The overall heritage character of the District is a composition of streetscapes and urban spaces. This character has more significance than any individual building, even if it is one of the finest. Within the design of any individual building, architectural elements contribute to the character of the public realm of the street. Massing, materials, scale, proportions, rhythm, composition, texture, and siting all contribute to the perception of whether or not a building fits its urban context.

New development within the District should conform to qualities established by neighbouring heritage buildings, and the overall character of the street. The following guidelines describe the dominant elements that contribute to the heritage character of the District.

The Guidelines for new development are divided into two sub-sections:

For the Commercial Core

For the House Form Area

The map below shows the extent of the commercial Core. The remainder of the District is the House Form Area.

New development in the commercial core should respect the character of the surrounding heritage streetscape in siting, scale, and design composition. The guidelines below describe some of the characteristics of Collingwood's commercial architectural heritage.

Guidelines:

Street Presence

-- NewDevelopment should preserve the enclosure of the street space by being sited on the street line, and by being of two or three storeys in height. In the case of a theatre, hall or similar high one-storey use, the height shall be similar to a two or three-storey building, provided that the building complies with the other policies in this subsection.

-- Horizontal elements such as cornices, shop front heads, window heads and sills, sign bands, and string courses should align with and respect such elements in adjacent buildings, or fall between such elements where they differ on either side. Projecting cornices add to the unity of the street enclosure, and they are greatly encouraged.

Wall Materials

-- Facing material shall be smooth brick, using colours similar to those found in heritage buildings.

-- Brick should be laid to provide texture and relief sympathetic to the existing heritage brickwork. It isn't very difficult or expensive to go beyond running bond with flush soldier courses.

-- Stone or cast-stone details such as lintels, sills, and keystones are in keeping with the heritage character of the commercial core.
 

Rhythm

New buildings should respect the pedestrian-friendly rhythm of the heritage streetscape. The width of structural bays in heritage buildings, about 6m, should be reflected in new designs. Large buildings should be designed in bays that reflect this heritage scale.
 

Commercial Core

Window Surrounds

Window surrounds should be compatible with those in heritage buildings, as described below:

-- Window openings typically have stone sills, and less commonly, wooden ones.

-- Lintels are typically emphasized by their architectural detailing. At minimum, contrasting coloured brick is used for the voussoirs or an arch. More commonly arches are set out from the surrounding wall, often with additional masonry details. The use of stone for lintels and keystones is also a common part of the heritage vocabulary.
 

Composition:

-- The elevations of heritage buildings, whether designed by an architect or by a builder using a “pattern book”, were usually laid out using geometrical principles and geometrically derived proportions. Knowledge of how heritage buildings were originally composed can be helpful in designing a new building that will fit well in the heritage context.

-- Heritage buildings are usually symmetrical about their centrelines.

-- "Control Lines" linking design elements can be found in most heritage buildings. They may be formed by the centrelines or diagonals of the entire elevation, or of openings.
 

House-Form Area

Almost all heritage buildings within the District but outside of the Commercial Core were originally constructed as dwellings, and are now occupied by a mix of commercial and residential uses. Most of these were built as detached homes on fairly large lots, although there are a few semi-detached and row houses. The original construction dates are spread over a longer period than those of the commercial buildings, and changes in popular taste over that period generated a wealth of “styles”. As a result, the heritage character of the house-form area has a great deal of variety.

The following guidelines address general characteristics, and both common and uncommon elements that contribute to the heritage character of this part of the District, and should serve as references for new development.

Guidelines

Side Design

-- Buildings should be set back from the street line to create front yards of similar depth to adjacent buildings.

-- Front yards should be unfenced, or fenced with picket fencing of iron or painted wood, no higher than 800mm, and at least 50% open. Where adjacent incompatible uses require a privacy screen, hedge planting is suitable.

-- Unfinished pressure-treated wood and chain link fencing are not appropriate for fencing visible from the street.

-- Existing mature trees should be preserved. New planting should use species typical to the area.
 

Building Design: New buildings should be compatible with the character of existing heritage buildings, as described below.

Predominant Style:

-- The most common heritage dwelling is a two or two-and-one-half storey brick building, with a steep gable roof, in either the Victorian or Queen Anne style. Gable ends may be either brick or a contrasting material such as wood, stucco, or shingles. Front porches, normally of wood, are usually provided, sometimes across the full width of the house, sometimes just at the front door. Vertical emphasis dominates the composition: window sash has a vertical proportion, window openings are one above another, and vertical elements such as gable ends, bay windows, and the rare turret face the street.

-- The use of smooth brick as the primary cladding is encouraged. Mixing elements from different heritage styles is not encouraged.
 

House-Form Area

Variations in material:
Wood Siding

-- A few earlier heritage dwellings have wood siding. Board-and-batten siding was a hallmark of the Victorian “Carpenter Gothic” style, though there are few such heritage houses in the District. There are more examples of clapboard (beveled siding with about 4 inch coursing), an inheritance from the symmetrical and classically inspired “Loyalist” or “Yankee” style house. Wood siding was successfully used for the recent infill building at 110 Pine Street.

Variations in Material:
Wood Shingles:

-- The use of wood shingles in Queen Anne gable ends was noted above. The “Shingle”, bungalow, and Arts & Crafts styles, bracketing the turn of the 20th Century, made more extensive use of shingles. “The Bield” at 64 Third Street uses broad planes of uniform shingling, derived from the Shingle Style. The other styles used shaped shingles, making texture an important feature of the design.
 

Variations in Form:
Row and Semi-detached Houses.

-- Although most heritage houses in the District are detached dwellings, there are very fine examples of row and semi-detached residences.

-- This form mediates between single residences and the commercial scale, and could be a model for new work, including parking structures, on the East side of Pine and the West side of Ste. Marie.