Heritage Properties

1. Identifying a potential property to be considered for Heritage Designation

A Heritage Property Designation Application Form is submitted to town staff for consideration. 

2. Research and evaluate the property

Using the information provided in the application form, and working with the applicant, staff will conduct research to determine if the property meets the criteria for heritage designation as outlined in the Ontario Heritage Act, Section 9/06. Research may include the review of historic records, maps, municipal documents, photographs, and any other relevant sources to establish the property's cultural heritage value.

If the property is found to meet the designation criteria, staff will prepare a heritage designation recommendation report for Council consideration. This report will include a draft statement of cultural heritage value or interest, and a description of the heritage attributes proposed for designation. 

3. Serve notice of intention to designate, with objection period

Council will decide whether to proceed with the proposed designation based on the recommendation report and supporting evidence. If Council supports the recommendation, a motion will be passed expressing intention to designate the property under the Ontario Heritage Act, and a Notice of Intention to Designate (NOID) published to the website and served to the property owner and the Ontario Heritage Trust. 

Any person may object to the proposed designation, and must file an official objection with the Municipal Clerk within 30-days of the NOID publication. Council must consider any objections filed within the 30-day period when considering a property for designation. 

4. Passing the Heritage Designation by-law and provide notice of by-law

If there are no objections, and Council has not withdrawn the application, a designation by-law must be passed within 120 days of the publication of the NOID. 

The by-law must include a description of the property, statement of cultural heritage value or interest, and description of the properties heritage features. 

5. Listing the property on the municipal heritage property register

After a property has been designated, it will be listed on the Town's Municipal Register, including, at a minimum, the following information for each designated property;

• The legal description of the property
• The name and address of the property owner
• A statement describing the cultural heritage value or interest of the property
• A description of the identified heritage attributes of the property

6. Listing the property on the Ontario Heritage Trust property register

Once a property has been designation by by-law and included on the Town's Municipal Heritage Register, a copy of the designation by-law will be sent to the Ontario Heritage Trust for inclusion on the provincial register.

For more information, please visit the following links:

Ontario Heritage Act

Ontario Heritage Tool Kit

Ontario Heritage Trust

To be considered for designation, a property must fall under one of the following categories as per Ontario Regulation 9/06 under the Ontario Heritage Act; 

Design/Physical Value

• The property has design value or physical value because it is rare, unique, representative or early example of a style, type, expression, material or construction method. 
• The property has design value or physical value because it demonstrates a high degree of technical or scientific achievement.
• The property has design value or physical value because it demonstrates a high degree of technical or scientific achievement. 

Historical/Associative Value

• The property has historical value or associative value because it has direct association with a theme, event, belief, person, activity, organization or institution that is significant to a community. 
• The property has historical value or associative value because it yields, or has the potential to yield,  information that contributes to an understanding of a community or culture.
• 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

• The property has contextual value because it is important in defining, maintaining or supporting the character of an area. 
• The property has contextual value because it is physically, functionally, visually or historically linked to its surroundings. 
• The property has contextual value because it is a landmark. 

If you are interested in having your property considered for Heritage Designation, please use the application form below. 

Please note this is an application for consideration, and can be revoked at any point during the research and designation process. 

Municipal Heritage Designation Application Form

Address : 9 Entrance Drive

Designation Date : April 24, 1985

Designation By-law : 1985-033

Current Owner : The District Municipality of Muskoka, 70 Pine Street, Bracebridge ON

Legal Description : Firstly, all that part of Lot A, according to Registered Plan #6, South-West of Muskoka Road, in the Town of Bracebridge, in the District of Muskoka, designated as Part 1 on Plan 35R-9154; 

Secondly, part of Lot A, according to Registered Plan #6, South-West of Muskoka Road, and part of Lot C, according to Registered Plan #6, South of Perry Street, in the Town of Bracebridge, in the District Municipality of Muskoka, designated as part 2 on Plan 35R-9154; 

Thirdly, all that part of Lot 21, according to Registered Plan #6, North-East of Muskoka Road, North of the river, in the Town of Bracebridge, in the District Municipality of Muskoka, designated at Part 3 on Plan 35R-9154;

Fourthly, part of Lot 21, according to Registered Plan #6, North-East of Muskoka Road, North of the river, in the Town of Bracebridge, in the District Municipality of Muskoka, and part of Lot 3, in the Concession 1, formerly in the Township of Macaulay, now in the Town of Bracebridge, in the District Municipality of Muskoka, designated as Part 4 on Plan 35R-9154;

Fifthly, part of Muskoka Road, accordingly to Registered Plan #6, in the Town of Bracebridge, in the District Municipality of Muskoka, designated as Part 5 on Plan 35R-9154; 

Sixthly, part of the original shore road allowance lying in front of Lot 1, in Concession 1, formerly in the Township of Macaulay, now in the Town of Bracebridge, in the District Municipality of Muskoka, as closed by By-Laws #1147 and #1165, and as described as Firstly in Instrument #36297, designated as Part 6 on Plan 35R-9154; 

Seventhly, part of the original shore allowance lying in front of Lot 3, in Concession 1, formerly in the Township of Macaulay, now in the Town of Bracebridge, in the District Municipality of Muskoka, designated as Parts 7, 8, 9, 10, on Plan 35R-9154. 

Statement of Cultural Heritage Value or Interest : In 1892, a small power plant (the subject building) was constructed by W.S. Shaw on the "Upper" Falls, part of the Bracebridge Falls, and, while this building supplied electrical power to his leather tannery and parts of Bracebridge, it also served as a pump plant for the Town water supply. 

On April 7th, 1892, a contract was signed between the Corporation and Mr. Shaw for the supply of power from this plant and in 1893 the first municipal water supply main was constructed. This watermain was 3/4 of a mile in length, consisted of a 6" diameter cast iron pipe and was hand dug. It connected the chain of spring wells known as Barron's Springs (which are still in use and account for 1/3 of the present municipal water supply) and flowed by gravity to the reservoir adjacent to Mr. Shaw's power plant, through which the water was pumped to the existing main. 

In 1894, the Town of Bracebridge purchased the plant from Mr. Shaw at a price of $3,500.00 and Bracebridge became the first Ontario Municipality to own a Hydraulic Electric Generating Station as a Public Utility. 

The Town grew rapidly and a new hydro electric plant was constructed on the "Lower" Falls of the Bracebridge Falls in 1904 and the "Upper" Falls plant was abandoned as a hydro electric producing facility, leaving it as a pump plant only and the turbines were used only for the driving of the two hydraulic pumps for the water system. 

These two hydraulic pumps are still in emergency use at the present time, are operated weekly for maintenance and were overhauled in 1983 and found to be in good working order. Two electric pumps were installed in this building in 1914 to relieve the hydraulic pumps that are in daily use as an integral part of the Bracebridge water supply system. 

Address : 94 Manitoba Street, Bracebridge

Designation Date : September 22 1982

Designation By-Law : 1982-063

Current Owner : Town of Bracebridge, 1000 Taylor Court, Bracebridge ON

Legal Description : All that part of J. Browning Lot or Lot D, West of Muskoka Road, Plan No. 8, designated as PART 7 on reference plan 35R-7552.

Statement of Cultural Heritage Value or Interest : Recommended for designation for architectural reasons, as an example of neo-classical designation with Romanesque accents. The interior is Greek Revival-Ionic, and the building itself is constructed from Muskoka Stone. 

Address : 23 Dominion Street

Designation date : October 22, 2003

Designation By-law : 2003-111

Current Owner : Town of Bracebridge, 1000 Taylor Court, Bracebridge ON

Legal Description : Part of Lot 5, East Dominion Street, Registered Plan 1 and Part of Lot A, East Dominion Street, Registered Plan 8 from 1881 to 1957.

Statement of Cultural Heritage Value or Interest : That the hose tower forming part of the original town hall and fire hall building located at 23 Dominion Street be designated as a building of historic and/or architectural value or interest. 

Address : 49 Manitoba Street, Bracebridge

Designation Date : August 21st, 1985

Designation By-law : 1985-059

Current Owner : 2473343 Ontario Inc, 121 Bay Street, Gravenhurst ON

Legal Description : All and singular those lands and premises situate lying and being in the Town of Bracebridge, in the District Municipality of Muskoka, designated as Lot 15 on the north-east side of Manitoba Street according to Registered Plan 11 for the said Town of Bracebridge. 

Statement of Cultural Heritage Value or Interest : There is designated as being of both architectural and historical value or interest in the real property known as the Old Post Office Building and Clock Tower at 49 Manitoba Street, Bracebridge, Ontario, more particularly described as Schedule "A" hereto. 

Address : 4 Mary Street

Designation Date : April 24, 1985

Designation By-law : 1985-032

Current Owner : Anglican Synod of Algoma, 619 Wellington Street East, Sault Ste. Marie

Legal Description : Firstly, all of Lot 6, Plan 2 for the Town of Bracebridge, in the District Municipality of Muskoka. 

Secondly, the west half of Lot 119 according to Registered Plan 2 for the Town of Bracebridge, in the District Municipality of Muskoka. 

Statement of Cultural Heritage Value or Interest : The St. Thomas' stands on land which was given for the building of the Church by Mr. Arthur A. Mahaffy, who was later a member of the Provincial Legislature and became a judge for the Muskoka District. The Church retains its original appearance as completed in 1896 except that a tower was added early in the century, (1903) and the vestry was extended in the 1956. The vestry addition was designated to harmonize with the original building. Interestingly, the bricks used in the 1956 extension match the original bricks of the church, as they were salvaged from the Bracebridge Public School, another early Bracebridge Building, when it was demolished to make way for a more modern structure. I understand that all of these rather distinctive red bricks were produced at a brick-kiln that operated here in Bracebridge some years ago before and after the turn of the century. 

Other points of interest with regard to St. Thomas' which ought to be noted are as follows: 

The Church was designed by a Toronto Architectural Company, that of Mr. Charles J. Gibson, who served his architectural apprenticeship with a New York firm. Mr. Gibson also designed Christ Church, Mimico, St. John's, Norway, the Earlscourt Public Library, and the Conservatory at the Horticultural Gardens. In that era it would have been an important achievement for a congregation in a town such as Bracebridge, to have obtained the services of a solid and well-established architectural firm to design their Church. 

In Style St. Thomas' appear to be a picturesque representative of the Gothic or a modified Gothic from a Victorian point of view. It is rather good representative of the architectural development resulting from the Oxford Movement's stress of traditional Gothic, as opposed to classical Greek or Georgian styles, enhancing the Liturgical renewal that began in the middle decades of the last century in England. This movement procured the type of lay-out of Nave-Chancel-sanctuary as we have it in St. Thomas'. Other architectural features of distinction are: 

1. The exposed interior wooden truss system with the large half-circle arches, resulting on decorated hammer-beam truss wall brackets is truly admirable. Both engineers/architects and builders who have recently viewed the Church remark that such a combination is unusual and possibly fairly rare in this country. 
2. This truss-work is further enhanced by longitudinal arches, decorative 'tre'-foil panels in the hammer-beam truss wall panels plus circular scroll-work above the main arches. 
3. The exposed brick-work is of interest. Each wall involves 2 single walls joined by hidden metal "headers" or "tie-pieces". (These walls are separated by air-space) The Church has no interior paneling; the very carefully-laid brick inner wall being exposed. Some masons have described this brick-work as being of the "English-Style", a builder's term. 
4. The exterior brick buttresses enhance the structure. These buttresses together with the large steep roof coming rather low to the ground were other essential characteristics of the modified Victorian Gothic architecture. 
5. A siting of the building in the town is rather important in the street-scape; across from the town Library, a Heritage Building, and diagonally placed to the very lovely town-park or common. 
6. The stained-glass windows harmonize with the colouring of the brick-work, and truss system. They were well designed. 

Address : 15 King Street, Bracebridge

Designation Date : September 22 1982

Designation By-Law : 1978-053, amendment 1982-064

Woodchester was provincially designated under a Heritage Easement on March 17th, 1981. 

Current Owner : Town of Bracebridge, 1000 Taylor Court, Bracebridge ON

Legal Description : Firstly, the certain parcel or tract of land and premises described as part of Lot 3, Concession 1, in the Township of Macaulay, now in the Town of Bracebridge, designated as part 1, on Reference Plan 35R-7300. 

Secondly, the certain parcel or tract of land and premises described as part of Lot 30, and part of Lot "C", Plan M-3, Town of Bracebridge, designated as part 12, on Reference Plan 35R-7300.

Being part of parcel 14950. 

Thirdly, the certain parcel or tract of land and premises described as part of Bird Lane, Reserved, Registered Plan M-3, Town of Bracebridge, designated as part 13, on said Reference Plan 35R-7300.

Being part of parcel 14950. 

Statement of Cultural Heritage Value or Interest : The house named Woodchester in Bracebridge was built in 1882 for Henry James Bird and was named after his family’s Elizabethan manor in Yorkshire. It is considered to be a classic example in Ontario of Orson Squire Fowler’s octagonal plan and had several unique architectural features for its time, including central ventilating shaft and dumb waiter, water pressure tanks, inside plumbing, speaking tubes and observation galleries.