford.

The Patrick & John Kelly House has existed in its current location since c. 1876, when it was erected as the Kelly family home on the former Headford Mill Lane in the hamlet of Headford. As such, the subject dwelling retains long-standing and significant physical, visual and historical links to its surroundings, including to significant natural features such as the Rouge River and Headford Valley lands to the east, as well as built features such as the former Headford Mill Lane (now a private access road) to the south. The subject property also has long-standing and significant physical, visual, and historical links to the former milling and agricultural community of Headford.

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 west, south, and east gable ends, and a steeply-pitched central gable on the south elevation;
• The red/orange-brick cladding of the east, south, and west elevations, laid in common bond, with playful buff brick detailing;
• The buff brick cladding of the north (rear) elevation;
• Brick detailing including:
  • Buff brick projecting building base, quoining, decorative banding in different patterns, radiating voussoirs, and decorative lozenges in the east and west gable-ends as well as the central gable on the south elevation;
  • Vertical bands of paler orange brick accentuating all four corners of the two-storey canted bay window on the south elevation;
• The segmental-arched window openings, with wooden lugsills and radiating voussoirs;
• The lancet-arched window opening within the central gable on the south elevation, with a wooden lugsill and radiating voussoir;
• The two-storey hip-roofed canted bay window on the south elevation;
• The main entrance located within the ell on the south elevation, featuring a transomed doorway with a segmental-arched voussoir;
• The building’s Gothic Revival architectural style and material palette;
• The building’s scale, siting and location on the former Headford Mill Lane.

Note that the one-storey frame addition on the house’s east elevation is not considered to possess 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