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BYLAW - Heritage Designation 64 Wells - 20080212 - 4994D"Wells Street Public School" '\own, of -"'~v,., THE CORPORATION OF THE TOWN OF AURORA i.i % By-law Number 4994-0B.D BEING A BY-LAW to designate a certain Property as being of Historical and/or Architectural Value or Interest "The Wells Street Public School", 64 Wells Street WHEREAS pursuant to Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act, R.S. 0. 1990, Chaptero.18, the Council of a municipality is authorized to enact By-laws to designate a real property, including all buildings and structures thereon, to be of cultural heritage value or interest; AND WHEREAS the municipal council of the Corporation of the Town of Aurora has cause to be served on the owners (and custodians) of the lands and premises at: 64 Wells Street Aurora, ON and up on the Ontario Heritage Trust (formerly the Ontario Heritage Foundation), notice of intention to designate The Wells Street Public School at 64 Wells Street and a statement of the reasons for the proposed designation, and further, has caused said notice of intention to be published in the Era Banner, being a newspaper of general circulation in the municipality; AND WHEREAS no notice of objection to the proposed designation has been served on the municipality; AND WHEREAS the reasons for designation are set out in Schedule "B" attached hereto and form part of this By-law; NOW THEREFORE THE MUNICIPAL COUNCIL OF THE CORPORATION OF THE TOWN OF AURORA ENACTS AS FOLLOWS: 1. THAT the following real property, more particularly described in Schedules "A" attached hereto and forming part of this By-law is hereby designated as being of cultural heritage value or interest: The Wells Street Public School 64 Wells Street Town of Aurora The Regional Municipality of York 2. THAT the Town solicitor is hereby authorized to cause a copy of this By-law to be registered against the property described in Schedules "A" attached hereto at the Land Registry Office. READ A FIRST AND SECOND TIME THIS 12TH DAY OF FEBRUARY, 2008. READ A THIRD TIME AND FINALLY PASSED 12TH DAY OF FEBRUARY, 2008. PHYLLIS M. MORRIS, MAYOR B. PAN~WN CLERK SCHEDULE "A" TO BY-LAW 4994-0B.D By-law Number 4994-08.0 Page 2 of 5 In the Town of Aurora in the Regional Municipality of York, property description as follows: Pt Lt 8 sis Mosley St Pl68 as in AU12198, Pt Us 9, 10, 11, 12 & 13 sis Mosley St Pl68 as in AU11845 & Lt 3 wis Wells St Pl68 Save and Except Pt 2 65R9945, Pt 4 65R2442 & Pt 2 65R16015; Town of Aurora, Regional Municipality of York (64 Wells St) SCHEDULE "B" TO BY-LAW 4994-0B.D STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE By-law Number 4994-08.0 Page 3 of 5 The Wells Street Public School at 64 Wells Street is recommended for designation under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act because of its cultural heritage value or interest. Description of Property Located at 64 Wells Street, this two storey building with raised foundation is noted for its impressive main entrance, flat roof with parapets, and large banks of multi- paned wood windows. Set in a historic neighbourhood of late 19th and early 20th century residences, the Wells Street Public School faces the Town Park, which has been used by several generations of schoolchildren for social and physical activities. Statement of Cultural Heritage Value Historical or Associative Value Wells Street Public School was built in 1923 as the Second Aurora High School to a design by D.R. Franklin of Toronto. The building replaced a smaller 4-classroom Romanesque Revival styled building that had been built on the site in 1891. It became a Public School in 1952, when the new Aurora High School opened on Dunning Avenue. Historically, 64 Wells Street is an important link in the chain of history of public education in the Town of Aurora, representing the expansion period of the village in the early decades of the twentieth-century brought about by the arrival of the radial railway and the introduction of the shoe manufacturing industry. The Wells Street Public School is one of the most prominent heritage buildings in Aurora, and its association with the youth of Aurora and surrounding communities over an 85 year period has made this building a significant part of community life. One of the leading figures in the history of the Wells Street building is J.H. Knowles, who served as principal at the second Aurora High School at 64 Wells Street from 1923 when the building opened until it found new use as a Public School in 1952. Architectural Value The Wells Street Public School building has outstanding architectural value as the best example of 20 1h Century Neo-Classical architecture in Aurora and possibly the entire Region of York. It is one of 2 surviving examples of early school architecture in Aurora. Contextual Value Contextually, the Wells Street Public School has a dominant presence overlooking Aurora's most well used public space, the Town Park, and is a landmark of the Old Aurora community Description of Heritage Attributes The Description of Heritage Attributes include the following heritage attributes and apply to all elevations and the roof including all facades, entrances, windows, chimneys, and trim, together with construction materials of wood, brick, stone, plaster parging, metal and glazing, their related building techniques and landscape features: Exterior Elements: • All exterior faces of the original 1923 Aurora High School Building; • Red/brown brick exterior; • All cut stone exterior work; • All decorative wood exterior work • Front doors and transom; By-law Number 4994-0B.D Page 4 of 5 • Front door surround with wood pilasters and decorative metal railing; • Decorative Venetian windows; • Wood frieze and Cornice with dentil moldings running around the front and sides of the building; • Cut stone band at the first floor level of the building; • Brick parapet with partial wood balustrade; • Symmetrical banks of wood, multi-paned windows in their original 1923 configuration; • Wooden panel between the upper and lower levels of the front fagade windows; • Cut stone pilasters at either end of the front fagade; • Classical wood pediment and pilasters flanking a cut stone blank inert at the ends of the main fagade; • Decorative urns on the roof of the main fagade; • All wood, multi-paned windows on all exterior facades; • The cut stone band at the first floor level on the north and south facades; Interior Elements The Wells Street Public School contains a number of significant interior elements which contribute to the character of the school building. These include: • 1923 Auditorium with stage and wood floor; • Glazed wood doors with tilting wood transoms; Explanatory Note Re: Heritage Designation By-law No. 494.08.0 By-law Number 4994-08.0 Page 5 of 5 By-law Number 4994.08.0 the following purpose and effect: To designate the property at 64 Wells Street as a property of cultural heritage value or interest pursuant to the provisions of the Ontario Heritage Act, R.S.O,. 1990, Chapter 0.18, Part IV, Section 29.