Downtown Heritage Conservation District - Study and Plan
Urban Heritage Character
First/Huron Street
General: First/Huron Street carries Highway 26 and has been developed as a highway strip on either side of the town. In the Downtown Cre, most land to the north of the street is now vacant, and there are few remains of former industrial and port uses. Two notable exceptions are the grain elevator and the Watts & Sons boatbuilding shed, located behind 67-73 First Street, both of which are described under Areas of Special Interest. The now vacant waterfront lands will not otherwise be examined here. They are undergoing redevelopment. when redevelopment does occur, the full municipal process of Official Plans, Site Plan Controls and so forth will be brought to bear, and in that context it may be desirable to extend the Downtown Heritage District to portions of the waterfront. At this point it is premature to do so.
First Street, Block A, West of Pine:
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looking towards Town from Maple Street. |
The beginnings of the highway strip running westward out of town. Car-related planning has produced an unsympathetic western gateway to the District on the major highway.
First Street, Block B, Pine to Hurontario:
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looking west from Hurontario Street. |
North Side: This block is entirely occupied by the rear facade of the Loblaws store, the only ground-floor opening which is a fire door. The only sympathy offered to urban streetscape or heritage character comes from arched paired second-storey windows and two-tone brick work.
Huron Street, Block C:
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Hurontario to Ste. Marie: |
A good assemblage of heritage buildings, except for the one-storey modern buuilding at No. 1 Hurontario, and an unsympathetic 2-storey building at No. 12. Nos. 16, 18 and 20 have particularly nice corbelled arches above the 2nd floor windows. About 40% of the frontage has heritage value.
Huron Street, Block D:
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Ste. Marie to St. Paul: |
The side view of a modern car wash at the point end of a pie shaped lot is the entire view on this 18 metre frontage. No heritage value.
Huron Street, Block E
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St. Paul and Beyond: |
The entire block, up to the old rail bed, is occupied by the Collingwood Museum, installed in the reconstructed train station, and slated for ongoing site improvements. 100% heritage value on this portion of the frontage. East of the railbed, heritage elements cease..
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