Notice is Hereby Given that the Council of The Corporation of theTown of Newmarket intends to designate as a property of culturalheritage value and interest the following property in accordance withthe Ontario Heritage Act, R.S.O. 1990, c.O.18:
Property Description: 465 Davis Drive (Davis Leather Company) is situatedalong the north side of Davis Drive, in proximity to the intersection of Davis Driveand Main Street North in the Town of Newmarket. The subject lands are associatedwith the former Davis Leather Factory and contains a large red brick chimney whichis associated with the original factory.
Legal Description: PART LOTS 96 & 97, CONCESSION 1 EYS, EASTGWILLIMBURY
Publication Date: Nov 1, 2024
Last Date for Objection: Dec 1, 2024Any notice of objection to this Notice of Intention to Designate, settingout the reason for objection and all relevant facts, must be servedupon the Town Clerk within 30 days of the first publication of thisnotice.
Statement of Cultural Heritage Value or Interest:
Historical and Associative Value
465 Davis Drive is associated with E.J. Davis, Oliver E. Tench, andhas historic value as an early 20th century tannery and factory,the Davis Leather Factory. The Davis family was originally fromWales and settled in the United States before immigrating toWentworth County, near Hamilton, Ontario, in 1792. Patriarch, JamesDavis worked as a tanner, passing on the trade to his children. James'son, Andrew Davis, built a prosperous factory in Kinghorn, Ontario,where he taught his son, E.J. Davis the trade, however, the Kinghornfacility was destroyed by fire in 1903. Through encouragement byNewmarket Town Council, the Davis Leather Company moved itsoperation to Newmarket. The Davis Leather Company constructed anew large factory in Newmarket in 1904 on the subject property,which was designed by local architect Oliver E. Tench.
Oliver Tench was born in King Township in 1859 and workedpredominately in the Town of Newmarket throughout his career. Hecame to local prominence in 1893, when his design for theNewmarket High School was accepted by the Ministry of Education.He also designed one of the first reinforced concrete industrialbuildings for the Davis Leather Company in 1909, which led to othercommissions from the company. Oliver Tench was also employed bythe Newmarket Public School Board to design new facilities andadditions for existing facilities. Oliver Tench design both residentialand commercial/industrial works. He retired from the OntarioAssociation of Architects in 1932 and died in Newmarket in 1941.Under the ownership of E.J. Davis, the prosperity of the Davis Leatherfactory resulted in expansion of the facilities in 1912, which doubledthe business' production capacity. By 1915, the Davis LeatherCompany employed around 200 men and was the largest producerof calf leather in the British Empire with additional facilities in Quebecand Boston. For more than 50 years, the Davis Leather Company wasa mainstay of Newmarket's industrial sector and a driving force in thecommunity. The factory closed in 1962, and remained largely vacantuntil it was redeveloped in the 1980s.
In addition to his successful management of the Davis LeatherCompany, owner E.J. Davis also play a significant role in civic mattersthroughout his lifetime. Prior to moving to Newmarket, E.J. Davisserved in politics for 32 years, including as the MPP for his ridingbetween 1888 and 1902, including serving as the Provincial Secretary in 1896. E.J. Davis retired from politics in 1904, the sameyear he moved his business and family to Newmarket. E.J. Davis diedin 1936, and the management of the factory passed to his sons. Dueto his immense financial success, he became a highly respected andprominent local community member and was known for hisphilanthropist pursuits until his death in 1936. Davis Drive is namedafter the Davis Leather Company and E.J. Davis.
484-488 Water Street is associated with the historic Village ofNewmarket, the Presbyterian Church of Canada, and localarchitect John T. Stokes. The lots lines, layout, and built form of thehistoric village of Newmarket was well established in the mid-19thcentury and evident in a well-established commercial core foundalong Main Street and the large presence of residences locatedalong several side streets. The development of the commercial core,social and civic spaces, and surrounding residential streetscapes in themid-19th century played a significant role in the social and economicdevelopment and growth of the Village of Newmarket. It is likely thatthe brick used in the construction of the church was from the StickwoodBrickyard, which produced both red and yellow/buff coloured bricksduring this time period. Local historians indicate that almost all of thebrick buildings built in Newmarket between 1860 and 1910.
Contextual Value
465 Davis Drive has contextual value as a local landmark. Thehistory of the Davis Leather Company is well known and is reflectedin the name of the building, "The Tannery". The large brick smokechimney topped with clocktower, is distinguishable and a is a wellknown marker in the community.
Additional information, including a full description of the rationale fordesignation is available upon request from Umar Mahmood, Planner,Committee of Adjustment and Cultural Heritage, Planning Services at(905) 895-5193, extension 2458, or at umahmood@newmarket.caduring regular business hours.