Centre Wellington intends to designate 45 Colborne Street under the Ontario Heritage Act.
At the July 23 council session, planner Mariana Iglesias presented a detailed report to council, first to state the request for designation came from the property owner.
Iglesias said evaluation of the property indicated it has historical, physical and contextual value to warrant heritage designation.
The property is located at the southwest corner of Colborne and Melville Streets in Elora.
The property contains a red brick and board and batten, one-and-a-half storey house which fronts onto Colborne Street.
It was constructed in the Ontario cottage style and contains unique features.
Iglesias said the house is associated with many prominent citizens of Elora, including James Ross, Arthur Ross, David Henderson, Charles Allen, Alexander Rattray, and Donald McDonald and most notable Dr. William Savage, who first lived as a boarder with the McDonalds.
He later married the daughter of the McDonalds and established his medical practice in the house.
“He was the first university-trained doctor in Elora,” Iglesias stated.
Throughout the late 1860s Savage advertised his home and office “at Mrs. McDonald’s”.
As such, Iglesias said the property is also significant for its association with the early medical profession in Elora.
“The subject property is considered to be representative of the early history of the development of Elora. It is associated with the growth and expansion of the town in the mid-19th century and the increase in the standard of living and medical care in the village,” Iglesias stated in her report.
Iglesias stated the subject property is significant as it is a representative example of a pre-Confederation structure constructed in the Ontario vernacular cottage style with an L-shaped plan with a high degree of craftsmanship.
“While the exact year of construction is unknown, it is likely that the house was constructed around 1856 by Donald McDonald, who purchased Lot 1 on the west side of Melville Street, in October of 1855.”
Iglesias added the property is also significant in that it is representative of an early construction material as it is made of soft red brick that was locally manufactured, contributing to the narrative of Elora’s built heritage prior to the arrival of the railway and imported building materials.
The structure has monochromatic dentil work along the front face of the original 1856 portion, located just below the fascia. Unique to the building are the wood drip moulds which adorn the windows of the original front portion of the house.
She said of note is the brick ‘addition’ at the back of the house, constructed circa 1875, which was built for Dr. William Savage as a surgery and infirmary (hospital) for his medical practice. This is the only known example in Elora of a medical infirmary.
Council quickly indicated its intention to designate the property under the Ontario Heritage Act.
