3 Elizabeth Street - Notice of Intention to Designate the Property

In the matter of the Ontario Heritage Act R.S.O. 1990, Chapter O.18 and in the matter of the land and premises located at 3 Elizabeth Street, city of St. Catharines, province of Ontario, take notice that the Council of the Corporation of the City of St. Catharines intends to designate the property at 3 Elizabeth Street, legally known as Plan 2 BLK T Lot 16 40.00FR 107.00D under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act, R.S.O. 1990, Chapter O.18 as amended, as a property of cultural heritage value or interest.

REASONS FOR DESIGNATION

DESCRIPTION

3 Elizabeth Street is located on the south side of Elizabeth Street, west of Lake Street, within a mature residential neighbourhood northwest of downtown St. Catharines. The property contains a one-and-a-half storey, stucco-clad, front-gabled L-plan dwelling, constructed circa 1880, with decorative Gothic Revival elements including steeply pitched gables, decorative bargeboard, and ornate woodwork.

STATEMENT OF CULTURAL HERITAGE VALUE OR INTEREST

The property at 3 Elizabeth Street holds cultural heritage value or interest under Ontario Regulation 9/06 for its design/physical value, historical/associative value, and contextual value.

Design/Physical Value

The property is a representative and well-preserved example of a late 19th-century vernacular Gothic Revival dwelling. It is characterized by its steeply pitched gable roofs, decorative bargeboard with scroll-cut detailing, dentils, paired brackets, and a projecting bay window. The bay window, elaborately turned porch columns, and applied decorative woodwork reflect a high degree of craftsmanship and artistic merit typical of the Gothic Revival style. The retention of its original massing, window openings, and architectural details contributes to the property’s high degree of integrity.

Historical/Associative Value

3 Elizabeth Street is directly associated with the Begy family, particularly Francis P. Begy Jr., an early civic leader, painter, merchant, and Fire Chief of St. Catharines in the late 19th century. The property was built and occupied by Begy Jr. and his family, who contributed to the city’s civic life, trades, and business community. The Begy family's longstanding ownership and occupation of the property from the 1880s through to the mid-20th century reflects patterns of residential settlement, family inheritance, and working-class neighbourhood development in St. Catharines. The property also contributes to an understanding of the city’s post-Canal era growth, as the area was developed following the subdivision of Mayor Calvin Brown's lands in the early 1870s.

Contextual Value

The property contributes to the historic residential character of the Elizabeth Street neighbourhood, which is composed of late 19th- and early 20th-century homes. It supports the continuity of the streetscape through its form, scale, and architectural detailing, and is visually and historically linked to the broader urban pattern established through Brown’s subdivision. The dwelling remains part of a stable residential enclave that reflects early urban development patterns in St. Catharines, contributing to the understanding of the city's working-class housing. 3 Elizabeth Street forms an important component of the local streetscape and supports the overall historic character of the area.

DESCRIPTION OF HERITAGE ATTRIBUTES

Key heritage attributes that reflect the property’s cultural heritage value include:

• The one-and-a-half storey, L-plan massing with front gable orientation.
• The steeply pitched gable roofs and cross-gabled side extension.
• The decorative bargeboard, scroll-cut woodwork, and dentil trim on the front gable, and paired brackets at the eaves.
• The projecting bay window on the front façade, including its configuration, and window openings.
• The one-storey open porch with turned columns, applied brackets, and ornamental trim.
• The stucco wall cladding and its visual expression.
• The original window openings and configurations.
• The property's setting, including the low ornamental metal fence.
• The property's siting within the original 1872 subdivision by Calvin Brown, maintaining its historic orientation to the street and its relationship with adjacent heritage dwellings.

For additional information, please contact Lauren Walker, Heritage Planner, at lwalker@stcatharines.ca or (905)-980-6593. Any person may, within thirty (30) days after the date of this publication, September 16th, 2025, which is October 16th, 2025, serve written notice of objection to the proposed designation with the City Clerk, setting out the reason for the objection and all relevant facts.

Objections should be directed to: