Heritage property
2508 Lakeshore Rd W
2508 Lakeshore Rd W, Oakville, is designated under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act.
History
Designated as part of the Bronte Harbour and Bluffs Cultural Heriage Landscape, an organically evolved harbour landscape that was initially the natural mouth of the Twelve Mile Creek at Lake Ontario. The Bronte Marina Building is associated with the development of Bronte’s ship-building industry and Bronte Harbour. This ship building shed was likely built between 1943 and 1944 by the R.C. Huffman Construction Company of Canada for Northern Marine, also known as Northern Shipbuilding and Repair Company. The building was used to help construct and repair boats that were connected with the war effort. After the war, Northern Marine reportedly constructed 29 boats at the facility between 1945 and 1954. Most of the crafts were all-welded steel tugboat style vessels for various purposes from logging to fishing and tanking. The Greb family founded the Metro Marine business in 1955, using the marina building and surrounding harbour to provide a full service marina until 2005.
Heritage attributes
The Bronte Marina Building has design or physical value as a mid-20th century ship-building shed with a tall 2 storey simple shed form dominated by the large service doors on the north and south elevations. This type of building is rare and unique in Oakville and Bronte, which does not have many surviving industrial buildings associated with the historic ship-building industry. The building is clad in white shingles with an asphalt shingle gable end roof. Wood windows line the east and west elevations, with four over four wood sash on the ground level and 4 pane fixed windows closer to the roofline. The two storey building is open on the interior from ground to roof to provide enough height for ships. A catwalk runs around the interior at what would be the floor of second storey.
What the status means
Designated individually under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act by a Town by-law. Alterations to the heritage attributes and demolition need Town approval.
Sources
Sources
Town of Oakville
Heritage Properties (open data layer)Town of Oakville
Heritage Districts and Properties
The OakvilleIQ Brief
Heritage designations and district changes
What changes on the Town's heritage register, once a week.