Description of Historic Place

The Buttonville Women's Institute Community Hall is located at 8931 Woodbine Avenue, on the east side of Woodbine Avenue, south of Buttonville Crescent East, in the Town of Markham. The one storey brick public building was constructed in 1940.

The property was designated, by the Town of Markham in 2005, for its heritage value, under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act, By-law 2005-79.

Heritage Value

Located at 8931 Woodbine Avenue, the Buttonville Women's Institute Community Hall is the sole public building within the core community of Buttonville. It is a landmark in the local community.

The Buttonville Women's Institute Community Hall reflects the Women's Institute's contribution to the community of Markham. It is also a testament to the community halls which were once common across Ontario as reminders of the efforts of women to form, reinforce and document a sense of community in rural Ontario. When the original Community Hall was destroyed in a fire, the Buttonville Junior Women's Institute made it their first priority to raise funds for a new hall. They held many fundraising events, the most popular of which were their garden parties.

After purchasing the land on April 9, 1940, a large church was obtained from Bloomington in Whitchurch Township, which was dismantled and re-erected for the main part of the hall. A smaller church from L'Amoureux in Scarborough Township was utilized for the platform. Many community members donated their time to move and put the two churches together. The Institute's Hall was a centre of community life for over 40 years. Nevertheless, with the decline in the agricultural community, in the vicinity of Buttonville, the Institute hall closed in 1983.

The Buttonville Women's Institute Community Hall is a good example of reused and restored nineteenth century churches. The simple design incorporates a rectangular plan, gable roof, brick walls with radiating voussoirs over the openings. The window openings have projecting sills and brick arches.

Source: Town of Markham By-law 2005- 79.

Character-Defining Elements

Character defining elements that contribute to the heritage value of the Buttonville Women's Institute Community Hall include its:
- one storey, red brick exterior
- gable roof
- rectangular plan with flat-roofed north wing
- radiating voussoirs over openings
- window openings with projecting sills and brick arches
- front vestibule
- landmark status as the only public building in the core community of Buttonville
- location in the core of Buttonville