Heritage property

40 First St

40 First St, Oakville, built in 1855, is designated under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act by By-law 1985-122 and sits in the First and Second Street Heritage Conservation District.

Last checked September 24, 2026Town of OakvilleHow we know

Publisher: Town of Oakville
Source dataset: Heritage Properties (open data layer)
Official record: By-law 1985-122
Retrieved: September 24, 2026
Licence: Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence — Town of Oakville. Terms
From the source: status under the Ontario Heritage Act · by-law and year · year built · the Town's history and description, reproduced verbatim
Derived by OakvilleIQ: community, by location · nearby properties and what is around
OakvilleIQ’s words: the summary sentence · what the status means
Kept current: Rebuilt from the Town's layer; a weekly check warns when the record is more than 90 days old.

History

William Francis Romain built a small 2 storey house in 1855, now the side wing of the existing house. In 1863, an elaborate 2 storey addition was built and became the main portion of the house. Romain was a prominent local grain merchant, as well as a Deputy Reeve representing Trafalgar Township and for many years served as Councilor and Mayor. He was married to Ester Ann, the eldest daughter of William Chisholm.

The Town of Oakville’s account, reproduced from its heritage register.

Heritage attributes

The 1855 wing of the house is Georgian-style with asymmetrical 4-bay façade. The 1863 portion of the house was built in the Italianate style with wide eaves supported by large decorative brackets, a low pitched hip roof, rusticated quoins, and a string course. At one time, a Regency styled verandah wrapped around much of the building. It was replaced by W.S. Davis with the existing portico.

The Town of Oakville’s description, reproduced from its heritage register.

What the status means

Both individually designated under Part IV and inside a Part V district.

Whether a specific alteration needs a heritage permit is the Town’s call; ask its heritage planning staff before starting work. See permits and by-laws.

Sources

Every factual claim above traces to one of these documents.

Town of Oakville
By-law 1985-122
Retrieved September 24, 2026
Town of Oakville
Heritage Properties (open data layer)
Retrieved September 24, 2026
Town of Oakville
Heritage Districts and Properties
Retrieved September 24, 2026

Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence — Town of Oakville. Licence. Register checked September 24, 2026; the Town’s record is authoritative.

At a glance

Status: Designated and in a district (Parts IV and V)
By-law: 1985-122
Designated: 1985
Built: 1855
District: First and Second Street
Official Plan community: Old Oakville

Explore this area

In the Town’s Old Oakville community, covered by Old Oakville; in Ward 3.

Development

8 projects · 82 homes proposed

109 Reynolds - JRB 109 REYNOLDS HOLDINGS LTDApproved · 25 homes · 340 m
138 Allan StUnder review · 35 homes · 400 m
115 Trafalgar RdApproved · 12 homes · 420 m

within 800 m

Parks

11 parks

Lakeside ParkCommunity Park · destination park, gazebo · 750 m
Erchless EstateCommunity Park · destination park, parking lot · 800 m
Georges SquareCommunity Park · gazebo, information kiosk · 640 m

within 800 m

Heritage

19 properties

42 First StDesignated and in a district (Parts IV and V) · 10 m
31 First StIn a heritage conservation district (Part V) · 60 m
47 Allan StIn a heritage conservation district (Part V) · 70 m

within 250 m

Schools

1 school

New Central Public School133 Balsam Dr · 550 m

with an address within 1 km

By distance between recorded coordinates, as the crow flies.

Where

The OakvilleIQ Brief

Heritage designations and district changes

What changes on the Town's heritage register, once a week.

Weekly, on Thursday mornings. Email address only.