Notice is Hereby Given that the Council of The Corporation ofthe Town of Newmarket intends to designate as a property ofcultural heritage value and interest the following property inaccordance with the Ontario Heritage Act, R.S.O. 1990, c.O.18:
Property Description: 491-493-495 Eagle Street (John Hodge House) islocated on the west side of Eagle Street, where Eagle Street intersects withD'Arcy Street, in the Town of Newmarket. The subject property includesGothic Revival rowhouses constructed between 1883 and 1889.
Legal Description: PT LT 93 CON 1 WHITCHURCH, BEING AFORCED ROAD (AKA D''ARCY ST), AS SHOWN ON PLAN 81;S/T NE10608 NEWMARKET
Publication Date: Nov 1, 2024
Last Date for Objection: Dec 1, 2024Any notice of objection to this Notice of Intention to Designate,setting out the reason for objection and all relevant facts, must beserved upon the Town Clerk within 30 days of the first publicationof this notice.
Statement of Cultural Heritage Value or Interest:
Physical/ Design Value
491-493-495 Eagle Street is a rare and representativeexample of rowhouses in Newmarket built in the GothicRevival architectural style. The two-and-a-half storey brickbuilding contains three units each with a rear wing, that sharestylistic features and cohesive detailing. The building exhibitsseveral representative Gothic Revival elements including the sidegable roof with overhanging eaves with each unit showcasing afront gable peak finished with bargeboard, ornamentalwoodwork and contains an oculus window opening. The buildingexhibits ornate dichromatic brickwork expressed in the buff brickconstruction, raised red brick quoins, two decorative belt coursesfeaturing a mix of headers and stretches in a dichromatic brickpatterned composition and the brick voussoirs of the windowopenings which all add to the Gothic Revival design. Each unitcontains a one-storey canted bay-windows, rhythmically placedsegmentally arched window openings with tin clad sills, a formalfront entrances with rectangular door openings topped withrectangular transoms protected by a flat roof portico withchamfered wood posts sitting on squared wood piers adornedwith brackets, scroll work, moulded and gingerbread trim whichare all representative of the Gothic Revival architectural style.491-493-495 Eagle Street is a rare example of rowhouses inNewmarket which has retain is massing and highly decorativeGothic Revival detailing since its construction in 1880s.
Historical and Associative Value
491-493-495 Eagle Street is directly associated with the historicVillage of Newmarket and John Hodge. The lots lines, layout,and built form of the historic village of Newmarket was wellestablished in the mid-19th century and evident in a wellestablished commercial core found along Main Street and thelarge presence of residences located along several side streets.The development of the commercial core and surroundingresidential streetscapes in the mid-19th century played asignificant role in the social and economic development andgrowth of the Village of Newmarket. It is likely that the brick used in the construction of the residence was from the StickwoodBrickyard, which produced both red and yellow/buff colouredbricks during this time period. Local historians indicate that almostall of the brick buildings built in Newmarket between 1860 and1910 were likely constructed with bricks that originated at theStickwood Brickyard.
491-493-495 Eagle Street was built between 1883 and 1889for local tinsmith and businessman John Hodge but was likelyextant by 1886. John Hodge was born around 1837 in Dorset,England and moved with his family to Newmarket around 1854,where his father operated a tin and copper warehouse locatedon Water Street. John Hodge worked as a tinsmith with his fatherin the 1850s, and by 1863, John owned a brick store on MainStreet on the opposite side of the road from Margaret Forsyth'sRailroad Hotel. John was very active in the local community. Johnwas a member of Newmarket's Fire Brigade for many years, wasactive in the Congregational Church, located at what is now 429Botsford Street, and served as a fence viewer, or a personappointed by the municipality to resolve fencing issues inproperty disputes, in 1870. The rowhouses were contrasted underthe direction of John Hodges in the mid-1800s. This type ofconstruction was unusual for Newmarket, as rowhouses weregenerally designed for larger cities.
Contextual Value
491-493-495 Eagle Street is important in defining andsupporting the 19th century character of the historic Village ofNewmarket. Several residential side streets, including EagleStreet, were established in the village core, near the commercialMain Street. Located off or parallel to Main Street, the buildingsalong the side streets are comprised of predominantly one totwo-and-a-half storey residences, primarily brick construction mostusing bricks from Stickwood's brickyard, with modest setbacks andinclude a range of architectural styles from that time period. 491-493-495 Eagle Street exhibits setback, massing, style, decorativedetails consistent with the historic village character. The uniqueand rare rowhouse construction also contributes to the contextualvalue of the area.
491-493-495 Eagle Street acts a visual landmark in the historicvillage, terminating the view from Water Street where itsintersection with the historic commercial core on Main StreetSouth. The clear visibility and location of the highly ornate andunique rowhouse construction act as a visual landmark in the area.
Additional information, including a full description of therationale for designation is available upon request from UmarMahmood, Planner, Committee of Adjustment and CulturalHeritage, Planning Services at (905) 895-5193, extension2458, or at umahmood@newmarket.ca during regular businesshours.