BYLAW - Heritage Designation 50 100 Bloomington RdW - 20190528 - 618219The Corporation of the Town of Aurora
By-law Number 6182-19
Being a By-law to designate a property to be of cultural heritage
value or interest (De La Salle College and Pine Ridge Trail (Monk's
Walk) — 50-100 Bloomington Road West).
Whereas Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act, R.S.O. 1990, Chapter 0.18, as
amended, provides that the council of a municipality may, by by-law, designate a
property within the municipality to be of cultural heritage value or interest;
And whereas on January 22, 2019 The Corporation of the Town of Aurora (the "Town")
approved the recommendations of its Heritage Advisory Committee to designate the
property municipally known as 50-100 Bloomington Road West, Aurora (the "Property")
to be of cultural heritage value or interest;
And whereas the Town Clerk of the Town caused notice of the intention to designate
the Property to be served on the owner of the Property and the Ontario Heritage Trust
and published in a newspaper having general circulation in the municipality;
And whereas there were no objections to the proposed designation of the Property
served on the Town;
And whereas the Council of the Town deems it necessary and expedient to enact a by-
law to designate the Property to be of cultural heritage value or interest;
Now therefore the Council of the Corporation of the Town of Aurora herby enacts
as follows:
1. The Property described on Schedule "A" attached hereto and forming part of this
By-law be and is hereby designated to be of cultural heritage value or interest.
2. A statement explaining the cultural heritage value or interest of the Property and a
description of the heritage attributes of the Property are set out on Schedule "B"
attached hereto and forming part of this By-law.
3. The Town Clerk of the Town shall serve a copy of this By-law on the owner of the
Property and the Ontario Heritage Trust and publish notice of this By-law in a
newspaper having general circulation in the municipality.
4. The Town Solicitor shall register against the Property in the proper Land Registry
Office, a copy of this By-law including an Affidavit of the Town Clerk respecting the
giving of notice referenced herein to be attached to and forming part of this By-law.
Enacted by Town of Aurora Council this 28t" day of May, 2019.
Tom Mrakas, Mayor
Z"I/J/
Michael de Rond, Town Clerk
By-law Number 6182-19
Page 2 of 4
Schedule "A"
Description of Property
All and singular those certain parcels or tracts of land and premises situate, lying and
being in the Town of Aurora, in the Regional Municipality of York, municipally known as
50-100 Bloomington Road West, and being composed of Part Lot 71, Concession 1,
(King) as in K114654, except Part 2 R679438, Part 10 65R10971, Parts 1, 3, 4 and 6,
65R14658, B77201 B, A54471 A, Parts 1, 2, 3 & 4, 65R29662 and except Parts 1, 2, 3,
4, 5 and 6, 65R33118, subject to an easement over Part 1 65R1643 as in R186508;
subject to an easement over Parts 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 and 19, 65R18188 Except Part
4, 65R29662, except Parts 3,4 and 6, 65R33118 as in R495580, subject to an
easement over Parts 4 and 17, 65R18188 as in R554169, subject to an easement over
Parts 4 and 17, 65R18188 as in R556196, subject to an easement over Parts 3, 5, 6, 7,
8 & 18, 65R18188 except Parts 2 and 3, 65R29662, except Parts 2, 4 and 5, 65R33118
as in R685895, being all of PIN 03671-0060 (LT) including the building known as De La
Salle College, which includes the front garden/courtyard and associated heritage
feature Pine Ridge Trail (Monks Walk),
By-law Number 6182-19
Page 3 of 4
Schedule "B"
Statement of Cultural Heritage Value or Interest
The Cultural Heritage Value of the property derives from the visual character of the
primary structure; being a fair example of Collegiate Gothic architecture, and the
landscape features on the property; which include the Pine Ridge Trail/Monk's Walk
with its numerous religious tree carvings, and the front garden with its circular walkway
leading to the original building entrance. The property has historical association; being
the former De La Salle College and Pine Ridge Centre, and has contextual value; for its
location on a highpoint within the Oak Ridges Moraine at the prominent corner of Yonge
Street and Bloomington Road.
Physical Design Value
Built in 1916, the existing building can be described as a 4 storey structure designed in
a Collegiate Gothic architectural style. The building was designed by renowned architect
J.P Hynes, who is notable for building several churches, hotels, hospitals, schools and
various residential and commercial buildings in Toronto and across Canada.
The building was constructed using the "Hennebique" system of construction, which
comprised of 14 inch thick reinforced concrete walls, cladded with red brick. Concrete
foundation walls extend approximately 4 feet above grade at the base of the structure. A
stone trim was implemented on the walls and window openings of the building. The roof
is a flat roof, lined with a brick parapet. At the centre of the front elevation (facing Yonge
Street), a steel screen was installed which was decorated to match the original stone
decorative parapet. The windows, emphasized by sawtooth art stone, are a common
feature to Collegiate Gothic architecture. The main entrance (facing Yonge Street)
features cast stone with a decorative parapet.
To the east of the main structure lies a front garden, comprising of mature trees, park
benches and a flag pole. A circular walkway is located in the center of the garden. The
garden once served as the main entranceway to the De La Salle College.
Along the northern boundary of the property is Pine Ridge Trail/Monk's Walk, which is a
0.75 kilometre trail that features numerous religious tree carvings, which date back
nearly 100 years.
Historical /Associative Value
50-100 Bloomington Road West contains a rich history over the past 200 years. The
lands were originally settled by Joseph Minthorn in 1808. Another notable early settler
includes William Mair, who held the land until 1878. In 1914, the Christian Brotherhood
purchased the property. By 1916, the Brotherhood built the De La Salle College, a
school for young men destined to pursue religious services. During this time, the
Brotherhood established a walking trail at the north end of the property known as
Monk's Walk. This trail comprises of religious carvings in trees along the route, used by
the Brotherhood for meditation. The Christian Brotherhood would continue to operate
the school until 1949 where at that time; the school was moved back to Toronto.
The Government of Ontario purchased the property in 1950. The building was
converted into a residential facility operated by the Ministry of Health. The building
would house over 300 men and boys suffering from mental illnesses, developmental
delay or physical disability. The facility was re -named "Pine Ridge" in 1974 and would
continue to operate until 1984.
By-law Number 6182-19
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After the closure of Pine Ridge, the Government of Ontario retrofitted the building to
contain office uses. The building would become an office for the Ministry of Natural
Resources and an Ontario Registry Office. The building continues to operate as
government offices to this day.
Contextual Value
The property is situated on a large parcel of land at a highpoint of the Oak Ridges
Moraine at the north east corner of Yonge Street and Bloomington Road. Once set
isolated amongst agricultural land uses, the surrounding landscape has evolved around
the property, which is now surrounded by other institutional buildings and suburban
residential developments.
The former De La Salle College structure overlooks Yonge Street, the major north -south
historical transportation corridor between the urban centre of Toronto to the south and
Lake Simcoe to the north. Under the ownership of the Christian Brothers and due to the
school's symbolic presence, the intersection at Yonge Street and Bloomington Road
became known as De La Salle College Corners in recognition of the historic importance
of the institution locally (Aurora Banner, 1925).
The historic educational and agricultural importance of the property is reflected through
the remnants of orchards, gardens, and the Pine Ridge Trail/Monk's Walk and its
multiple carved trees.
Description of Heritage Attributes
Important to the preservation of the property are the original key attributes that express
its value, which include:
Exterior Elements
• Collegiate Gothic Architectural Style
• Exterior walls constructed from interlocking tile and faced with brick
• Low brick parapet with a moulded stone coping and overhang drips
• Rectangular window openings with sawtooth art stone surrounds and simple
lintels and sills
• Classical main entrance with cut stone
• Four -storey structure with a flat roof, red brick cladding and stone detailing
Cultural Heritage Landscape Elements
• Approximately 0.75 kilometre Pine Ridge Trail/Monk's Walk at the north end of
the property
• Paper Birch, Basswood and American Beech trees along the Pine Ridge
Trail/Monk's Walk, including carved trees
• The Front Garden at the east of the property, leading from the original entryway
to Yonge Street, including the walkway and circular garden
• The visual presence of the building, located at the northeast corner of the
property and on a hilltop, as a discernable landmark for the area
0 The 0.3 hectare Kettle Lake at the southern end of the property