Description of Historic Place

The Streetsville Village Hall is located at 280 Queen Street South, on the southwest corner of Queen Street South and Barry Avenue, in the City of Mississauga. The two-storey board and batten commercial structure was constructed in circa 1860.

The property was designated, by the City of Mississauga in 1993, for its heritage value, under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act, By-law 117-93.

Heritage Value

Located at 280 Queen Street South, the Streetsville Village Hall is close to other important nineteenth century structures, in the southern end of Streetsville's commercial core. On the northwest corner of the intersection, between Queen Street South and Barry Avenue, is the designated Streetsville United Church and opposite the church, on the east side of Queen Street South, is the former Odd Fellow's Hall, which housed the first library associated with the Farmers' and Mechanics' Institute. The Cunningham residence is to the immediate west of the Streetsville Village Hall, on Barry Avenue. The corner lot provides high visibility of Streetsville Village Hall from all four sides.

The Streetsville Village Hall is associated with the village's commercial history and early devotion to education. This property was purchased by Matthew Cunningham from John McIntyre in 1859. Matthew and his brother William, immigrants from Scotland, built the structure in circa 1860 to operate their tinsmith shop. Both of the Cunningham brothers were interested in furthering public education and were founders of the Streetsville branch of the Farmers' and Mechanics' Institute, which provided lectures and study classes, as well as a suitable reference library, for the labouring men and women. William withdrew from the business in 1886, but Matthew continued to operate the tinsmith shop until his death, in 1898. In 1902, the Cunningham family sold the property to the Streetsville Library Board for $200.00. It was to be used as the first free Streetsville Public Library.

In 1904, John Cunningham of Edmonton donated the two lots to the south of the Library, which were rented by the Streetsville Lawn Bowling Club. The club was established in 1890 and became known as Bowling Green. It is believed to be one of the oldest lawn bowling clubs in Canada. In 1905, Streetsville Village Hall became a member of the Ontario Library Association. In 1957, a fire escape was erected along the south wall and by autumn 1959 the renovations were complete and the second storey opened as the Children's Library. Streetsville was proud of establishing its Free Library without a Carnegie grant. It also was the inspiration for the move to create the Peel County Library Organization. In 1967 the library moved out and the Streetsville Village Hall became a community meeting room.

The Streetsville Village Hall is a good representation of a mid-nineteenth century modest vernacular commercial structure. The two-storey frame structure with medium pitched gable roof and boxed eaves was originally entirely clad in board and batten. It has a rubble and cement foundation. It is believed that alterations to the facade took place when the building was converted to the Public Library in 1902. At that time, the facade was sheathed in horizontal shiplap wood siding and the two first-storey windows were replaced with the current four over one paned casement windows. As a modest tinsmith shop, the structure has little detailing, which is evident by the plain front door, composed of four recessed panels and one window, set in a moulded wood surround and glazed transom. The original, six over six, double hung windows with moulded wood surrounds and wood lugsills are representative of the period. In 1957, the southwest upper window in the southern elevation was converted into a doorway, to allow access to the fire escape. Two successive one-storey additions have been added to the rear of the structure; one is an entranceway or vestibule and the other is the Bowling Club facility, which was once a separate building.

Sources: City of Mississauga By-law 117-93; City of Mississauga Heritage Status Report; City of Mississauga Corporate Report, September 22, 1992; City of Mississauga Notice of Intention to Designate; Manning, Mary. A Village Library Grows. Streetsville: Streetsville Library Board, 1973.

Character-Defining Elements

Character defining elements that contribute to the heritage value of the Streetsville Village Hall include its:
- two-storey board and batten construction
- rubble stone and cement foundation
- horizontal shiplap wood siding
- medium pitched gable roof
- boxed eaves
- six over six paned double hung sash windows
- two, four over one, casement windows
- central front door with moulded wood surround and glazed transom
- fire escape exit and metal stairway
- internally bracketed metal pipe chimney
- adjacent Bowling Green
- location in the southern end of Streetsville's commercial core
- situation at the intersection of Queen Street South and Barry Avenue near other important nineteenth century structures
- location opposite the former Odd Fellow's Hall
- close vicinity to the Cunningham residence