THE CORPORATION OF THE CITY OF BURLINGTON

BY-LAW NUMBER 93-2009

A By-law to designate 2084 Old Lakeshore Road, in the City of Burlington, in the Regional Municipality of Halton, to be of cultural heritage value or interest pursuant to the provisions of the Ontario Heritage Act (R.S.O. 1990, chapter O.18, as amended).

WHEREAS Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act, R.S.O. 1990, Chapter O. 18 (as amended) authorizes the Council of a municipality to enact by-laws to designate real property, including all the buildings and structures thereon, to be of cultural heritage value or interest; and

WHEREAS the municipal heritage committee (Heritage Burlington) supports the designation of the property described herein (s. 29(2)); and

WHEREAS a Notice of Intention to Designate has been published in the Burlington Post on 23^rd day of October, 2009 and served, by registered mail, in accordance with the Act (s. 29(3)); and

WHEREAS no Notice of Objection has been served on the City Clerk of the City of Burlington;

NOW THEREFORE THE COUNCIL OF THE CORPORATION OF THE CITY OF BURLINGTON HEREBY ENACTS AS FOLLOWS:

1. THAT, the property at 2084 Old Lakeshore Road (The Estaminet) being Pin 07061-0020, Lot 3 Blk U Plan 92; Pt Lot 2 Blk U Plan 92; Part Lot 4 Blk U Plan 92 being Part 1 20R6399, City of Burlington, Regional Municipality of Halton, more particularly described in Schedule “A”, is hereby designated as being of cultural heritage value or interest pursuant to Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act.

2. The City Clerk shall cause a copy of this by-law to be registered against the property described in Schedule "A" to this by-law in the proper Land Registry Office.

3. The City Clerk shall cause a copy of this by-law to be served upon the owners of the property at 2084 Old Lakeshore Road (The Estaminet) and upon the Ontario Heritage Trust and to cause notice of this by-law to be published in a newspaper having general circulation in the City of Burlington as required by the Ontario Heritage Act (s. 29(14)).

4. THAT this by-law shall take effect on the date of its passing.

ENACTED AND PASSED THIS 14^th of December, 2009.

MAYOR: _______________________________________

ACTING CITY CLERK: __________________________

SCHEDULE “A”

Statement of Cultural Heritage Value or Interest:

2084 Old Lakeshore Road (The Estaminet)

The Estaminet is recommended for designation pursuant to Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act as a property of cultural heritage value or interest, as described in the following Statement of Cultural Heritage Value or Interest.

Legal Description:

Pin 07061-0020, Lot 3 Blk U Plan 92; Pt Lot 2 Blk U Plan 92; Part Lot 4 Blk U Plan 92 being Part 1 20R6399, City of Burlington, Regional Municipality of Halton.

Description of Historic Place:

2084 Old Lakeshore Road is located within the Old Lakeshore Road Precinct. The property is bound by Old Lakeshore Road to the north, Rambo Creek to the east, Lake Ontario to the south and Pearl Street to the west. The property supports a 2-storey building, constructed prior to 1870, in a 3-bay Georgian style. The building is clad in aluminum siding, has replacement windows, and some original/early wooden millwork (eaves and porch scrollwork). There are several later additions to the south and east elevations.

Statement of Cultural Heritage Value or Interest

The cultural heritage value of the Estaminet building lies in its design value, its historical and associative value and its contextual value.

Physical or Design Value:

Constructed prior to 1870 in the Georgian style, the Estaminet building is a 3-bay frame structure with a truncated hipped roof, simple lines and minimal adornment reflective of the Georgian period in Canada (1820-1850). Photographs from the early 20^th century depict a 3-bay window projecting from the easterly elevation in a polygonal design. The north-facing (front) covered porch with slight bell cast roof and detailed scrollwork remains. It is likely that the bay window (no longer extant) and the porch were added to the structure in the very late 19^th century/early 20^th century. A single masonry chimney at the north easterly corner of the building is shown in early photographs. A chimney remains in this location today.

Over the decades the building has been enlarged to accommodate an expanding service commercial use. The original building masses, however, remain and are clearly distinguishable from the later additions to the south and east. Period details including the porch, wooden eaves, and proportion of the window and door openings remain (including the central entry with demi-sidelights and transom).

Historical and Associative Value

The property was originally purchased from Joseph Brant by the Gage family as part of a 338 acre parcel. In 1843, Andrew Gage had inherited a portion of the Gage acreage which included the lands presently known as 2084 Old Lakeshore Road. A residential building was constructed on the property during Andrew Gage’s ownership (1843-1870). (It is believed that Gage’s residence is the building that remains on the property today, making the Estaminet building among the oldest remaining buildings within the present day downtown core). In 1870, the property passed from Andrew Gage to Lieutenant-Colonel William Kerns.

William Kerns made substantial contributions to both the political and mercantile history of Burlington, serving twice as the Reeve of the Village of Burlington (1879-1882, 1899-1905), a trustee of the local school board, and a long-term business partner of John Waldie and Company (together owned the General Store at present day 2021 Lakeshore Road). He was elected to the Provincial Legislature as Halton’s representative as a member of the Conservative Party in 1883 and served the electorate in this capacity until 1898. Kerns owned the property until 1915 when it was purchased from his estate by Mr. Harold Lazier, an adjacent landowner.

The “Estaminet Standard Hotel” opened, with four tables, under the management of George and Emma Byrens in 1919 (the property continued under the ownership of Mr. Harold Lazier until 1930 when it was purchased by Ms. Emma Byrens). Following her retirement in 1952, Mrs. Byrens sold the property to Reginald Cooper who operated it until 1963 when it was taken over by his son Brian. The younger Mr. Cooper made several enlargements to the building yet was able to maintain the comfortable atmosphere that the Byrens had created. The property has since changed ownership several times.

From the outset, the Estaminet was billed and regarded as “Canada’s House of Hospitality” serving patrons including: Louis St. Laurent, L.B. Pearson, John Diefenbaker, Barbara Ann Scott, Robert Service, A.Y. Jackson, Louis Armstrong, Jackie Robinson, Mickey Mantle, Liberace, John Robarts, and Bill Davis. International dignitaries and local residents alike have signed the Estaminet guest books dating from 1919 (these remain within the Joseph Brant Museum Collection).

The establishment has figured prominently in both civic and social life serving as an important venue for long-standing service clubs including the Zonta Club, the Free Masons, the Lion’s Club, and the Rotary Club. Generations of Burlingtonians have celebrated milestone events at the Estaminet: weddings, anniversary celebrations, New Year’s celebrations and retirement parties too great to number. Further, events including a landing/farewell party for the officers and crew of HMCS Burlington (1941), the official opening ceremony of the present day City Hall building, Miss Canada events, countless fund raisers and bridge parties, have all entrenched the Estaminet in the socio-cultural landscape of Burlington and beyond.

The building has operated continuously as a restaurant since 1919 and is today known as the “Water Street Cooker”. “Emma’s Back Porch”, named for the original proprietor of the Estaminet, is a more casual restaurant operated within the later additions to the original building.

Contextual Value

In the late 19^th and early 20^th century, Burlington’s waterfront lands were dotted with hotels, restaurants and drinking establishments, including the well-known “Ocean House Hotel” (at Burlington Beach), and the “Brant Inn” (at present day Spencer Smith Park). The construction of the radial electric line and the paving of the Lakeshore Highway (presently Lakeshore Road) in the early 20^th century opened up Burlington Beach and Wellington Square to Regional traffic seeking high end dining and entertainment. Opening in 1919, the Estaminet was well situated within “the Square” to attract travelers from the U.S. border, Hamilton and Toronto. Less ornate in its architecture than its earlier counterparts, the Estaminet is the only such lakefront establishment that remains.

2084 Old Lakeshore Road contributes to our contemporary understanding of the evolution of Burlington’s agrarian and port history. The Estaminet has weathered the evolution of Wellington Square’s/downtown Burlington’s shift from an agrarian and related manufacturing-based economy to an economy deeply rooted in the area’s identity as a hub of service commercial and entertainment land uses.

Character-Defining Elements/Heritage Attributes

Important to the preservation of the Estaminet are the following heritage attributes:

· The original central and westerly building masses (see Schedule A-1)

· The building elements reflective of the Georgian period:

o The truncated hipped roof;

o The 3-bay fenestration pattern;

· The covered north-facing verandah with decorative Regency style scrollwork; and

· The wooden eaves.

Note that the building masses to the east and south of the original mass are not recognized as part of the property’s cultural heritage value.

Schedule A-1

1915 Sewerage Map