NOTICE OF INTENTION TO DESIGNATE: 9 Wilbur Street North

NOTICE OF INTENTION TO DESIGNATE UNDER THE ONTARIO HERITAGE ACT

IN THE MATTER OF THE ONTARIO HERITAGE ACT AND IN THE MATTER OF the lands in the Town of Halton Hills known municipally as 9 Wilbur Street North, Regional Municipality of Halton, legally described as “PT LT 33, BLK 7, PL 31, ALSO SHOWN ON PL 1098; PT LT 50, BLK 7, PL 31, AS IN 825452 ALSO SHOWN ON PL 1098; HALTON HILLS” and known as the Cordiner-Force House. 

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Town of Halton Hills intends to designate the property at 9 Wilbur Street North under Section 29(1), Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act, R.S.O. 1990, Chapter O.18. 

Statement of Cultural Heritage Value or Interest: 

The Cordiner-Force House at 9 Wilbur Street North has physical and design value as a representative example of an Edwardian Foursquare building in the community of Acton within the Town of Halton Hills. The building features elements typical of this style, including the massing, hipped roof, smooth brick façade, front porch with semi-white painted wood half columns, American Foursquare layout, as well as the segmentally arched window openings with brick voussoirs and concrete sills. Similar to the adjacent residential buildings at 13 and 19 Wilbur Street North, the existing building reflects the transition from elaborate Victorian designs to more functional and modest styles within the existing neighbourhood during the early 20th century. Despite contemporary alterations to the one-storey porch, the Cordiner-Force House remains a representative example of the Edwardian style.

The Cordiner-Force House at 9 Wilbur Street North has historical and associative value due to its associations with Stephen Cordiner. The subject property was purchased from the Lawson family in 1921 by Stephen Cordiner, a local builder, painter, and contractor who worked extensively in the community. Cordiner also constructed the adjacent homes at 13 and 19 Wilbur Street North in the same design and architectural style. Cordiner and his wife Emilia were also significantly involved in the local community; Amelia was a member of both the Ladies’ Aid and Women’s Missionary Society, and both were members of Knox Presbyterian Church in Acton. Cordiner also served as a member of Acton’s Town Council during the early-20^th century. 

The property also has associations with Harold Rancier (H.R.) Force, a local entrepreneur and businessperson who established Force Electric in Acton during the late-1930s with his brothers. Force Electric manufactured many kinds of small appliances and was a prominent local employer. The Forces were active community members during the mid-twentieth century. Force’s second wife, Josephine, was significantly involved in the local community as a member of Trinity United Church’s women’s group and Women’s Missionary Society, and serving as Regent, Treasurer and President of the Duke of Devonshire’s chapter of the I.O.D.E. The Force family lived in the extant dwelling for more than 10 years. 

The Cordiner-Force House at 9 Wilbur Street North has contextual value as it is important in defining and maintaining the residential, early-twentieth-century character of the northwest side of Wilbur Street. Built adjacent to two additional Edwardian residential buildings also constructed by Stephen Cordiner, the extant building is physically, visually, and historically linked to its surroundings. The Cordiner-Force House is relative in scale to the surrounding buildings and has not been identified as a landmark. 

The heritage attributes of the property at 9 Wilbur Street North that contribute to its physical and design value include: 

• The setback, location, and orientation of the existing early-20^th-century residential building along Wilbur Street North in the community of Acton in the Town of Halton Hills;

• The scale, form, and massing of the two-and-a-half storey Edwardian building;

• The materials, including the red brick exterior, concrete sills, and stone foundation;

• The front (southwest) elevation, including:

• The side (southeast) elevation, including:

• The side (northwest) elevation, including:

The heritage attribute of the property at 9 Wilbur Street North that contributes to its historical and associative value includes: 

• The legibility of the existing building as a representative example of an Edwardian Foursquare residential building along Wilbur Street North in the community of Acton in the Town of Halton Hills. 

The heritage attributes of the property at 9 Wilbur Street North that contribute to its contextual value include: 

• The legibility of the existing building as a representative example of an Edwardian Foursquare residential building along Wilbur Street North in the community of Acton in the Town of Halton Hills. 

• The setback, location, and orientation of the existing early-20^th-century residential building along Wilbur Street North in the community of Acton in the Town of Halton Hills; and,

• The scale, form, and massing of the two-and-a-half storey Edwardian building.

Further information respecting the Statement of Cultural Heritage Value or Interest and proposed designation of 9 Wilbur Street North (refer to Report PD-2026-070) is available by contacting Laura Loney, Manager of Heritage Planning for the Town of Halton Hills at 905-873-2600 x 2358 or by email at [email protected]

Any person may, by September 13, 2026 (within 30 days after the date of the publication of this notice) serve the Clerk ([email protected]) and Laura Loney notice of their objection to the proposed designation in accordance with the Ontario Heritage Act, setting out the reason for the objection and all relevant facts.

Dated at the Town of Halton Hills this 14^th day of August 2026.

Laura Loney, Manager of Heritage Planning, Planning and Development, The Corporation of the Town of Halton Hills, 1 Halton Hills Drive, Halton Hills, ON L7G 5G2.