Former schoolhouse recognized as a designated heritage site
Tay, Ontario: At tonight’s Council meeting, Mayor Ted Walker and John Todd, Tay Heritage Committee member, presented a Heritage Designation plaque to Barbara Ann Chidiac on behalf of John and Elsbeth Chidiac in recognition of their 1926 property at 6462 Highway 93 in Waverley.
Tay Township and its Heritage Committee acknowledge the building’s significance to the community based on its cultural heritage value and interest.
The heritage designation protects the heritage attributes of the structure from any significant changes unless a heritage permit is received through the Township in accordance with the Ontario Heritage Act. The designation is registered on title, which means it remains with the property even if the owners change.
For more information on heritage sites in Tay, visit tay.ca/heritage.
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Contacts:
Steven Farquharson
Director of Planning and Development
705-534-7248 x225
Email Steve
Lynn Racicot
Communications and Special Projects Officer
705-534-7248 x264
Email Lynn
History of 6462 Highway 93
The former schoolhouse at 6462 Highway 93 in Waverley was built in 1926. Its design and physical value exemplifies a relatively uncommon form of early school architecture in Simcoe County and Ontario. Constructed of very good quality materials and craftsmanship, it incorporates and retains design elements such as a frontispiece, section stone lintel, corner quoins, belfry, principal’s office, separate entrances for boys and girls, and numerous windows.
The property is of historical or associative value as it’s the last of five public schools in Waverley since 1843 and the last of four schools that were located at the same site. The former schoolhouse evokes the evolution of the public school system in Ontario and was indispensable for the growth of the settlement and surrounding area. The historical or associative value is also reflected in its link to the French family—early settlers who owned the surrounding land after 1848 and became prominent in their support of community education and Waverley’s Methodist Church.
The building and property are visually and historically linked to their surroundings and contribute to an understanding of the area’s historical evolution. Centrally located in Waverley, the former schoolhouse was surrounded by four square miles of village and farm land in four former Townships whose children it educated. Several neighbouring houses—built before 1920—likely housed students of the school, some of whom worshipped at the Waverley United Church or are commemorated at the Waverley Cenotaph.