IN THE MATTER OF THE ONTARIO HERITAGE ACT, R.S.O. 1990, CHAPTER 0.18 AND IN THE MATTER OF THE LANDS AT THE FOLLOWING LOCATION IN THE PROVINCE OF ONTARIO
TAKE NOTICE that the Council of the Corporation of the Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake intends to designate the property at 463 KING STREET, BEST HOUSE (PLAN 86 PART LOT 281 RP 30R8012 PART 2) as a property of cultural heritage value or interest under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act, R.S.O. 1990, Chapter 0.18.
Description of Property
The subject property is known as the Best House. 463 King Street is located in the urban area of Old Town. The subject property is located across Butler’s Barracks which is a National Historic Site of Canada. Property adjacent to the subject property towards the north at 433 King Street is a Part IV designated property in the Municipal Heritage Register. The subject property is located at the intersection of King Street and Mary Street. The residence has a substantial setback from King Street and Mary Street and is visible from the road.
Statement of Cultural Heritage Value or Interest
The property known as the Best House has cultural heritage value or interest for its design and physical values, its historical and associative values and its contextual values. 463 King Street is a representative example of Gothic Revival architecture which was built on picturesque taste and revived mediaeval Gothic forms. The structure is a two-storey brick construction with some stone and wood details. The façade of the subject property is symmetrical and contains three bays. The side elevations of the building are balanced and contain symmetrical elements. Typical of Gothic Revival structures the roof of the structure is gable with overhanging eaves, moulded frieze and features a centre gable on the façade. The openings in the structure are segmentally arched with radiating brick voussoirs, carved keystones, wooden lug sills and wooden frames. The windows themselves are two over two windows. The main entryway to the subject property is simple and contains segmentally arched transom and sidelights. The subject property also features protruding bay windows on the north and south elevations. The bay windows have a mansard roof with overhanging eaves.
Best House is associated with being the residence of the mayor of the Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake, Thomas Frederick Best. Thomas Best constructed the residence in 1885. Thomas Best was a successful businessman and a popular local politician. He served several terms as councilman and as mayor from 1897 to 1901 and in 1912. He also constructed the canning factory adjacent to the subject property, which is now known as the Pillar & Post Inn. The subject property is historically associated as being owned by various important persons in the Town as Lot 281. It was owned by Joseph Edwards, who was the Town’s warden, first postmaster and the first Justice of Peace and by James Whitten who was a local carpenter and a merchant. James Whitten is believed to have worked on multiple historic properties in the Town.
Best House supports the historical character of the area. King Street streetscape majorly consists of commercial properties that are two to three storeys high with large to moderate setback from the road. Most of the building are historic structures that are lined with mature trees. The area also consists of various designated sites that includes the Butler’s Barracks which is a National Historic
Site, and 433 King Street and 46 Mary Street which are Part IV designated properties on the Municipal Heritage Register.
463 King Street is also functionally linked to its surroundings as being part of the Pillar and Post Inn. The building adjacent to the subject property was also constructed by Thomas Best as a canning factory and was later converted to the Pillar and Post Inn. The Pillar and Post Inn also have designated gardens towards the south of the subject property.
Description of Key Heritage Attributes
Key exterior attributes that embody the heritage value of the estate at 463 King Street include its:
Objections
Any objection to this designation must be filled no later than 30 days after the date of publication of the Notice of Intent to Designate. Objections should be directed to the Town Clerk, 1593 Four Mile Creek Road, Niagara-on-the-Lake, L0S 1T0. The last date to file a notice of objection is June 9th 2024.
Queries
Any further queries should be directed to Sumra Zia, Heritage Planner at (905) 468-3266 ext. 327 or through email at [email protected].
Dated at the Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake this 9th day of May 2024
GRANT BIVOL, CLERK
