Notice of Intention to Designate

The Corporation of the City of Richmond Hill

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 April 8^th, 2026.

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.

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 15^th, 2026.

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:

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 15^th day of April, 2026

Statement of Significance (Amended)

12125 Yonge Street – St. John the Baptist Anglican Church

St. John the Baptist Anglican Church at 12125 Yonge Street is recommended for designation under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act as a property of cultural heritage value or interest, as described in the following Statement of Significance. The subject property has been found to meet Ontario Regulation 9/06 criteria 1, 2, 4, 6 and 9.

Description of Property

St. John the Baptist Anglican Church at 12125 Yonge Street is located on the east side of Yonge Street at Jefferson Side Road. The property contains a church building, comprised of a historical 19^th-century Main Church and a 1950s North Wing addition. Only the historical Main Church is considered to possess cultural heritage value.

Design and Physical Value

The 19^th-century Main Church portion of St. John the Baptist Anglican Church at 12125 Yonge Street (consisting of the 1849 chapel, and 19^th-century entrance vestibule, chancel, and vestry) has design value as a representative example of the Gothic Revival architectural style applied to a 19^th-century ecclesiastical "country church" typology. Architectural features that contribute to the building's Gothic Revival style applied to a 19^th-century ecclesiastical "country church" typology include, but are not limited to, its rectangular plan with steeply-pitched complex gabled roof, belfry, west entry vestibule, rear chancel and vestry, lancet-arched and roundel windows, stained-glass window units, decorative brick elements including buttresses and sawtooth banding, and the chapel's simple and symmetrical west and south elevations.

Therefore, the subject property meets O. Reg. 9/06 Criterion 1: The property has design value or physical value because it is a rare, unique, representative, or early example of a style, type, expression, material, or construction method.

St. John the Baptist Anglican Church at 12125 Yonge Street also has design value for the high degree of craftsmanship and artistic merit displayed in the Main Church's stained-glass windows. The Main Church’s stained-glass windows were installed in the 19^th and 20^th centuries to commemorate key figures in the St. John’s community, such as the first churchwardens, Captain MacLeod and Giles Kerswill.

Therefore, the subject property meets O. Reg. 9/06 Criterion 2: The property has design value or physical value because it displays a high degree of craftsmanship or artistic merit.

Historical and Associative Value

St. John the Baptist Anglican Church at 12125 Yonge Street has historical value for its association with the Anglican Church. St. John's Anglican is a long-standing congregation who worshipped at the local schoolhouse in Jefferson prior to the construction of the subject church in 1849. At the time of its establishment in the mid-19^th century, the church was the only place of worship located in the former hamlet of Jefferson in Markham Township. Typical of rural churches throughout 19^th-century Ontario, St. John's has historically been the religious and social centre of the surrounding community, hosting organized social and religious groups such as the Sunday school, Women's Auxiliary, and Young People's Organization. The Anglican Church has been housed in the subject building since its construction in 1849.

Therefore, the subject property meets O. Reg. 9/06 Criterion 4: The property has historical value or associative value because it has direct associations with a theme, event, belief, person, activity, organization or institution that is significant to a community.

St. John the Baptist Anglican Church at 12125 Yonge Street also has historical value because the Main Church demonstrates the work of Robert McCausland Ltd., a highly prominent glassworks firm that has been producing and restoring stained-glass windows for over 170 years. Established in Toronto in the 1850s as Joseph McCausland and Sons, the company has produced stained-glass windows that can be found on numerous historic and landmark structures throughout Canada, including Old City Hall (Toronto), the Bank of Montreal building (now the Hockey Hall of Fame, Toronto), and countless churches. With McCausland windows present in historic and contemporary churches across Canada, the firm's work is significant to Protestant and Catholic communities. Windows in the St. John's Main Church produced by Robert McCausland Ltd. include the 1934 "Good Shepherd", the 1936 "Light of the World," "Virgin and Child," and "Resurrection Angel", and the 1940s "Ruth" and "Timothy."

Therefore, the subject property meets O. Reg. 9/06 Criterion 6: The property has historical value or associative value because it demonstrates or reflects the work or ideas of an architect, artist, builder, designer or theorist who is significant to a community.

Contextual Value

St. John the Baptist Anglican Church at 12125 Yonge Street has contextual value as a local landmark on Yonge Street within the former hamlet of Jefferson. The Main Church is situated at a prominent location atop a hill on the east side of Yonge Street, where it has served as a nucleus and marker for the local community since 1849. The Main Church is regarded as a local landmark due to its distinct historical ecclesiastical character, prominent location atop a hill on Yonge Street, and longstanding role as a religious and community gathering space.

Therefore, the subject property meets O. Reg. 9/06 Criterion 9: The property has contextual value because it is a landmark.

Heritage Attributes

Design and Physical Value

Heritage attributes contributing to the value of the Main Church as a representative example of the Gothic Revival style applied to a 19^th-century ecclesiastical "country church" typology are:

Exterior Attributes

• The scale, form and massing of the one-storey building with a generally rectangular plan;
• The steeply-pitched complex gabled roof with bracketed eaves, comprised of a taller western front-gabled component and a shorter eastern cross-gabled component;
• The stone foundation;
• The red brick cladding and brick and stone detailing, including:
• The brick buttresses with stone copings;
• The sawtooth brick banding;
• The decorative arched brick banding;
• The windows and doors, including:
• The assortment of lancet-arched and roundel window openings;
• The brick voussoirs and stone sills;
• The leaded stained-glass window units;
• The two round-arched door openings on the entry vestibule's south elevation and the vestry's east elevation;
• The round-arched transom above the doorway on the entry vestibule's south elevation;
• The gable-roofed projecting entrance vestibule on the front (west) elevation of the chapel;
• The chancel and vestry projecting from the rear (east) elevation of the chapel;
• The symmetrical organization of bays on the chapel's front (west) and south (side) elevations;
• The belfry located at the peak of the chapel roof, including:
• The gable roof;
• The clapboard siding;
• The lancet-arched openings;
• The cruciform finial; and
• The bell.

Interior Attributes

• The vaulted ceiling of the nave and chancel, including the wooden slats, ribs and support beams; and
• The lancet-arched opening between the nave and the chancel, including the wood trim.

The heritage attribute contributing to the Main Church’s value for its high degree of craftsmanship and artistic merit is:

• The stained-glass window units. 

Historical and Associative Value

Heritage attributes contributing to the value of the property for its associations with the Anglican Church are:

• The Main Church's siting and orientation on the east side of Yonge Street, at Jefferson Side Road;
• The Main Church's Gothic Revival architectural style applied to the 19^th-century ecclesiastical "country church" building typology; and
• The Main Church’s stained-glass window units.

Contextual Value

Heritage attributes contributing to the contextual value of the property for being a landmark are:

• The Main Church's siting and orientation on the east side of Yonge Street, at Jefferson Side Road; and
• The Main Church's Gothic Revival architectural style applied to the 19th-century ecclesiastical "country church" building typology.

Note that the church's 1950s North Wing addition, and auxiliary built features including the rectory, radio tower, outdoor stage and parking lot are not considered to possess heritage attributes. The adjacent cemetery is also excluded from the designation.