Inventory Report: Sovereign Street, Streetscape
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21: Sovereign Street, Streetscape
1. Description of Property Municipal Address Sovereign Street Name (if applicable) Sovereign Street streetscape Legal Description N/A Location of Property Sovereign Street easement and general streetscape from Jones Street to East Street. Ownership Public Access Site visit completed October 15, 2015 (AB) Current Use Road Existing Designation None General Description Sovereign Street is a short street, two blocks in length, between Jones and East streets. It
includes about 45 properties with primarily residential buildings in a mix of ages, scale and style. The streetscape features grass lawns with swales or ditches running along the road, soft or grassed shoulders with no curbs, and mature trees along the road margins. An informally plotted sidewalk runs along the south side of the street.
Priority Level N/A - No Further Action Required
Figure 1: Sovereign Street, current conditions. (AB, 2015)
Bronte OuterHarbour Marina
Lake Ontario
Bronte Rd.
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Jones St.
Nelson St.
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Jones St.
Nelson St.
East St.
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LEGEND
Sovereign StreetCultural Heritage LandscapeInventory Map
Drawing not to scale
Corporation of theTown of Oakville1225 Trafalgar RdOakville, ONL6H 0H3
Watercourse
Site Structures
Vegetation
Assessment Boundary
Building
CHL Study Area
Heritage District
Heritage Trail
Parkland
Park Trail
Road
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2. Key Recommendations Priority = N/A
No further action is being recommended for the following reason:
• The streetscape has been heavily altered.
3. Documentation and Inventory of Built Form List of Built Features:
• Curbless, paved road with no lane markers; • An informal sidewalk, on the south side only; • Generally consistent set back of houses from the street; • Primarily residential buildings (approximately 45), with a mix of ages, scale and style; • New infill at the north side of the east end; • New development on all of the western block, with the exception of one older house; • A vacant building at the south corner lot on the most eastern edge; • Seven houses that have been identified for their existing or potential cultural heritage value or interest:
o 2297 Sovereign Street (built c.1875) is identified in the “Bronte Village Heritage Inventory” as “Listed on Register”, but is not on the Municipal Heritage Register)
o 2348 Sovereign Street (built c.1918) is listed on the Heritage Register. Reason for listing: “This property has potential cultural heritage value for its c.1918 frame house with Queen Anne style influences and as part of the Bronte Village historic streetscape.”
o 2366 Sovereign Street (built c.1920) is listed on the Heritage Register. Reason for listing: “This property has potential cultural heritage value for its c.1920 Dutch Colonial Revival style frame house and as part of the Bronte Village historic streetscape.”
o 2370 Sovereign Street (built c.1927) is listed on the Heritage Register. Reason for listing: “This property has potential cultural heritage value for its c.1927 vernacular frame cottage and as part of the Bronte Village historic streetscape.”
o 2374 Sovereign Street (built c.1920) is listed on the Heritage Register. Reason for listing: “This property has potential cultural heritage value for its c.1920 vernacular frame house and as part of the Bronte Village historic streetscape.”
o 2378 Sovereign Street (built c.1909) is listed on the Heritage Register. Reason for listing: “This property has potential cultural heritage value for its c.1909 vernacular frame cottage and as part of the Bronte Village historic streetscape.”
o 2451 Sovereign Street (built c.1910) is listed on the Heritage Register. Reason for listing: “This property has potential cultural heritage value for its c.1910 Queen Anne style house.”
4. Documentation and Inventory of Natural Form List of Natural Features:
• Grass lawns and swales/ditches running along the road in front of residences; • No general tree line, but mature tree plantings along the road, primarily in front of older houses; and • Open spaces in the tree line in front of lots with modern infill housing.
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5. Design (Typology) ‘X’ all that
apply Categories of Cultural Heritage Landscape
Description
Designed Landscape “…clearly defined landscape designed and created intentionally by man.”
X Organically Evolved Landscape
“…results from an initial social, economic, administrative, and/or religious imperative and has developed in its present form in response to its natural environment”
Relict Landscape (Evolved Landscape)
“…in which an evolutionary process came to an end at some time in the past.”
X Continuing Landscape (Evolved Landscape)
“…retains an active social role in contemporary society closely associated with the traditional way of life, and which the evolutionary process is still in progress.”
Associative Cultural Landscape
“…justifiable by virtue of the powerful religious, artistic, or cultural associations of the natural element rather than material cultural evidence, which may be insignificant or even absent.”
6. Historical and Thematic Associations Sovereign Street was laid out in 1834 when the village of Bronte was surveyed by Deputy Provincial Surveyor, William Hawkins. The street was named for Charles Sovereign, and originated with the 1834 survey.1 It is noted on both the Tremaine (1858) and the Walker & Miles (1878) maps of Trafalgar Township. The earliest extant house on the street is likely 2297 Sovereign Street (c.1875). The other older houses on the street were built during the interwar period, from 1918 to 1945. The remainder are modern infill.
Charles Sovereign (c.1798 – 1885) was a member of one of Bronte’s early and prominent families. His father Philip purchased Lot 32, Concession IV SDS in 1814. Charles opened a school on his father’s property in 1815 (at the age of 17) and became the first local school inspector in 1842. The house at 2366 Sovereign Street was originally the barn of a farm belonging to Jeremiah B. Adams. Jeremiah’s father Samuel was a well-known businessman and landowner and the first black settler in Oakville.2
7. Contextual Associations In general, the road right of way appears to have maintained its earlier configuration, level with the abutting lawns. A narrow sidewalk runs along the south. In sections, mature trees form a tree-line, although the residences (and their respective front yard trees) are generally more widely set-back, so the trees do not form a canopy above the street. Although there are a number of houses (noted above) that reflect the character of the area during the early 20th century, modern in-fill interrupts the landscape.
1 David Ashe and Joyce Burnell, Oakville Street Names & Landmarks, (London, ON: Burnell Creighton Publishing, 2007) at p. 103. 2 Correspondence from the Bronte Historical Society. Pers. Comm. Patti Smart-Leard, 2015.
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8. Evaluation (O. Reg 9/06)
O.Reg.9/06 Criteria Criteria
Potentially Met (Y/N)
Potential Justification
1. The property has design value or physical value because it,
i. is a rare, unique, representative or early example of a style, type, expression, material, or construction method,
N
The streetscape does not present a cohesive example of a style, type, expression, material or construction method, although individual properties may meet this criteria.
ii. displays a high degree of craftsmanship or artistic merit, or
N Not shown.
iii. demonstrates a high degree of technical or scientific achievement.
N Not shown.
2. The property has historical value or associative value because it,
i. has direct associations with a theme, event, belief, person, activity, organization or institution that is significant to a community,
N
Although components of the streetscape are associated with the early 20th century development of Bronte, the overall streetscape does not meet this criteria.
ii. yields, or has the potential to yield, information that contributes to an understanding of a community or culture, or
N Not known.
iii. demonstrates or reflects the work or ideas of an architect, artist, builder, designer or theorist who is significant to a community.
N Designer/builder/architect unknown
3. The property has contextual value because it,
i. is important in defining, maintaining or supporting the character of an area,
N Although components of the streetscape reflect the early 20th century character, the overall streetscape does not.
ii. is physically, functionally, visually or historically linked to its surroundings, or
N The streetscape is not physically, functionally, visually or historically linked to its surroundings
iii. is a landmark. N Not a landmark.
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9. Photographic Documentation
Figure 3: 2366 Sovereign Street was built c.1920. (AB, 2015)
Figure 4: Infill dating to the1960s and later, along the south side of the street. (AB, 2015)
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10. Analysis & Recommendations Potential Heritage Value:
While specific components of this streetscape, in particular the house noted in Section 3, certainly have the potential for cultural heritage value and interest related to their design, historical associations and contextual value, infill has resulted in a streetscape that does not reflect the character of the early 20th century resources in a legible and cohesive way.
Actions:
No further action is recommended with respect to the CHL Strategy Implementation.
No further action is being recommended for the following reason:
• The streetscape has been heavily altered.
11. Sources Ashe, David and Joyce Burnell, Oakville Street Names & Landmarks, (London, ON: Burnell Creighton Publishing, 2007)
Smart-Leard, Patti , Bronte Historical Society. Information sent via email, September 14, 2015.
Town of Oakville, “Oakville HERITAGE: Bronte Village Heritage Resources Review and Strategy”. Report prepared by Heritage Planning Services, September 2011.
