Other Name(s)
Wales House
Maple Villa
Woodfield
159 Main Street North
Links and documents
Construction Date(s)
Listed on the Canadian Register:
2010/02/01
Statement of Significance
Description of Historic Place
The Wales House is located at 159 Main Street North, on the east side of Main Street North, south of Parkway Avenue in the Town of Markham. The two storey coral and yellow brick house was constructed circa 1845.
The property was designated by the Town of Markham in 1978 for its heritage value under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act (By-law 4-78).
Heritage Value
Located at 159 Main Street North in Markham, The Wales House was built circa 1845 by Henry R. Wales, a local wagon and carriage maker. The house is set back from the street beyond a row of old maple trees that were planted when the house was first built.
Sarah and John Wales immigrated to Canada from England in 1832 with their two sons Henry and George. At the time Henry and his brother George travelled to New York to learn about the carriage trade. Circa 1840, the Wales family moved to Markham, and George and Henry established the Phoenix Carriage Works on Main Street. Henry built the Wales House circa 1845 behind the shops for his large family. The house remained in the family for 70 years.
The Wales House reflects a mixture of architectural styles. It is best defined as Georgian-Regency with some Italianate and Neoclassical details. The house is topped with a hip roof with a large joined stack brick exterior chimney. The roof is trimmed with a boxed cornice and dentil moulding on the soffits. Italianate details are seen in the four pairs of brackets with dropped round finials that highlight the roof trim on the facade. The double hung sash windows are six-over-six with concrete voussoirs, shutters and stone lugsills typical to Georgian and Regency style. The veranda extends across the facade and is supported by four freestanding and four engaged posts. The entrance has a double set of transoms of six panes and three pane sidelights in typical Neoclassical style.
The original bake oven and smokehouse are also still intact in the rear garden. The smokehouse has yellow-orange brick walls with beige quoins as well as shuttered eight-over-eight windows with surrounds identical to the house. Although difficult to classify, this property remains one of the most outstanding and prestigious landmarks in the Town of Markham.
Source: Town of Markham By-Law 4-78.
Character-Defining Elements
Character defining elements that contribute to the heritage value of the Wales House include its:
- two storey coral and yellow brick exterior
- hipped roof
- joined stack brick exterior chimney
- four brackets with dropped round finials
- boxed cornice
- dentil moulding
- six-over-six paned double hung sash windows
- concrete voussoirs, shutters and stone lugsills
- veranda with tent roof
- wooden door, double transom and sidelights
- raised quoins
- yellow-orange brick walls of smokehouse
- beige quoins of smokehouse
- eight-over-eight windows with surrounds on smokehouse
- set back from the street on heavily landscaped grounds that retain trees from when the house was first built
Recognition
Jurisdiction
Ontario
Recognition Authority
Local Governments (ON)
Recognition Statute
Ontario Heritage Act
Recognition Type
Municipal Heritage Designation (Part IV)
Recognition Date
1978/01/10
Historical Information
Significant Date(s)
n/a
Theme - Category and Type
- Expressing Intellectual and Cultural Life
- Architecture and Design
Function - Category and Type
Current
Historic
- Residence
- Single Dwelling
Architect / Designer
n/a
Builder
Henry R. Wales
Additional Information
Location of Supporting Documentation
Town of Markham
Planning and Urban Design Department
101 Town Centre Boulevard
Markham, ON
L3R9W3
Cross-Reference to Collection
Fed/Prov/Terr Identifier
HPON09-0177
Status
Published
Related Places
n/a