Heritage Advisory Committee

Through the work of the Heritage Advisory Committee, the Township’s Council has 15 designated properties.

• 82 Queen Street
• 6705 Ellis Road
• 6990 Wellington Road 34
• 4614 Wellington Road 32
• 7156 Concession 1
• 42 Queen Street
• 46 Queen Street
• 78 Queen Street
• 80 Queen Street
• 22 Victoria Street
• 84 Queen Street
• 80 Brock Road South
• 319 Brock Road South
• 843 Watson Road South
• 600 Arkell Road

The Heritage Advisory Committee is working through heritage properties that currently have listed status on the Municipal Heritage Register for designation. There are currently 93 properties listed on the Heritage Register that the Committee is researching for designation.

In May 2024, the Committee has endorsed 19 properties for designation and that those property listings and Statements of Cultural Heritage Value or Interest be referred to Council for consideration for intention to designate.

In June 2024, the Committee recommended 26 properties for Council’s consideration as priority properties for designation in 2025.

Municipalities now have until January 1, 2027, to issue a notice of intention to designate on the properties listed on the Register or otherwise they will be removed. The goal is to have all properties designated under these timelines.

In the year 2000, 100 plaques to mark sites of historical significance were cast for the millennium celebrations in the Township of Puslinch. All plaques were awarded by the year 2009 and 25 more have been cast since that time.

Pictorial inventory of the sites was initiated by Marilynn Crow, the Puslinch Heritage Committee Secretary in the year 2000. Each site owner received a copy of their entry in the Township’s heritage inventory of plaqued sites. A circulating copy of this inventory is also available in the Puslinch branch of Wellington County Library System, and a reference copy can be viewed in the Wellington County Museum’s Archives.

In the year 2000, the Township of Puslinch plaquing program was put in place as a millennium project with four criteria:

• the site is at least one hundred years old
• the site is of architectural or historical significance
• the site is in good condition and has had sympathetic renovations

Sixty-five buildings were plaqued at that time and today there are over one hundred. The Heritage Committee’s members have continued to review and record five or six properties a year, as they come to our attention.

In 2006, the Heritage Advisory Committee reviewed the Ontario Heritage Act and realized that particular features of a site could be recognized, even if the entire building did not meet the criteria. There were buildings in the township with special features not yet recognized under our local program. It was alterations such as gables added to original rooflines that had prevented some buildings from being plaqued. It is only the exterior of a building that is recorded, for the most part.

Sites receiving a Puslinch heritage plaque are not yet designated under the Ontario Heritage Act. This does not prevent an owner from applying to the Heritage Committee for designation. The local program was initiated in order to keep Council informed of properties in the Township worthy of preservation. Heritage Committee members research and record each site.

In 2012 Council passed a motion that sites plaqued under our local program be considered as Listed under the Ontario Heritage Act. All owners of plaqued sites sign a letter of approval for their building to be recognized by the Township. Local plaquing was designed as a cooperative program between the property owners, the Heritage Committee and Puslinch Council.

Places in Puslinch considered to be of heritage significance can be found in the Township’s inventory, Puslinch: Our Heritage. Not all places that have been recorded in the heritage binders are deemed worthy of plaquing.

In the year 2000, the plaquing program was put in place as a millennium project. The Heritage Committee members have continued to review and record five or six properties a year, as they come to our attention. Since 2006, particular features of a site can be recognized, even if the entire building does not meet the criteria. It is only the exterior of a building that is recorded, for the most part.

Site owners have undertaken many sympathetic renovations to their properties in order to modernize or expand them. A write up for each site accompanies photographs in the heritage binders found at the Municipal Office. The larger cities of Guelph, Kingston and Hamilton are known for the use of ashlar, cut-limestone blocks as building material. A sweep from Fergus, through Eramosa and Puslinch Townships, and into the former Galt area is considered unique because of the fieldstone used in many buildings there. Granite, quartzite, and amphibolite are found in local fieldstone construction, often with quoins and decorative features like lintels and date stones made of limestone as the softer stone was easier to shape. Other Puslinch structures used brick from local brickyards.

As for renovating plaqued sites in Puslinch, it is the architectural or historical features cited when they were recorded that are considered worthy of preservation. There have only been a handful of interior features recorded. There would be no restrictions by the Heritage Advisory Committee on interior renovations except for these. The updating of windows or doors, and additions to a structure are acceptable but must meet Township building codes. Committee members appreciate the fact that site owners have endeavored to undertake sympathetic renovations when updating their heritage buildings. A sense of stewardship has been demonstrated by most owners.

Should a homeowner of a plaqued property request a demolition permit, the Building Inspector would notify the Heritage Committee who would review the site in question and advise Council as to whether the building is still considered worthy of protection. It then becomes Council’s responsibility. To date, there are several heritage properties now part of local development projects thanks to Puslinch Council, as expansion continues south from Guelph.

The above was written to clarify the implications of the Puslinch plaque. Should you have further questions, please contact a Heritage Committee member through the Township of Puslinch Municipal Office.

The Heritage Advisory Committee is passionate about preserving and sharing our Township’s rich history with residents and visitors alike. Learn more about the history of the Township on our Heritage page.