Description of Historic Place

The Beatty Pool, located at 190 St. David Street South, is situated at the northeast corner of St. David Street South and Queen Street East, on Highway 6 in the former Town of Fergus. This two-storey yellow brick building was constructed by Beatty Brothers Ltd. in 1930.

The property has been designated by the Township of Centre Wellington for its heritage value under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act (By-law 2006-071).

Heritage Value

Located at the intersection of Highway 6, the Beatty Pool building has served as a local landmark for the past 75 years. It remains directly across the highway from what was the Beatty Brothers' factory, the source of the financing and manpower used to construct the swimming pool building.

The Beatty Pool, built in 1930 by the Beatty brothers whose business, Beatty Brothers Ltd., was the dominant employer in the Town of Fergus at the time. After a drowning in the adjacent Grand River, the Beatty brothers decided to construct the pool building, for the community to use, as a safer alternative to swimming in the river. The company employees and materials from their factory, which was located across the street, were used to complete this project. For many years, steam from their factory heated the water of the pool, allowing it to be used throughout the winter. The building served the community for 75 years and was carefully maintained by the company.

The Beatty Pool has many unusual features. The building was constructed with bold yellow bricks, contrasting brown mortar and a distinctive roofline. The decorative parquet brick patterning on the face of the building and the unique arched entrance door add architectural value to the structure. The interesting gambrel roof and the brick wall that continues around the west and south sides of the property are key characteristics of the building. The original wooden sign still survives on the front of the building.

Sources: By-law No. 2006-071, Township of Centre Wellington; Heritage Centre Wellington: Recommendation to designate, September 16, 2005.

Character-Defining Elements

Character defining elements that contribute to the heritage value of the Beatty Pool include its:
- exterior brickwork and the attached wall that surrounds a portion of the property
- original arched front door
- distinctive roof line
- wooden sign mounted on the façade of the building
- landmark location at a busy intersection, in close proximity to the former Beatty Brothers' factory