Final Report - City of Kitchener

Transcription

Final Report
ROCKWAY CENTRE AND
SURROUNDING LANDS
Cultural Heritage Resource Study and
Assessment
Kitchener, Ontario
November 2012
Final Report
ROCKWAY CENTRE AND
SURROUNDING LANDS
Cultural Heritage Resource Study and
Assessment
Kitchener, Ontario
November 2012
MHBC
Rockway Centre and Surrounding Lands
Cultural Heritage Resource Study and Assessment
Kitchener, Ontario
Table of Contents
1.0 Introduction.........................................................................................................................................................................1
2.0 Background History...........................................................................................................................................................3
2.1 Regional History – Euro Canadian Settlement.........................................................................................3
2.2 Berlin-Kitchener to the 1900s.........................................................................................................................5
2.3 King Street.............................................................................................................................................................7
2.4 Berlin-Waterloo Street Railway/Berlin Kitchener Street Railway....................................................10
2.5 Berlin and Preston Railway...........................................................................................................................13
3.0 Property History...............................................................................................................................................................14
3.1 Rockway Centre................................................................................................................................................14
3.2 Rockway Gardens.............................................................................................................................................16
3.3 Rockway Golf Course......................................................................................................................................18
4.0 Key Historical Themes....................................................................................................................................................20
4.1 Rockway Centre................................................................................................................................................20
4.2 Rockway Gardens.............................................................................................................................................21
4.3 Rockway Golf Course......................................................................................................................................22
5.0 Cultural Heritage Resources – Existing Conditions.............................................................................................24
5.1Rockway Centre..................................................................................................................................................24
5.1.1. Land patterns.................................................................................................................................24
5.1.2 Land forms.......................................................................................................................................26
5.1.3 Spatial Organization.....................................................................................................................27
5.1.4 Vegetation........................................................................................................................................27
5.1.5 Viewscapes.......................................................................................................................................27
5.1.6 Circulation........................................................................................................................................28
5.1.7 Built Features...................................................................................................................................28
5.2 Rockway Gardens..............................................................................................................................................31
5.2.1. Land patterns.................................................................................................................................31
5.2.2 Land forms.......................................................................................................................................31
5.2.4 Vegetation........................................................................................................................................32
5.2.5 Viewscapes.......................................................................................................................................32
5.2.6 Circulation........................................................................................................................................32
5.2.7 Built Features...................................................................................................................................32
5.3 Rockway Golf Course.......................................................................................................................................35
5.3.1. Land patterns.................................................................................................................................35
5.3.2 Land forms.......................................................................................................................................35
5.3.4 Vegetation........................................................................................................................................36
5.3.5 Viewscapes.......................................................................................................................................36
5.3.6 Circulation........................................................................................................................................36
5.3.7 Built Features...................................................................................................................................36
Kitchener, Ontario
6.0 Heritage Attributes and Values....................................................................................................................................37
6.1 Rockway Centre.................................................................................................................................................37
6.1.1. Features and Attributes..............................................................................................................37
6.1.1.1 Design or Physical Value..........................................................................................37
6.1.1.2 Historical or Associative Value...............................................................................38
6.1.1.3 Contextual Value........................................................................................................39
6.1.2 Summary...........................................................................................................................................40
6.2 Rockway Gardens..............................................................................................................................................40
6.2.1. Features and Attributes..............................................................................................40
6.2.1.1 Design or Physical Value..........................................................................................40
6.2.1.2 Historical or Associative Value...............................................................................41
6.2.1.3 Contextual Value........................................................................................................42
6.2.2 Summary...........................................................................................................................................42
6.3 Rockway Golf Course.......................................................................................................................................42
6.4 Cultural heritage value or interest of the three properties as a single cultural heritage
Landscape..........................................................................................................................................................43
7.0 Recommendations..........................................................................................................................................................45
8.0 Sources.................................................................................................................................................................................46
Appendix A – Site Plan and Feature Maps
Appendix B – Photographic Record of Rockway Centre
Appendix C – Photographic Record of Rockway Gardens
Appendix D – Photographic Record of Rockway Golf Course
Appendix E – Statement of Significance
Kitchener, Ontario
MHBC
Cultural Heritage Section
Project personnel
Project Manager:
David Cuming, MCIP, MRTPI, RPP, CAHP
Managing Coordinator, Cultural Heritage Planning
Report Preparation:
David Cuming
Lashia Jones, B.A., M.A., Cultural Heritage Researcher
Douglas McGlynn, BSc (Arch), B.A. M.A., Site Designer/Built
Heritage Planner
Report reviewer:
Lashia Jones
Kitchener, Ontario
1.0
Introduction
MHBC was retained by the City of Kitchener to undertake a cultural
heritage resource study and assessment of the Rockway Centre and
surrounding lands, including the Rockway Gardens and parts of the
Rockway Golf Course. The Rockway Centre is located at 1405 King
Street East, in Kitchener Ontario. The Rockway Gardens are located in
the lands bounded by King Street East, to the northeast, residential lots
to the southwest, Charles Street East to the northwest, Preston Street
to the west and Dixon Street to the east. Floral Crescent bisects the
gardens. The Rockway Golf Course is located south of the Rockway
Centre off Rockway Drive. A portion of the golf course abuts Floral
Crescent (See Map 1).
Map 1: Study area as outlined in the project RFP
The Rockway Centre was constructed in 1950 as a transit terminal and
has operated as an older adult recreation centre since 1975.
This cultural heritage resource study and assessment identifies the
heritage resources of the Rockway Centre to determine its design or
physical value, historical or associative value and its contextual value.
The assessment provides a contextual analysis of the lands
surrounding the Rockway Centre, including the Rockway Gardens and
portions of the Rockway Golf Course, to determine the significance of
the lands, separately or together, as cultural heritage landscapes.
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The Rockway Centre is the subject of a feasibility study and business
case analysis to examine the long-term uses of the facility. This portion
of the cultural heritage resource study and assessment will inform the
consultants preparing the feasibility study and business case analysis
and may refine the options presented for the Rockway Centre.
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2.0
Background History
2.1
Regional History – Euro Canadian Settlement
This section provides a broad contextual history of the subject sites
through the 19th and 20th centuries, and traces the development of
Berlin (later Kitchener), the supporting road and rail network and the
design and construction of these three distinctive cultural heritage
resources. It does not include the description of the pre-contact First
Nation’s history or archaeological resources of the properties. Further
information on the area’s indigenous populations is available in the
Region of Waterloo’s draft Archaeological Master Plan, completed in
2005, which outlines archaeologically assessed areas, registered sites,
and findspots.
The subject properties were originally located in Waterloo Township
where pioneer settlement commenced in the late eighteenth century.
In 1792, General Haldimand, then Governor of Canada, acquired six
miles of land on each side of the Grand River. The land was divided into
four blocks; Block 2 later became Waterloo Township. On 2 November
1796, all four blocks were granted to the Six Nations and Chief Joseph
Brant as a compensation for their loyalty to the Crown during the
American Revolutionary War (Eby 1978:N-1).
Brant and the Six Nations drew up a deed for sale of Block 2 in February
1798. The buyer was Colonel Richard Beasley, a Loyalist from New York,
who had arrived in Canada in 1777. Beasley bought the 94,012 acres of
land along with his business partners, James Wilson and Jean-Baptiste
Rousseaux (Moyer 1971:11). The land was then surveyed by Richard
Cockrell who divided the township into upper and lower blocks (Hayes
1997:3). At this time, German Mennonite farmers from Pennsylvania
were scouting out farmland in the area. Several of them went back to
Pennsylvania and returned with their families the following year to buy
and settle the land (Hayes 1997:5).
In order to raise the £10,000 needed to purchase their prospective land
holdings, the Pennsylvanian farmers established the German Company
in 1803. Approximately 60,000 acres, later known as the German
Company Tract (GCT) were secured by Samuel Brick and Daniel Erb of
Lancaster County, Pennsylvania in 1803 (Hayes 1997:5). The deed for
the land was finally granted to the German Company and its
shareholders on 24 July 1805 (Eby 1978:N-3).
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The GCT was divided into 128 farms of 448 acres each and 32 farms of
83 acres each (Moyer 1971:12). To avoid granting special privileges to
owners and prospectors, shareholders of the German Company
divided the land by chance back in Pennsylvania (Bloomfield 2006:24).
Two farms were granted for each share held by the company’s
shareholders (Bloomfield 2006:23).
Fig. 1 – German Company Tract, 1805 showing the development of lots or blocks of
land without the benefit of a structural grid of roads (arrow denotes approximate
location of study area).
The German Company’s settlement of the land was distinct for several
reasons. The Company’s manner of dividing the land differed from the
more standard process employed on lands owned by the Crown
(Bloomfield 2006:25). The typical grid pattern of concession lines and
sideroads was not applied to the Company’s land (see Fig. 2). Outside
of the GCT, farms were laid out along 66 foot public road allowances.
Within the GCT, however, no road allowances were incorporated into
the survey. The eventual development of a road network was an
organic process that resulted in many confusing lot divisions (Hayes
1997:5) as the original property boundaries were often altered to
accommodate new roads (Bloomfield 2006:25). Trussler Road, the
western boundary of Waterloo Township, remained unaltered as it was
also the eastern boundary of Wilmot Township, which followed a
typical grid pattern. While farms in surrounding townships and
counties were divided into the traditional size of 100 or 200 acres, the
GCT plots were generally of unusual size and shape.
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Fig. 2 – 1881 map of Wilmot Township, located directly west of Waterloo Township.
This map shows Wilmot Township’s grid system with concessions and sideroads with
equal sized farm lots fronting on the public road allowances.
2.2
Berlin-Kitchener to the 1900s
Within the land of the GCT, the settlement of Berlin began between
lots 2 and 17. A reproduction of the 1805 survey map shows that the
lots were owned by John Eby and Benjamin Hershey, respectively. In
1807 the Bishop Benjamin Eby and his family inhabited lot 2 and the
Joseph Schneider family inhabited lot 17. Their two farm lots later
became the crossroads of the Dundas Road (now King Street, Highway
8) and present-day Queen Street. By the 1820s, a small number of
residences and commercial establishments had been constructed
along the trail road leading to Dundas, between the Schneider and Eby
properties (English and McLaughlan 1983 16).
In 1816 the GCT was incorporated into Waterloo Township, as part of
Waterloo County. Settlement patterns changed minimally until 1825.
The decade that followed marked a large increase of German
immigrants to the area, and the end of Mennonite migrations from
Pennsylvania. The new settlers were less interested in agricultural
practices than the previous wave of Mennonite settlers, and many were
craftspeople, tradespeople, artisans or industrialists. In 1833 the
settlement around the Eby and Schneider farms was named Berlin.
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Several more stores, small industries and residences were constructed
in the following two decades, and in 1852 Berlin was named the
County seat. County buildings were constructed and the Berlin
community was incorporated as a village. By this time steam power
had permitted the operation of several factories in the village and most
of the town’s buildings were constructed along the Dundas Road, or in
close vicinity. Until the 1850s, most of the area south of present day
Queen Street remained vacant (English and McLaughlan 1983: 29).
The establishment of the village as County seat attracted more
inhabitants to the area, as well as the construction of a Roman Catholic
cathedral, and a branch of the Bank of Upper Canada, which was
followed by insurance companies, lawyers, doctors and several trades.
The arrival of the Grand Trunk Railway in 1856, connecting Berlin with
Toronto, furthered the growth of the town by allowing industry and
trades to expand with these new connections to major trade and
agricultural networks (English and McLaughlan 1983).
Figure 3: Excerpt of 1960 Reproduction of Tremaine’s 1861 Map of Waterloo County,
showing Berlin town limits (Arrow denotes study area)
Yet even by the time the Tremaine map was published in 1861, the
southern limits of Berlin had not yet surpassed the original lot border
of the lots 17 and 2 of the GCT. Much of the village was situated on
these two and the two lots to the north, with some streets connecting
in the northwest to nearby Waterloo (see Figure 3).
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By the 1870s Berlin had grown from a village of less than 1000 to a
town boasting 27 industrial firms, which alone employed over 700
workers. Residential lots filled the land north of the Schneider farm. In
1879 the town contained 76 manufacturing establishments. The town
was still primarily German speaking, a characteristic kept it somewhat
close-knit and isolated, and what many suggested kept the town’s
population and industry from being drained to Toronto, like a number
of other rural centres (English and McLaughlan 1983: 66,79). Many of
the town businesses remained small, and continued to prosper without
over-expanding. The town received hydroelectric power from Niagara
in 1910. In 1912, the Berlin’s population reached 15,000, enough to
achieve city status (English and McLaughlan).
By the late 1880s, most of the land along King Street within the city
limits was occupied, forming a long strip of shops, foundries and
factories which had replaced the early pioneer buildings on the stretch
(northwest of the study area). Beyond this development, King Street
connected Berlin to Dundas and Hamilton. During this decade, the
street railway was constructed between the Berlin Town Hall at Scott
Street and Cedar Street (now Bridgeport Road) in Waterloo (See section
2.4). Urban expansion and concerns for public health resulted in a
variety of civic initiatives. During the 1890s, King Street was
reconstructed to allow the installation of sewers (1891) and the water
works system (1898). The road was macadamized in 1900, and gas and
electric services were installed in 1903. By 1912, more than 75% of
Berlin dwellings were connected to the city sewage system. Typically
sewage systems were located at the periphery of growing urban areas
and in Berlin the operating plant was located on the outer edge of the
city, at the present location of the study area. Wartime tensions
between Germans and patriotic fervor during the First World War led
to the re-naming of Berlin to Kitchener in 1916 (English and
McLaughlin 1983: 94).
2.3
King Street
Since the GCT was not surveyed in the typical lot and concession
survey pattern that was common to most townships, the creation of
road allowances did not follow a geometric grid formula. Instead, roads
were laid out as needed by settlers of the GCT lands to reach their
required destinations. Most of the early settlers of the GCT set out from
Pennsylvania, crossing to Upper Canada at Niagara Falls, and travelling
around Lake Ontario. At Dundas, the settlers followed a rough trail
through swamp lands to reach the GCT lands. Settlers and early
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inhabitants of Waterloo Township continued to use this trail into the
1820s, as it was one of their only links to Dundas, the closest port town
and market centre with its access to Lake Ontario via the Desjardins
Canal. Many southwestern Ontario towns established roads to the
Dundas port, and many retain the name Dundas Street, indicating the
importance of the port centre in the region. The trail to Dundas from
Berlin was not easily navigable through the swamplands and sand hills
that characterized the region, and there was particular difficulty
crossing the Grand River until a bridge was constructed in 1820 (south
of current day Grand River Freeport Hospital) (English and McLaughlan
1983).
The swampy nature of the land required that early sidewalks in urban
Berlin were constructed as raised cedar boardwalks. Road conditions
improved as the village grew and businesses and factories began to
appear on the street. The road was laid with street railway tracks in the
1880s between Waterloo and Preston, passing the current study area.
The road was macadamized in 1900 (English and McLaughlan 1983).
In 1918, King Street became designated as part of the new Provincial
highway network as the King’s Highway 8, linking Hamilton (and
Niagara Falls) with Goderich. The construction of the Conestoga
Parkway in between the 1960s and 1980s allowed traffic on Highway 8
to bypass King Street (Bever 2012).
The trajectory of King Street through Kitchener appeared to change
little until the construction of the Conestoga Parkway. In the 1970s,
King Street began to feed onto the new Highway 8 of the Conestoga
Parkway system. North of this, Weber Street becomes King Street, as
the two routes split around the original path (See Figures 4-6). The
section of King Street at the study area location has not had any major
reconfigurations.
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Figure 4: Excerpt from 1880 map of Waterloo Township, Illustrated Historical Atlas of
Waterloo Township. King Street shown in yellow, study area circled in red.
Figure 5: Excerpt from 1963 Topographical Map 40P8 showing King Street, second road
from bottom of Map, study area circled in red.
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Figure 6: Excerpt of 1980 Topographic Map 40P8, showing changes to King Street
trajectory. Study area circled in red.
2.4
Berlin-Waterloo Street Railway/Kitchener-Waterloo Street
Railway
Public transit in Kitchener began in 1882, when John B. Snider, Simon
Snyder and Daniel L. Bowman tabled a private bill at the provincial
legislature to incorporate the Berlin and Waterloo Street Railway. The
bill was read the following year, but delays in financing kept the project
on hold until 1886, when the Berlin Board of Trade provided support
for the project, and the provincial government granted a charter in
1886 to private Berlin and New York businessmen for the Berlin and
Waterloo Street Railway Company (Hett 1988: 6).
Transit was integrated between Berlin and Waterloo beginning in 1888
with the establishment of the Berlin and Waterloo Street Railway
Company, providing horse-drawn car rail systems between the two
downtown centres. The initial line ran from the Berlin Town Hall at
Scott Street to Cedar Street (now Bridgeport Road) in Waterloo,
travelling along King Street. The horse-drawn system was replaced
with an electric system by 1895. The Town of Berlin purchased and
expanded the line in 1906 and by 1910 doubled the track lines in
downtown. Tracks ran past the study area but were operated by the
Preston-Berlin Street Railway (see section 2.5) (Mills 2010).
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The street railway began using hydro-electric power in 1911 (Hett
1988: 11). The original street railway company was operated by the
Light Commissioners and afterwards the Town Council but eventually
became part of the Kitchener Public Utilities Commission (P.U.C.) as the
Street Railway Department (Mills 2010).
In 1919 the P.U.C. took over tracks laid by the Grand River Railway at
the study area (now Charles Street East), and the junction station and
large storage and maintenance facility, or carhouse, was constructed
across King Street to the north. This increased transportation garage
space in the City by thirty percent (See Figures 7-9). During this time,
the Kitchener-Waterloo streetcars terminated at this stop, just inside
the city limits. A “wye” terminus (Y shaped track configuration) was
installed and later made into a loop for the cars to turn around and
head north up King Street. The station was a transfer point between
the lines within Kitchener Waterloo and the line between Preston and
Kitchener (Mills 2002: 161).
Figure 7: Rockway Gardens and Kitchener Junction Station, car house to rear, circa
1940s (Mills 2010).
Figure 8: Peter Witt No. 40 car at the Kitchener Junction Station, September 1944 (Mills
2010).
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Figure 9: The street railway system was abandoned in December 1946. The 1947 view
shows abandoned cars stored on the loop at the Kitchener Junction station (Mills
2010).
Crosstown trolley lines began in 1932, connecting St. Mary’s Hospital to
the city limits at Frederick Street. Sandford Fischer and Charles Appell
received a franchise for the line in 1935 and expanded service, creating
the Kitchener Bus Lines. By 1939 the P.U.C. purchased the Kitchener
Bus Lines and added more services (Hett 1988: 15).
The first electric trolley busses were introduced to the City in 1947,
ending the use of Street Railway transit. Some of the old trolley cars
were retrofitted to adapt to the new system, and new cars were
purchased later. The City had hoped to acquire the new technology
earlier, but the start of World War Two introduced gas and tire
rationing with lower production quotas, as manufacturing geared itself
to the war effort (Mills 2002: 176). The Kitchener Junction loop at the
study area closed shortly after the move to electric bus trolleys, and a
new transit terminal was constructed in 1950 (presently the Rockway
Centre). With this new facility, trolley cars looped around the carhouse
across the street on their return to Waterloo.
By 1954 (just after the Rockway Terminal construction) the transit
system for Kitchener Waterloo contained 32 busses and 11 streetcars.
The electric trolley busses continued to operate until 1973 when
replaced by diesel busses and the P.U.C. was renamed Kitchener Transit
(Miller 2010).
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2.5
Berlin and Preston Railway
Other nearby communities began planning for street railway systems
at the same time as Berlin and Waterloo. Preston, Galt and Hespeler
became connected to each other, and better connection to the
growing centre of Berlin became desirable. Plans to establish a street
railway system between the towns of Preston (now located in the
current day City of Cambridge) and Berlin (now Kitchener) surfaced in
1894. It was not until re-organization of the company in 1900 that track
construction was started, and was completed by 1903. The route
began at East Preston, at the Galt Preston and Hespeler line. From the
Preston Junction, the line climbed a 2% grade through Freeport and
Centreville following King Street (past the study area), and continued
to a connection with the Berlin and Waterloo Street Railway at Albert
Street (now Madison Avenue). The cars used rails from the BerlinWaterloo Railway to reach Water Street in central Kitchener. An
extension to Waterloo was completed in 1904. The Preston and Berlin
Street Railway was amalgamated with the Galt, Preston and Hespeler
Street Railway in 1908 (Mills 2010: 11), and by 1914 the system was
renamed the Grand River Railway (Miller, 2010).
Originally, the Preston-Berlin/Grand River line was located on a small
right-of way along King Street to Stirling Avenue. At this point, a freight
line diverted to the southwest. The street-railway line transferred to the
centre of King Street, and once reaching Albert Street in Kitchener, ran
on the Kitchener-Waterloo Street Railway tracks (Mills 2010).
In 1919 the franchise for operation in Kitchener expired, and the P.U.C.
took over the Preston-Berlin track. The Grand River Railway began
using larger cars, and between 1921 and 1922, the Grand River Railway
constructed new tracks from the Kitchener Junction station to the
freight line at Courtland Avenue, then to the Station at Queen Street
and to Waterloo (Mills 2010).
In 1919 the P.U.C., owner of the Kitchener-Waterloo Street Railway,
took over tracks built by the Preston-Berlin Street Railway/Grand River
Railway. It is presumed that they opened the Kitchener Junction station
and constructed the carhouse in 1922-1923, located near the
connection of present King and Charles Streets. This station was a
transfer point between the lines within Kitchener Waterloo and the line
between Preston and Kitchener (Mills 2010: 161).
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3.0
Property History
3.1
Rockway Centre
The new bus trolley terminal constructed in 1950 near the Kitchener
city limits was built at a cost of $280,709 including equipment and
contained offices, driver’s lounge, ticket sales, vault, passenger waiting
area, restaurant and banquet facilities and small business offices (Koch
1974). The Public Utilities Commission designed and built the terminal,
although there appears to be no named designer for the building. The
architecture and styles of mid-century transit stations have not been
well documented, but most appear simple and utilitarian in design. The
building was constructed as a red-brick, two storey centre wing plan,
with the terminal’s centre block projecting northward slightly from the
flanking single storey wings. The structure has a flat roof with metal
flashing. A large canopy extended over the front entrance of the
building, on the north front facade, with decorative steel trim around
the recessed front entrance, and terrazzo tile extending to the facade
line.
Figure 10: Transit terminal and electric trolley bus, circa 1950s (Source: Rockway
Centre)
Two one-storey outbuildings were also built to the south of the former
terminal centre. One has been identified as a rectifier station, likely
constructed at the same time as the terminal. A rectifier station was
necessary at feeder stations like the transit terminal to convert highvoltage alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC). In the mid 20th
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century this was usually done by a mercury arc rectifier or a rotary
converter (Fisher 1997). The function and construction date of the
other building are unknown, but the design suggests an ancillary
service and office building with a rear door appearing to accommodate
deliveries.
Facing debenture payments and taxes of $23,000 per year until 1966 if
they were to retain the site, the P.U.C. offered to sell the facility to the
City in 1955 The P.U.C. acknowledged the building of the terminal as a
mistake by the active commissioners. The City did not purchase the
site, and the P.U.C. leased space in the terminal to three restaurants,
The Signet and Muirhead’s, and Mrs. Patterson who operated a
popular, though financially unsuccessful, smorgasbord lunch (Koch
1974).
In 1959 Jonas Bingeman leased the building, reopening a smorgasbord
and banquet facility, known as the Berkley Restaurant and Tavern. The
terminal complex became informally known as Berkley Square, and
was frequented for weddings and parties. The restaurant operated
until 1974 when the terminal closed. On its closing day, the restaurant
served between 1600-1700 people (Moyer 1981).
Bingeman and his family members were prominent in the Kitchener
community, as leaders in the local hospitality industry. Marshall
Bingeman started a dairy near King and Scott Streets in Kitchener that
was taken over by his son Jonas after he completed university. The
dairy evolved and transformed into a catering business, and Jonas and
his siblings Lawrence and Ester operated numerous facilities
throughout the City including those at Bingeman Park, the Waterloo
Inn and Kitchener Caterers.
In the early 1970s the City revised its transportation routes and decided
to discontinue use of the terminal on King Street East as it served no
functional purpose as part of the new transportation system. In 1974,
the terminal was converted to a City of Kitchener Senior Citizen’s
recreation centre, and the Berkley Tavern relocated to Bingeman Park
(Koch 1974).
The conversion of the terminal building to a seniors’ community centre
cost $103,778 (Kitchener Waterloo Record 1974). A thirty percent
provincial grant and contribution from a local service club helped
reduce the costs. The site was chosen for a seniors’ centre because,
while no longer operating as a transit station, it would still be near a
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stop on the new bus routes. At the time of this decision, two other
senior citizens’ centres were operating over their capacity.
Renovations were made to the centre in the early 1980s including
replacement of the roof, canopy, new flashings, the installation of a
washroom on the second floor and extending elevator service to reach
the new washroom. The building was upgraded to meet Ontario Fire
Code standards in 1987, with new heat and smoke detectors,
emergency lighting, electromagnetic door systems and a sprinkler
system (Kitchener Waterloo Record 1987).
The centre was closed briefly in 2002 due to basement flooding. The
entire basement floor was removed and replaced due to the water
damage and potential mould problems (Ash 2002).
3.2
Rockway Gardens
The gardens were pioneered by the Kitchener Horticultural Society,
and inspired by the Society’s popular annual garden show. The indoor
garden shows attracted widespread attention, and the members
decided to focus on creating an outdoor garden for public enjoyment.
In 1928 the Horticultural Society leased the triangular portion of land
between King Street and the street railway tracks for their first garden
space. Initial plans for the site were to lease the lands for a gas station
and to erect billboards. The Kitchener Horticultural Society proposed
instead to landscape and maintain the area as a public garden to
feature as a gateway to the City, and the plan was accepted by Council
(Landplan 1995: 7).
Several leading members of the local horticultural community,
including Charles H. Janzen and J. Albert Smith led the garden’s
development known initially as the Janzen Gardens (Ritz 1969: 2).
Janzen was a landscape artist and the early superintendant of the
gardens, which were first known as the Janzen Horticultural Gardens.
Janzen donated two fountains in memory of his parents, Henry and
Elizabeth Janzen. Henry was a businessman, founding director of the
Horticultural Society and former Mayor of Berlin (Masterman).
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Figure 11: 1930 view of Rockway Gardens and Janzen Fountains from King Street
(Kitchener Horticultural Society).
The Horticultural Society leased more land from the City, this time from
the abandoned sewer treatment plant just south of the original
gardens. The sewage facility existed from 1890-1929, and used an
aeration filtration method. This was eventually deemed to be less
effective than newer technologies, and the facility was relocated
further outside the City (Mills correspondence).
Construction of the rock gardens, located to the south of Floral
Crescent, was a relief project and provided work to citizens during the
Depression years of the 1930s. The rockery was designed by W.J.
Jarman, Fellow of the Royal Horticultural Society of Great Britain and a
noted landscape designer and architect. At the time of the design
Jarman was a rock garden specialist of 20 years. Much of the original
plant material was sourced locally, and 2,000 tons of limestone was
brought from the Rockton-Sheffield area in nearby Wentworth County
(Ritz 1983: 79). The stone was shipped on the nearby rail line which
allowed easy access to the site (Mills, correspondence).
Several changes have been made to the garden site since its opening.
In 1961 the society converted a central lily pool to an ornamental
fountain with lighting fixtures and water jets. Members of the
Schneider family and the City donated an additional fountain in 1964
to honor the memory of Mr. And Mrs. John Metz Schneider, the
founders of J.M. Schneider Inc.
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The society purchased additional land at the west end of the gardens
in 1966 to construct a garden house for a board room and office
facilities. A further addition of land to the east also allowed for the
construction of a tool and equipment storage shed. In 1967, the society
set up six flags in the centre of the garden as a centennial project.
The area road patterns changed in 1968 with the construction of the
Conestoga Parkway, allowing for further property additions to the site.
Lands to the east between Doon Road and Dixon Road were planted
with four large flower beds, trees, shrubbery and lawn, with a similar
section also added to the west side, extending to Preston Street. The
latter was used for trial plots (Ritz 1983: 81). The Horticultural Society
was given the responsibility of maintaining the boulevard along the
King Street East section of the Conestoga parkway abutting Rockway
Gardens.
By the 1980s, the gardens contained at least 75 individual flower beds,
with additional areas and pockets in the rockery, perennial borders and
30,000 flowering bulbs from Holland (Ritz 1983: 79).
3.3
Rockway Golf Course
As with the Rockway Gardens, the Rockway golf course was formed out
of the former sewage treatment site. The idea for the course is reported
to have been proposed by George Gordon Sr., Patrick J. McGarry,
Stanley Shupe, Alex Shaefer and David. T. Croal (Koch 1985). The
proposal for the golf course was to create jobs during the Depression
era, with the long-term vision of providing a recreational course for the
public.
Croal, a City engineer, reportedly designed plans for the first nine
holes of the course. The plans were revised by George Lang Jr. of the
Ontario Golf Association and Stanley Thompson, a known golf course
designer, to include the full 18 holes (Daily News Record September 12,
1935).
Thompson was a well known golf course designer in Canada and also
provided designs for courses in the United States, Caribbean and
Central America. He founded the American Society of Golf Course
Architects. Stanley and his brothers, Nicol, Matt, Frank and Bill, were
exceptional golfers and dominated the Canadian playing field between
1921 and 1924. Thompson led his brothers in their golf architecture
business, and designed his courses following a number of design
principles, including establishing unforgettable views, situating the
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clubhouse at the peak of the landscape, equal distribution of short and
long holes, and courses that challenged the golfer to use ‘every club in
the bag’ (Stanley Thompson Society 2012).
Construction of the course began in 1932, by relief workers, paid $1.50
per day in food vouchers. After three years of construction, nine holes
opened, and the remainder were constructed over the following year.
Under their relief labour scheme, the Province of Ontario supplied 80%
of the $86,000 funds required to build the course and club house. The
golf course utilized the former sewage system pumps to create their
sprinkler system (Koch 1955 and 1985).
At the same time the golf course was being constructed, the present
Rockway Drive was surveyed and divided into 40 lots for residential
dwellings. By 1937, five houses had been built. The City reached an
agreement with A.M. Wilson Real Estate Company that only houses of a
particular type would be constructed on the street, to conform to a
certain “calibre” (Kitchener Daily Record November 12, 1937).
In the mid 1950s, the golf course added a caddy house and pro shop.
Since the 1970s, several changes have been made to the course for
public safely, re-routing the course away from construction of the
Conestoga Parkway, and modifying layouts and landscaping to keep
stray balls from damaging property and injuring residents of the
neighbouring residential streets.
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4.0
Key Historical Themes
The combination of structures and their surroundings may form broad
and distinctive landscape types, generally referred to as “cultural
landscapes”. A thematic approach is particularly useful in identifying
aspects of the study area’s history that have contributed to the
development of its layers of material heritage. A thematic approach is
also useful in applying the criteria in Ontario Regulation 9/06 pursuant
to the Ontario Heritage Act.
Several themes are associated with the Rockway Centre, Rockway
Gardens and Rockway Golf Course, notably: transportation, relief work,
recreation, urban settlement and growth, horticultural societies, city
beautification, and community leadership and entrepreneurialism. The
subject sites and their themes are summarized in the following.
4.1
Rockway Centre
Transportation
The Rockway Centre is primarily associated with the theme of
transportation, which dates to the turn of the century at the site when
the Preston and Berlin Street Railway followed King Street to the
connection at the present Madison Avenue. Although there were no
station stops constructed at the study site until two decades later,
transportation routes began passing through the site more than a
century ago. In the early 1920s, the Kitchener Junction station and
carhouse was constructed near the present site of the Rockway centre,
as the end-of-line stop for the Kitchener Street Railway and connection
to the Preston line. The present road alignment of Charles Street is a
remnant of the streetcar tracks constructed at this time. The present
building replaced the Kitchener Junction Station, and operated as a
transit terminal for trolley and diesel busses until 1974.
Urban Growth and Development
The former terminal building is associated with the theme of urban
growth and development. Prior to construction, the site was an edgeof-town junction station linking the City street railway to the street
railways in Preston. By the 1950s, the current building was still located
on the edge of the City limits and was the turning point for the King
Street transit lines. Its closure signified the expansion of the City and
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the need for new transit routes, and it was no longer necessary as the
end-of-line transit station.
Community Leadership
The terminal is also associated with the themes of community
leadership and entrepreneurialism. The Rockway Centre is the former
location of the Bingeman’s Berkley Tavern and Restaurant, operated by
a prominent member of Bingeman Family, well known in the region for
their hospitality businesses and their dedication to the community.
Recreation
Finally, the Rockway Centre has been an important part of the
recreational life of the city’s senior citizens since its conversion from a
transit terminal in 1974. The interior and exterior of the building have
been modified to support the recreational activities of its members. Its
most recent thematic association is that of recreation.
4.2
The Rockway Gardens
Horticultural Societies
The Rockway Gardens have a direct and ongoing relationship to the
Kitchener Horticultural Society. The Horticultural Society was first
formed in 1882, at a time when horticultural societies in Ontario cities
were increasingly popular. The Society re-formed in 1910. The first
horticultural society in Canada was formed in Toronto in 1834 and was
modeled after the London Horticultural Society. The Toronto society
and others that followed were an opportunity for professional and
amateur members (of different socioeconomic status) to exchange
seeds, plantings and horticultural advice that may not have been
accessible without the existence of their organization (Crawford 1997:
25). The Kitchener Horticultural Society established the Rockway
Gardens and continues to operate them, unlike many public gardens
which are under the management of municipal parks departments.
Civic Beautification
The Gardens are primarily associated with the theme of civic
beautification. Situated on an abandoned sewer plant, the gardens
were proposed by the Kitchener Horticultural Society to beautify the
eastern gateway to the city on King Street.
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Relief Work
The Gardens are also associated with the theme of relief work during
the Depression of the 1930s. The construction of the gardens,
particularly the rockery, involved the labour of local residents who
were paid in food vouchers or had their property taxes offset. This
project helped both to provide much needed work in turbulent times,
and allowed the garden to be built at a significantly reduced cost.
Community Leadership
The Gardens are also associated with community leadership.
Prominent members of the Horticultural Society were instrumental in
the design and maintenance of the gardens. Many features of the
garden, such as fountains, portico and gazebos and special plantings
celebrate and commemorate the lives and contributions of Kitchener
citizens.
4.3
The Rockway Golf Course
Relief Work
Like the Gardens, the golf course is associated with the theme of relief
work. Construction of the course in the early 1930s provided relief
work to many men and in return produced a civic recreational site that
would have tremendous community value and become prosperous in
later years.
Golf Course Design and Construction
The 1930s golf course design is associated with the plans devised by
George Lang Jr. of the Ontario Golf Association and Stanley Thompson,
a known golf course designer, to include the full 18 holes. Thompson
was a well known golf course designer in Canada and also provided
designs for courses in the United States, Caribbean and Central
America. He founded the American Society of Golf Course Architects.
Entrepreneurialism
The golf course, spearheaded by members of the City engineering
department, is associated with the theme of local entrepreneurialism.
The course opened during unprofitable circumstances but eventually
generated income and became a landmark to the local community. It
also made use of an abandoned sewer treatment plant, whose land
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would not have supported heavy infrastructure like the industrial park
initially proposed.
Urban Growth and Development
The golf course is also associated with the theme of urban growth and
development. At the time of its construction, it was located at the edge
of the city limits. Within the last 50 years, development has surrounded
the course. Residential development, particularly, has impacted the
layout of the course, to protect neighbouring residents from stray golf
balls.
Recreation
The golf course is associated with the theme of recreation, as it
continues to fulfill its original function as a recreational golf course.
Since its opening, the course has been accessible to the public, with 50
cent green fees for the first season, and memberships of $20 for men,
$15 for women and $30 for couples. Rockway remains a public golf
course.
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5.0
Cultural Heritage Resources – Existing Conditions
This section identifies the cultural heritage resources of the subject
properties either as cultural heritage landscapes or individual built
heritage resources. The descriptions of the collective landscape setting
follow the organization of material generally established by Parks
Canada in the Standards and Guidelines for the Conservation of
Historic Places (See Appendix A for maps and feature locations).
5.1
Rockway Centre
5.1.1
Land patterns
The boundaries of the property reflect the urbanization of the city over
time. There are no remaining indications of the initial lot patterns
developed by the German Company Tract or any traces of past
agricultural uses or practices.
Aerial photographs from 1945 to the present indicate that the land
patterns of the site have changed very little during this period, other
than the conversion of the street railway tracks to Charles Street. The
trajectory of this route at the property remains the same (see figures
12-15).
The land patterns that characterise the property reveal the
transportation patterns that served the city at various times. The
Rockway Centre faces King Street East, historically the main route in
and out of the city. To the rear of the Rockway Centre, Charles Street
runs diagonally to join King Street, indicating the former street railway
right of way. The edge of the parking lot forms the east boundary of
the Rockway Centre property.
On its west side, the property is bound by Preston Street, a short street
likely constructed when the area was divided for residential and
commercial use (likely in the early 20th century).
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Figure 12: Zoom of 1945 aerial photo of site
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5.1.2
Land forms
The property is located within the physiographic region of the
Waterloo Hills. This area is part of the Waterloo Moriane that extends
from St. Clements to Ayr. The moraine was formed by deposits of earth
and rock from a former glacier. The landscape includes many kames:
irregularly shaped mounds of earth created by stratified sand and
gravel deposited by glacial meltwater (Chapman and Putnam 1984:44).
The region is also characterized by swampy valleys associated with the
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area’s waterways and lakes (Chapman and Putnam 1984: 137). The
property itself is on level terrain, due to its former function as a transit
terminal. However there is a gentle slope down from King Street
allowing the rear of the building to have basement windows at street
level.
5.1.3
Spatial organization
The spatial organization of the buildings reveals some indication of its
historical use as a transit terminal. The main terminal building faced
King Street East in order to be accessible to the street trolleys and
busses that would have stopped in front of the station before looping
around the adjacent carhouse and continuing back west on King
Street. The ancillary buildings located to the rear of the terminal front
on Charles Street, as indicated by their more elaborate entrances. Their
position to the terminal building suggests that they were close enough
to fulfill their functions, but removed enough to not interfere with the
additional uses of the building, which may have required space for
parking or shipping/receiving.
5.1.4
Vegetation
The Rockway Centre is part of a designed landscape, with planted
garden beds to the front, side and rear of the building. The front beds
contain a variety of plant including spirea, yew shrubs, juniper, hostas
and evergreen trees. Ivy grows upon the side walls and a rear wall of
the building. The rear gardens contain more shrubs and hostas, a birch
tree and a locust tree. A rear patio is lined with roses, and a canopied
trellis with euonymus. Much of the vegetation appears to have been
added since the station was converted to a senior’s centre, given its
integration with the patio and recreational elements in the rear yard.
Perennial shrubs and a strip of annuals surround the ancillary buildings.
Several locust trees are planted along Charles Street.
5.1.5
Viewscapes
Views to the Rockway Centre are primarily open, with only slight
obstruction from vegetation. The wide open spaces from the parking
areas and the relative lack of buildings to the rear and sides of the
Rockway Centre provide unobstructed views of the building. The view
of the property from King Street looking east is slightly obstructed by
commercial billboards located on the corner of the lot. There are views
from the Rockway Centre to the Rockway Gardens, the Rockway Golf
Course and King Street East.
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5.1.6
Circulation
The property is accessible to motor vehicles from three access points:
one on King Street east, one on Preston Street and one on Charles
Street. A pathway through the gardens aligns with the Charles Street
entrance, leading to a concrete staircase through the rockery that
accesses Rockway Road and the golf course.
Paved pedestrian paths lead from the front sidewalk on King Street to
the front and side entrances of the building. A pedestrian crosswalk
crosses King Street directly at the front entrance to the building.
Historically, Charles Street was a street railway track, looping to King
Street at the study area. The former junction station was constructed at
the location of the present parking lot, by the line of evergreen trees.
When the transit system converted to busses an arched drive was
located off King Street, allowing access to the terminal. There is no
evidence of this arched drive in the current landscape.
5.1.7
Built features
There are three built features located as part of the Rockway Centre
complex: the main building and two ancillary buildings to the rear
facing Charles Street.
Built Heritage Resource (BHR)1 – Former transit terminal
BHR1 was constructed in 1950 by the Kitchener Public Utilities
Commission (P.U.C.). It is influenced by the mid-century modern or
1950’s contempo style of architecture, characterized by long, linear
rooflines or flat roofs, a clean, simple and functional design with
minimal detailing usually using brick or metal.
It is a red rug brick structure composed of a northward projecting
central two storey building with two single-storey side wings. It has a
primarily symmetrical facade with a central entrance and large, single
paned windows in singles and pairs on the front (north) and west
facade, and glass brick windows on the east facade.
The front entrance to the building is recessed, with curved walls of
glass brick. The top of the entranceway is lined with ribbed metal trim,
which likely framed the original door. Presently, there are automatic
sliding doors to the front entrance. An additional entrance at the front
of the building on the east wing has been boarded up with aluminum
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siding. There is a side door to the centre wing on the west side, and an
additional side entrance on the west wing. There are two entrances to
the east wing. One is located atop a ramp and set of concrete stairs,
facing east. The other faces south, and is located in a small, single
storey ancillary wing. There are two rear entrances, one on the west
wing, lowered to street level, and the other at the centre wing,
accessed by a wide, three sided set of stairs.
The windows on the rear are mostly single or in pairs, except for the
east wing, which has a ribbon of windows. The side and rear basement
windows are either single pane, double hung or glass brick. The glass
brick windows are located on the west wing. The windows have
aluminum frames and concrete sills. Brown metal awnings are installed
above the rear and side windows of the first storey.
On the upper level of the rear centre wing, there is a modest decorative
brick feature, comprised of three strips of slightly recessed brick, each
three bricks in height.
The flat, rolled asphalt and chip roof is trimmed with metal flashing.
There is a wide canopy over the front entrance between the first and
second storey, which tapers to a narrow overhang at the side wings of
the building. The building features three chimneys: two brick and one
cinderblock. The brick chimneys are located at the west side of the
central wing, and on the east side of the east wing. The cinder block
chimney is located on top of the centre wing. There are two fire
escapes, a wooden structure leading from the west end of the centre
wing to the roof above the first storey, and a metal structure at the
opposite end, leading to the ground.
The interior of the building features a central atrium, with the west side
wing divided into offices and the east wing retaining an open
character. It is presumed that during its use as a transit terminal, the
central atrium was open to two floors in the rear, as there are second
floor centre windows that show on the exterior facade. Currently, in the
interior, the ceilings in the central wing have been dropped, and the
second storey space to the rear is labeled on the building’s fire
evacuation map as ‘mechanical’ space. The side wings were originally
used for office space of ancillary purposes.
Much of the interior has been altered to convert the space to a senior’s
centre. No original plans or interior photographs of the building were
available. Original terrazzo flooring, wood wainscoting, rough plaster
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ceilings (though often hidden behind dropped ceilings), stairways and
railings, window sills and ventilation grates beneath the windows are
the most consistent remnants of the original design of the building.
Built Heritage Resource (BHR) 2 - Former Rectifier Building
The former rectifier building was constructed in 1950 by the P.U.C.
along with the terminal building, to convert AC to DC for the electric
trolley busses. The building was subsequently used as a pottery shed
for the Rockway Senior’s Centre. It is a single storey, red-rug brick,
structure with a moderately pitched hip roof clad in asphalt shingles
The building is set on a concrete foundation. The overall design of this
building gives the appearance of a small residence, a not uncommon
approach to incorporating utility structures in proximity to residential
areas.
On its Charles Street frontage, the building has a decorative, classically
inspired door surround. The facade is symmetrical, with two one-overone sash windows with white decorative shutters. The side walls of the
structure feature one-over-two sash windows wish decorative white
shutters. There is a small rectangular one-over-one sash window on the
rear of the structure. All the windows have concrete sills and brick
voussoirs. The rear wall of the building features a central entrance,
flanked by sidelights and transom which appear to have been filled
with board and painted. The building wall features a brick bond
pattern of six rows of stretchers with one row of headers, referred to as
common bond.
The rear wall of the building features the electrical cable conduit
openings once used as part of the electric trolley system.
Built Heritage Resource (BHR) 3 – Ancillary Building
The third building on the property was constructed between 1955 and
1975 according to available aerial photographs. The original function
of the building is unknown, but is presumed to have been office space
related to the transit terminal. It is currently used for storage.
The building faces Charles Street addressed as street number 73. It is a
single-storey rectangular, red-rug brick, structure with a flat roof
trimmed with metal flashing. The structure has running bond brick on
all facades and is set on concrete foundations. There is an L-shaped
wall extending from the end of the east side, wrapping around the rear
of the building. A chain link fence is installed between the wall and the
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west edge of the building. A service door is located on the rear wall,
obscured by vegetation. The front of the structure features a ribbon of
four full-length windows and a single entrance door. Above, there is a
pale green fascia tile of unknown material. The ramp outside the front
entrance is a newer installation, and the fenestration appears to have
been modified.
5.2
Rockway Gardens
5.2.1
Land patterns
The Rockway Gardens are bound by Charles Street East and King Street
East to the north, Dixon Street to the east, Preston Street to the west
and Rockway Drive as well as municipal residential property
boundaries to the south. The Gardens are bisected by Floral Crescent.
The triangular strip of land east of the Rockway Centre fronting on King
Street is also part of the gardens, originally the location of the Janzen
fountains (see 5.2.6).
Aerial photographs from 1945-1975 indicate that the land patterns of
the site have changed very little, other than the conversion of the
street railway tracks to Charles Street. The trajectory of this route at the
property remains the same.
The property is located on the site of a former sewage treatment plant,
and is not indicative of any historical lot or survey patterns.
5.2.2
Land forms
The site is located in the physiographic region known as the Waterloo
Hills (see section 5.1.2).
The landscape of the property has two distinctive areas: the formal
Gardens located primarily between King Street and Floral Crescent
which is relatively flat, with a slight slope down to the east; and the
rockery gardens located south of Floral Crescent, which contain a
moderately sloped bank into which the rock gardens have been set.
The rock gardens divide this section into an upper and lower terrace.
The pre-existing bank determined the placement of the rock gardens
(Landplan 1995: 8).
5.2.3
The gardens are a designed landscape with formal planting beds,
fountains and shade structures, and a rockery. Although the garden
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contains formal planting beds there is no formal pathway system
leading between the features of the garden. The built features of the
garden are regularly interspersed throughout the property.
5.2.4
Vegetation
The gardens contain a wide variety of vegetation. There are numerous
specimen trees with stone plaques listing their name and a donor or
honoree. Tree species include: blue spruce, serviceberry, copper beech,
white ash, Colorado blue spruce, harlequin maple, peegee hydrangea,
red oak, Turkish hazel, gold beech, tulip tree, tricolour beech and
European larch. There are a variety of formal planting beds with
colourful annuals. The rockery gardens contain numerous rockdwelling plants, shrubs and grasses. The rockery is bordered with
annuals.
5.2.5
Viewscapes
The garden space is characterized by serial vision, offering a series of
unfolding views both within and outside of the gardens. Portions of
the garden are visible from King Street.
5.2.6
Circulation
The main access to Rockway Gardens is via Floral Crescent, which
bisects the gardens. This segment of road allows street parking for
visiting vehicles. Circulation within the gardens is informal, as there are
no formal pathways leading between garden features. The open lawns
allow pedestrians access throughout the space.
5.2.7
Built features
Within Rockway Gardens are a number of permanent built features,
distinct and separate from the planting beds and their ever changing
arrangement of plant materials. The following describes the fourteen
built features identified in the gardens.
Feature 1 – Wooden Pergola
The pergola is located towards the west end of the gardens, between
floral crescent and Charles Street. It is constructed with eight short,
squared stone pillars, wooden pillars, beams and trellises. There is a
stone bench and flower beds. A stone plaque in front of the pergola
denotes it as the MADD Waterloo Region Memorial Garden, for those
who have been killed or injured by impaired driving.
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Features 2 and 3– Janzen Fountains
The pair of fountains was donated by Charles H. Janzen, the first
superintendant of the garden, in memory of his parents Henry and
Elizabeth Janzen. The fountains were installed on the original section
of the garden, the triangular section of land fronting on King Street,
east of the Rockway Centre. The fountains were relocated to their
current location in 2001 as a result of the 1995 Master Plan for the
gardens created by Landplan. The fountains are designed with six
classically styled dolphins and two basins. The pool basin is of cast
stone. Pathways and garden beds are planted between the two
fountains.
Feature 4 - Fountain pool and bridge
The fountain pool and bridge are located towards the central portion
of the gardens between King Street and Floral Crescent. The pool is an
irregular oval shape with a concrete basin and several fountains. A
narrow footbridge crosses the west end of the pool. The pool is
bordered by rocks and garden plantings.
Feature 5 – Centennial Flags
A raised garden with six flagpoles is located north of the fountain
pond. The decorative planting is scripted to commemorate the
Centennial of Kitchener’s incorporation as a City. It was installed in
1967 as a centennial project.
Feature 6 – Dorothy Elliot gazebo
The gazebo is located east of the fountain pool, still in the central area
of the gardens and was constructed in 2007. It is an octagonal structure
with eight wooden Doric pillars and a concrete foundation. It has an
artificial slate roof, with an interior cedar ceiling. There are four curved
stone benches between the pillars of the gazebo.
Feature 7 – Schneider Fountain
The Schneider Fountain is located at the eastern edge of the garden
between King Street and Floral Crescent. It was installed in 1964, in
memory of the J.M. Schneider family. It is an octagonal concrete basin.
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Feature 8 – Ancillary Structure
East of the Schneider Fountain is an octagonal ancillary structure,
presumed to be a pump house for the fountains. It is constructed of
board and batten cladding, with a cedar shingle roof and a lantern top.
Feature 9 (BHR 4) – Horticultural Society potting shed
The potting shed is a single storey rectangular structure with two
slightly projecting bays, with a hip and cross gable roof, sheathed in
asphalt shingles and rolled at the edges to resemble a stylized thatch
roof. The structure is faced with artificial stone, and in the style of a
small barn or thatched roof cottage. The building features quoins,
lantern windows, a pair of four over four sash windows with window
box, two sets of double doors, a single door and two louvred
ventilators. The doors and similar panels are faced with slatted board.
The structure is addressed 1 Floral Crescent. It was constructed in 1966.
Feature 10 – Rockery
The rockery stretches along the south side of the gardens, between the
potting shed and the pathway from the Rockway Centre. The rockery
begins with a slight taper and increases in height to a plateau. The
upper terrace of the rockery has a slightly rolling terrain and numerous
mature trees and other plantings. There are three staircases built into
the rockery, leading between the upper and lower levels. The rockery is
lined with planted annuals, and contains a variety of shrubs, grasses
and plants compatible with the rocky environment.
Features 11 and 12 – Rockery Waterfalls and Ponds
There are two waterfalls and pond features in the Rockery. One is
located approximately midway through the rockery, across from the
fountain pond and bridge. The second is located a short distance to the
west. Both feature graduated stones allowing a small stream of water
to flow to a concrete pond basin. The small ponds are planted with
water lilies and other water plants.
Feature 13 – Stone Arch
A stone archway is located west of the second pond. It is constructed of
various sized stones and cobblestone. There is a bench behind the
arch, and a flagstone pathway leads to it from the road. A stone plaque
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on the ground beside it reads “The Kitchener Waterloo Zonta club
contributed to this project”.
Feature 14 – Concrete Steps
The rockery terminates beside a set of concrete steps with a steel
railing. A brick path leads between the stairs and the road, and cuts
across the garden to the Rockway Centre parking lot. The stairs lead to
Rockway Drive, across from the golf course club house.
5.3
Rockway Golf Course
For the purposes of this report, the description of the golf course will
be limited primarily to the portions abutting Floral Crescent and
Rockway Drive, visible from the Rockway Centre.
5.3.1
Land patterns
The golf course was constructed on the site of a former sewage
treatment facility at the outskirts of the City. The course is bound by
Delta Street, Floral Crescent and Rockway Drive to the north, Sydney
Street and Bedford Road to the west and a section railway tracks and a
section of the Conestoga Parkway to the south. The eastern sides of the
golf course are adjacent to residential lots and a secondary school. The
property does not indicate former survey or settlement patterns.
5.3.2
Land forms
The site is located in the physiographic region known as the Waterloo
Hills (see section 5.1.2).
The golf course is a designed landscape with varied topography,
including rolling hills, bunkers, sand pits, water features, flat fairways
and mature trees. Modifications have been made to various portions of
the course, altering it over time from the original design.
5.3.3
The course is oriented around the clubhouse, allowing the both the
first and last nine holes of the course to begin and end within close
proximity to the clubhouse. The clubhouse is located on high ground,
looking out over the course.
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5.3.4
Vegetation
The golf course is primarily grassed, with many mature trees creating
informal boundaries amongst the holes and peripheries of the
property.
5.3.5
Viewscapes
The course offers broad, expansive views of the fairways, and filtered
views through edged tree plantings.
5.3.6
Circulation
Circulation patterns are determined by the designed landscape of the
golf course.
5.3.7
Built features
The clubhouse at the golf course was constructed in 1935. The one and
one half storey structure has a rectangular footprint, with a steeply
pitched side gable roof with cross gables and shed dormers. There is a
hexagonal enclosed gazebo-style wing with multi pane windows on
each wall.
MHBC |36
Kitchener, Ontario
6.0
Heritage Attributes and Values
Each of the three properties reveal aspects of the historical themes
discussed in section 4.0. They have all been altered from their original
form, but retain attributes and values that comprise their historical
significance. The features and attributes of each property have been
assessed to determine the values that will be taken into consideration
in planning for future use of the Rockway Centre. Ontario Regulation
9/06 pursuant to the Ontario Heritage Act provides criteria for
identifying and establishing cultural heritage value or interest. This
regulation does not consider the integrity of resources or their physical
condition.
The following section describes the heritage attributes of the three
properties individually as cultural heritage landscapes, followed by a
discussion of whether the properties together form a cultural heritage
landscape.
6.1
Rockway Centre
6.1.1
Features and attributes
6.1.1.1 Design or physical value
The Rockway Centre is a unique example of a transit terminal building
constructed by the Public Utilities Commission of Kitchener. The
Rockway Centre is also representative example of public buildings
constructed in the mid-century modern style and/or 1950s contempo
style of architecture. This style is evident in the building’s long, linear
flat roof, minimal detailing, clean lines, metal trim and windowsills. The
building also displays some elements of the Art Moderne style, evident
in the curved walls at the entrance, curving lines of the canopy and
glass brick windows.
It is possible that the Rockway Centre is one of a number of similarly
constructed transit terminals from the 1950s. Research revealed a 1945
bus station has been designated under the Ontario Heritage Act in
Owen Sound. The horizontal lines, minimal detailing, curved wall and
glass brick of this structure are similar to several features of the
Rockway Centre. A bus terminal was constructed in Hamilton in 1955
that features a similar profile of single storey brick wings with a two
storey central area. This terminal also housed a restaurant (Hamilton
Spectator Saturday August 4, 2012). However, little other information
MHBC |37
Kitchener, Ontario
was readily available regarding other transit terminal buildings
constructed in the mid-twentieth century. As such, this building cannot
be classified as representative of this type of structure.
Accordingly the following criteria are satisfied:
1.
The property has design value or physical value because it,
i.
is a unique example of a type of structure, namely a transit
terminal,
i.
is a representative example of a style, namely the mid-century
modern style and/or 1950s contempo style of architecture as
used in a public building.
6.1.1.2 Historical or associative value
The Rockway Centre main building, a former electric trolley and bus
terminal, is associated with the theme of transportation in Kitchener. It
operated between 1950 and 1974 as the end-of-line station for the
Kitchener transit system. The former rectifier station and ancillary
building supported this function. The site that the current building
stands one once housed the smaller Kitchener Junction Station that
provided a transfer point between the Preston-Berlin/Grand River
Railway and the Kitchener-Waterloo Street Railway.
The building is also associated with Jonas Bingeman who operated the
Berkley Tavern, a restaurant and banquet facility in the basement of the
building between 1959 and 1974. Bingeman and his family are well
known for running several institutions in the local hospitality industry.
Jonas Bingeman was also the founding director of Oktoberfest in
Kitchener, an annual local event celebrating German culture.
The former terminal building is associated with urban growth and
development in Kitchener. Prior to construction, the site was an edgeof-town junction station linking the city street railway to the street
railways in Preston. By the 1950s, the current building was still located
on the edge of the city limits and was the turning point for the King
Street transit lines. Its closure signified the expansion of the city and
the need for new transit routes, and it was no longer necessary as the
end-of-line transit station. The history of the setting contributes to the
understanding of Kitchener’s development.
MHBC |38
Kitchener, Ontario
Since it has been decommissioned as a transit terminal, the Rockway
Centre has become associated with older adult recreation in Kitchener
and has become a valuable community resource.
2. The property has historical value because it:
i.
has direct associations with several themes that are significant
to a community, namely transportation, urban growth and
development, and recreation.
i.
has direct associations with a person that is significant to a
community, Jonas Bingeman.
ii.
yields information that contributes to an understanding of a
community, namely the development of this area of Kitchener
from the turn of the 20th Century until present.
6.1.1.3 Contextual value
Although the centre no longer functions as a transit terminal, its
physical location faces King Street where the electric trolleys and later
diesel busses ran. Bus lines still stop directly in front of the Rockway
Center. Thus the Rockway Centre has remains physically linked to its
surroundings. Since the earliest days of settlement in Berlin/Kitchener,
King Street has been one of the major transportation routes in and out
of the city, and the building’s relationship to its surroundings maintains
the character of the area.
The small ancillary building identified as the former rectifier for the
station, though modified for late use, still contains the cable conduits
for the former electric trolley line. Its physical relationship to the
building remains.
3.
The property has contextual value because it:
ii.
is physically linked to its surroundings, is historically
linked to its surroundings and is visually linked to its
surroundings.
MHBC |39
Kitchener, Ontario
6.1.2
Summary
Much of the original interior of the transit terminal has been modified
to adapt to its use as a seniors’ recreation centre. Some elements of the
original design, such as terrazzo flooring, plaster ceilings, window sills,
ventilation grates and wainscoting are still evident in various places
throughout the building.
The footprint of the building and development on its lot and its
physical relationship to ancillary buildings has not been altered
significantly since its construction.
The significance of the Rockway Centre lies in its historical association
as a former transit terminal on the edge of the city. The structure was
constructed a few years after the introduction of electric trolley busses
to Kitchener. Its construction signified the end of the line for the
Kitchener transit system, and was the point at which the trolley busses
looped around to continue their route back up King Street.
In addition to being a transit terminal, the building housed several
offices and the Berkley Tavern, a restaurant and banquet facility run by
Jonas Bingeman, a prominent member of the local hospitality industry,
and founding director of Oktoberfest.
The property, bounded by King Street East, Preston Street and Charles
Street, including the former terminal building and two ancillary
structures may be considered a cultural heritage landscape for its
historical associations, and the physical relationship of the structures to
each other and the property.
6.2
Rockway Gardens
6.2.1
Features and attributes
6.2.1.1 Design or physical value
The Rockway Gardens is a designed landscape, representative of two
types: formal gardens and rock gardens. The formal garden contains
fixed planting beds with an array of annual flowers. The compositions
of the beds are likely to change yearly, and recommendations from the
1995 master plan indicate that their layouts may face substantial
MHBC |40
Kitchener, Ontario
changes in the future. Their significance lies in the continued spirit of
the designed gardens, and not in their particular locations or plant
materials, which have evolved over time.
Rock gardens are a garden element common to many public gardens.
The rockery at the Rockway Gardens is similar to the rock gardens
contracted at the Royal Botanical Gardens of Burlington. These gardens
were also constructed in the 1930s as relief work.
Accordingly, the following criteria are satisfied:
1.
The property has design or physical value because it:
i.
Is a representative example of a type, namely formal
designed gardens and rock gardens
6.2.1.2 Historical and associative value
The gardens are directly associated to the Kitchener Horticultural
Society, who founded and still maintain the gardens. The society was
initiated in 1872, and officially formed in 1910. The society, like many of
its predecessors in other cities, was an important organization allowing
members (and members of the community) access to seeds, plants and
horticultural advice.
The gardens are directly associated with the theme of relief work
during the depression. The construction of the gardens provided paid
employment, food vouchers or the offset of property taxes to many
citizens of Kitchener during its construction in the early 1930s.
2.
The property has historical or associative value because it:
i.
i.
Has direct associations with a theme that is significant
to a community, namely relief work during the
Depression.
Is associated with an organization that is significant to
a community, namely the Kitchener Horticultural
Society.
MHBC |41
Kitchener, Ontario
6.2.1.3 Contextual value
The Rockway Gardens have defined the area of King Street East
streetscape since their construction in the late 1920s. Their open
spaces continue to define the character of the area. The gardens are
also a landmark feature of the city, visible from King Street east, a major
thoroughfare through Kitchener.
3.
The property has contextual value because it:
i.
Is important in defining the character of an area
ii.
Is physically linked to its surroundings
iii.
Is a landmark
6.2.2
Summary
The gardens have operated in the same location since their opening
between 1928 and1932. The garden is a designed landscape, and
features have been added, modified or removed over time, but the
changes continue to contribute to its character. Many of the garden
features honour members of the horticultural society or local
community leaders.
The garden is significant because of its continued use as a civic
beautification project, operated by the Kitchener Horticultural society
since the 1930s. Its significance also lies in its historical associations to
depression relief work.
The property, bounded by King Street East, Preston Street, Charles
Street, Dixon Street, Floral Crescent and residential property lines,
including the rockery, formal gardens and thirteen built features, is
considered to be a cultural heritage landscape for its historical
associations and the relationship of the structures to each other and
the property.
6.3
Rockway Golf Course
For the purposes of this study, an in-depth history of the Rockway Golf
Course was not undertaken. Observation of the site pertained to the
area immediately visible from the Rockway Centre. However, a brief
historical review of the property indicates that there appear to be
several attributes of the golf course that would benefit from more
MHBC |42
Kitchener, Ontario
detailed research, including its association with Depression era relief
work, its status as a public, non-member course and its design by
Stanley Thompson. This would enable the comprehensive
identification and assessment of the cultural heritage value of the
entire golf course property, as it may have cultural heritage value and
as a cultural heritage landscape. Research to date indicates, however,
that the planning, design and construction of the property is unrelated
to the Rockway Centre and the Rockway Gardens.
6.4
Cultural heritage value or interest of the three properties as
a single cultural heritage landscape
Preceding work in this report suggests that the three properties each
individually constitute a cultural heritage landscape, essentially a
combination of buildings and spaces with their own unique histories,
associations, design and contextual qualities.
However, there is insufficient relationship amongst the three
properties for them to form a combined cultural heritage landscape.
The Rockway Centre was constructed two decades later than the
Rockway Gardens and Golf Course, and was designed as an edge-oftown transit terminal. The 1950s terminal building was built on the site
of a former street railway junction, and although both transit stations
may have served the surrounding sites, the Rockway Centre does not
appear to have been constructed expressly for that purpose.
The Rockway Centre and Rockway Gardens were both constructed as
relief work projects during the depression of the 1930s. Both were
constructed on land formerly a sewage treatment facility at the edge of
the city. The gardens were spearheaded by the Kitchener Horticultural
Society while the Golf Course was proposed by City Engineers.
Research did not indicate that the two were designed or planned as a
joint venture.
MHBC |43
Kitchener, Ontario
7.0
Recommendations
This section provides recommendations as to whether the Rockway
Centre, Rockway Gardens and Rockway Golf Course merit heritage
designation in accordance with the designation criteria contained in
Ontario Regulation 9/06 of the Ontario Heritage Act. The Act states
that:
A property may be designated under section 29 of the Act if it meets
one or more of the following criteria for determining whether it is of
cultural heritage value or interest:
1. The property has design value or physical value because it,
i. is a rare, unique, representative or early example of a style, type,
expression, material or construction method,
ii. displays a high degree of craftsmanship or artistic merit, or
iii. demonstrates a high degree of technical or scientific achievement.
2. The property has historical value or associative value because it,
i. has direct associations with a theme, event, belief, person, activity,
organization or institution that is significant to a community,
ii. yields, or has the potential to yield, information that contributes to
an understanding of a community or culture, or
iii. demonstrates or reflects the work or ideas of an architect, artist,
builder, designer or theorist who is significant to a community.
3. The property has contextual value because it,
i. is important in defining, maintaining or supporting the character of
an area,
ii. is physically, functionally, visually or historically linked to its
surroundings, or
iii. is a landmark.
The Rockway Centre meets all three of the criteria outlined by the Act,
having design or physical value, associative or historical value and
contextual value.
 The building has physical value because of its design which is
unique to the Kitchener P.U.C., and its elements that reflect the
styles of 1950s Contempo/Mid-century Modern. Much of the
interior of the building has been modified.
 The building has historical value because of its use as a former
transit terminal at the edge of the city, and its associations to
prominent local businessman Jonas Bingeman.
 The building has contextual value because of its link to its
surroundings, particularly the former rectifier building and
ancillary building, which support its ties to the character of the
area.
MHBC |44
Kitchener, Ontario
The Rockway Gardens meet all three of the criteria for designation as a
cultural heritage landscape.
 As a designed landscape, they have physical value and are
representative of both formal garden designs and rock garden
designs.
 The gardens have historical value due to their association with
the theme of relief work during the depression.
 Since their construction in the 1930s,the gardens have been a
landmark feature and have defined the character of the area,
which lends them contextual value under the Ontario Heritage
Act criteria.
Accordingly it is recommended:
Recommendation 1:
That Staff consider both the Rockway Centre and the Rockway Gardens
for designation under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act, as they meet
all three of the major criteria of Regulation 9/06.
In their consideration of the Rockway Centre, staff should note that the
interior of the building has been substantially modified and it is
unknown how much of the original material has been removed or
covered. Surviving features do include original terrazzo flooring, wood
wainscoting, rough plaster ceilings (though often hidden behind
dropped ceilings), stairways and railings, window sills and ventilation
grates beneath the windows. These features have the potential to be
included in a Statement of Heritage Attributes accompanying a
designation by-law (See Appendix E for Statement of Significance and
Heritage Attributes).
Recommendation 2:
That the Rockway Centre and the Rockway Gardens should be
considered for designation as separate sites, as there is not a
contextual relationship between the two sites to warrant their
designation as a single cultural heritage landscape.
Recommendation 3:
That Staff consider undertaking a separate cultural heritage
assessment of the entire Rockway golf course to review its history and
modifications to determine whether it may warrant designation under
the Ontario Heritage Act.
MHBC |45
Kitchener, Ontario
8.0
Sources
Books
Andreas, W and H. Transit Potential of Waterloo Region’s Central Transit Corridor.
Undergraduate Thesis, University of Calgary, 2003.
Bloomfield, Elizabeth. Waterloo Township through Two Centuries. Kitchener, ON: Waterloo
Historical Society, 2006.
Chapman, L.J. and Putnam, D.F. The Physiography of Southern Ontario Third Edition. Ontario
Ministry of Natural Resources, 1984.
Eby, Ezra. A Biographical History of Early Settlers and their Descendants in Waterloo Township.
Kitchener, ON: Eldon D. Weber, 1971.
English, John and McLaughlin, Kenneth. Kitchener an Illustrated History. Toronto: Robin Brass
Studio, 1996.
Hayes, Geoffrey. Waterloo County: An Illustrated History. Waterloo, ON: Waterloo Historical
Society, 1997.
Hett, Laverne J. “Kitchener Transit – The First Hundred Years 1889-1989” in Waterloo County to
1972 by Elizabeth Bloomfield, Waterloo Regional Heritage Foundation, 19887 (76-106).
Mills, John M. Ontario's Grand River Valley electric railways : the story of the area's streetcars,
trolley coaches and interurban railways serving Guelph, Kitchener-Waterloo, Galt,
Preston, Brantford, Woodstock and more. Pickering: Railfare DC Books, 2010.
Mills, Rych. Kitchener (Berlin) 1880-1960. Arcadia, 2002.
Moyer, Bill. This Unique Heritage: The Story of Waterloo County. Kitchener, ON: CHYM Rado,
1971.
Reports and special volumes
Crawford, Pleasance. “The Roots of the Toronto Horticultural Society” Ontario History Volume 89
No.2. Ontario Historical Society, 1997.
IRC Building Sciences Group Inc. Engineers and Consultants. Building Condition Assessment
Rockway Seniors Centre 1405 King Street East, Kitchener, Ontario. April 28, 2010.
MHBC |46
Kitchener, Ontario
Ritz, Orval. “Rcokway Gardens’ First 50 Years 1933—1983” Waterloo Historical Society 1983
Volume. A History of the Kitchener Horticultural Society, 1969.
The Landplan Collaborative ltd. (Landplan). Master Report of Rockway Gardens, 1995.
Correspondence, Rych Mills and Elizabeth M. Gallaher, December 2009. Provided by the City of
Kitchener.
Newspapers
Ash, Stacey. “Water in basement forces closure of Rockway Centre” Kitchener Waterloo Record
Septermber 6, 2002.
Koch, Henry. “Depression-Period Project, Rockway Club Big Success” Kitchener Waterloo Record
November 24, 1955.
“Who suggested Rockway Golf Club idea?”Kitchener Waterloo Record June 27 1985
“Why K-W ‘white elephants’ gone” Kitchener Waterloo Record June 18, 1974
Masterman, Chris. “Rockway Gardens developed during the Depression” The Record Date and
URL unknown, provided by the City of Kitchener
Moyer, Bill. “Yesterday Revisited” Kitchener Waterloo Real Estate News March 6, 2981.
“Centre upgraded to meet fire code” Kitchener Waterloo Record February 25, 1987.
“Rockway Drive is Attractive New Residence” The Daily Record Friday November 12, 1937.
“Rockway Municipal Course Constructed at Cost of $80,000 Mayor Tells Citizens” Daily News
Record, September 12, 1935
Websites
Bever, Cameron. “The King’s Highway 8” The Kings Highways 2002-2012.
http://www.thekingshighway.ca/Highway8.htm
Fisher, Ian. “Electric Trolley Busses in Vancouver”. Transport Action British Columbia. 1997
http://bc.transport2000.ca/learning/etb/trolleybus_essay.html
Miller, William E. “Kitchener-Waterloo Street Railway” Electric Lines in Southern Ontario, 2010.
http://www.trainweb.org/elso/kw_st_ry.htm , 2010. Accessed July 2012.
MHBC |47
Kitchener, Ontario
Stanley Thompson Society. “Stanley Thompson” and “The Courses”.
www.stanleythompson.com. 2012
Maps and Aerial Photos
Canada National Topographic Series “Cambridge”
1952 Revised 1963
1:50,000 40P8
Canada National Topographic Series “Galt”
1972
1:50,000
Canada National Topographic Series “Cambridge”
1980
1:50,000 40P8
City of Kitchener Aerial Photograph, University of Waterloo Geospatial Centre, 1945
City of Kitchener Aerial Photograph, University of Waterloo Geospatial Centre, 1949
City of Kitchener Aerial Photograph, University of Waterloo Geospatial Centre Air Photo
Digitization Project, 1955
Department of Planning and Development, Regional Municipality of Waterloo Photomap
1975 1:40,000
MHBC |48
Kitchener, Ontario
Appendix B – Photographic Record of Rockway Centre
Interior metalstairway in Rockway Centre west
wing.
Interior stairway in Rockway Centre west wing,
likely original railings.
B-1
Kitchener, Ontario
Door in west wing of Rockway Centre, leads to
reported former ticket counter and west exit.
Second storey windows – likely lighting former
atrium, now in inaccessible maintenance room.
B-2
Kitchener, Ontario
Detail of decorative brickwork on rear upper wall.
View of kitchen facilities, likely former Berkley
Tavern kitchen.
Terrazzo floors and wainscoting, likely original.
B-3
Kitchener, Ontario
Basement activity room.
Central wing basement room, likely former
banquet hall.
Terra cotta block tiling in basement boiler room.
B-4
Kitchener, Ontario
Terrazzo flooring on main floor of west wing.
Detail of window sill ledge, main floor.
Detail of original rough plaster ceiling
B-5
Kitchener, Ontario
Windows, wainscoting and ventilation grate in east
wing.
Original tile in east wing.
B-6
Kitchener, Ontario
Original wainscoting in east wing.
Detail of glass brick and decorative metal in foyer.
View of east wall and chimney.
B-7
Kitchener, Ontario
View of west wing of Rockway Centre front façade.
View of Central wing of Rockway Centre front
façade.
View of east wing of Rockway Centre front façade.
B-8
Kitchener, Ontario
Rockway Centre east entrance.
Southeast entrance of Rockway Centre.
Date stone, located on east wing.
B-9
Kitchener, Ontario
View looking westward at front entrance.
Windows and boarded double doors, to left.
Front entrance of Rockway Centre.
B-10
Kitchener, Ontario
Light fixture above front entrance.
View looking along west wing to central entrance.
Rear view of west wing.
B-11
Kitchener, Ontario
Central entrance and patio at rear.
East wing roof, showing curvilinear canopy.
Rear view of former rectifier building, looking
southwest
B-12
Kitchener, Ontario
Small window on rear wall of former rectifier
building.
Cable conduits, upper rear wall of former rectifier
building.
Rectifier building, front facade looking northward.
B-13
Kitchener, Ontario
Corner view of ancillary building looking southeast
Front and west side of ancillary building
Ancillary building front façade.
B-14
Kitchener, Ontario
East and rear wall of ancillary building, looking
southwest.
B-15
Kitchener, Ontario
Appendix C – Photographic Record of Rockway Gardens
View of garden west entrance from Preston Street.
View of specimen trees in west end of garden.
C-1
Kitchener, Ontario
View of specimen trees, looking eastward along
Floral Crescent.
Wooden pergola (Feature 1), view looking west.
Janzen Fountains, (Features 2 and 3) view looking
east.
C-2
Kitchener, Ontario
Detailed view of Janzen Fountain.
Fountain pool and bridge (Feature 4) view looking
west.
C-3
Kitchener, Ontario
Centennial flags (Feature 5) view looking north.
Dorothy Elliot Gazebo (Feature 6) view looking
northwest towards King Street.
View of gardens looking east.
C-4
Kitchener, Ontario
Garden signage, looking south towards Floral
Crescent.
Schneider Fountain (Feature 7) east end of
gardens.
Ancillary structure, (Feature 8) east end of
gardens.
C-5
Kitchener, Ontario
View of gardens south of Floral Crescent, looking
west.
Kitchener Horticultural Society potting shed
(Feature 9, BHR 4) looking west
Front facade of potting shed.
C-6
Kitchener, Ontario
Rockery (Feature 10) view looking east.
Stairway in Rockery leading to upper terrace.
View of upper terrace looking west.
C-7
Kitchener, Ontario
Ponds at upper terrace leading to waterfall
(Feature 11).
Waterfall and pond as seen from bottom of
Rockery (Feature 11).
Stone Arch (Feature 13) towards west end of
C-8
Kitchener, Ontario
Rockery.
Concrete steps at west edge of Rockery (Feature
14).
Front section of gardens between King Street East
and Floral Crescent view looking east
C-9
Kitchener, Ontario
and Floral Crescent view looking north.
and Floral Crescent view looking west.
C-10
Kitchener, Ontario
Appendix D – Photographic Record of Portions of the Rockway Golf Course
Entrance to Rockway Golf Course, looking west.
Approach to Golf Course entrance, junction of
Rockway Drive and Floral Crescent.
View looking west of Hole 10, adjacent to Floral
crescent.
D-1
Kitchener, Ontario
View looking west of Hole 10 fairway.
Rockway Golf Course clubhouse.
D-2
Kitchener, Ontario
Appendix E - Statement of Significance
The Terminal Complex, now known as the Rockway Centre, 1405 King Street East, City of
Kitchener.
Statement of Cultural Heritage Value
The former transit terminal complex, located at 1405 King Street East, Kitchener, comprises the main
terminal building (now known as the Rockway Centre facility), a former rectifier building and an
ancillary building.
The former terminal building was constructed in 1950 by the Kitchener Public Utilities Commission
and is a unique example of PUC transit terminal construction in the City of Kitchener. The terminal
complex is located on the site of the former Kitchener Junction station between the Berlin/KitchenerWaterloo Street Railway and the Preston-Berlin/Grand River Railway, operating from 1919 to 1947, and
is associated with the urban growth of Kitchener over the past century.
The end-of-line transit terminal, aside from its transit function, also housed offices and restaurants,
notably the Berkley Tavern, a restaurant and banquet facility operated by Jonas Bingeman, a
prominent member of the local hospitality industry and founding director of “Oktoberfest”.
The terminal building is built to a linear plan and design with a projecting central building mass and
two flanking wings that feature: a flat roof, curved canopy, prominent chimneys and minimal
decorative detailing using glass brick and metal combine to form a design style representative of the
1950s Contempo or Mid Century Modern style of architecture. The terminal building is functionally
linked to the former rectifier station and ancillary building on the southwest corner of the property.
Both these latter structures comprise modest vernacular building forms using red rug brick that
complement the terminal building.
Description of Heritage Attributes
The following comprise those key heritage attributes that distinguish the transit terminal complex.
a) The Terminal Building:

Linear plan and orientation

All exterior facades including:
 red-rug brick cladding
 flat roof
 window sizing and placement
 glass brick
E-1
Kitchener, Ontario





metal detailing at north door entranceway
terrazzo floor at north entrance
concrete entrance ceiling and light fixture
curved linear canopy
brick chimneys with cast stone covers

Interior features including:
 terrazzo flooring
 wood wainscoting
 rough plaster ceiling
 stairways and metal railings
 window sills
 ventilation grates beneath the windows
 wall tiles
 porthole kitchen doors
b) The Rectifier Station

Rectangular plan

 hipped roof
 front (south) entrance portico
c) Ancillary Building

Irregular rectangular plan

 flat roof
Rockway Gardens (7 Floral Crescent)
Statement of Cultural Heritage Value
The Rockway Gardens were originally established south of King Street East on the triangular strip of
land between King Street East the Kitchener-Waterloo Street Railway tracks (now Charles Street East).
The public garden was proposed and maintained by the Kitchener Horticultural Society, formally
E-2
Kitchener, Ontario
established in 1910. In 1932, the Society leased land to the south of Charles Street East, part of an
abandoned City sewer treatment plant, and procured W.J. Jarman, an English architect and landscape
designer, to plan and design a Rockery. The construction of the Rockery was a 1930s Depression work
relief project. Since the 1930s, several additional features, including pools, fountains and specimen
trees have been added to the Garden, but its function has remained as a unique, designed public
open space maintained by the Kitchener Horticultural Society. The Horticultural Society has been an
important institution in the City of Kitchener providing civic beautification access to plants and seeds
for over a century.
Description of Heritage Attributes
The key defining attributes of the Rockway Gardens comprise












Open landscaped and grassed space
All specimen trees
Wooden pergola
Janzen fountains
Fountain pool and bridge
Centennial flags
Dorothy Elliot Gazebo
Schneider Fountain
Horticultural Society potting shed and meeting house
Rockery, including steps, waterfalls and ponds
Stone and cobble arch
Concrete steps
E-3

Final Report - City of Kitchener

Transcription

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