What is that? Oakville History

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In my last Ward 3 update, I included pictures of two buildings that a number of residents had asked about, and I received a flurry of “What Is That?’ enquiries. Here are the top two.

The General Electric  manufacturing facility was opened in 1946 and produced incandescent lamps until its closure in 2010. The total size of this facility was over 300,000 square feet, on 27 acres of land. The production buildings south of the office building have all been demolished; the office building will remain as it was designated as a heritage structure by the Town in August of 2011. The heritage designation was fully supported by GE as the building is an example of the Art Moderne style. Features of heritage value include the central circular window, the buff-brick walls and the pre-cast concrete window frames. In the Town’s Official Plan (Livable Oakville) this area has been identified as a Growth Area with Office Employment land use. This land use designation would allow a variety of permitted uses, including offices, hotels, meeting halls and educational facilities. The building’s location at the front of the property allows for numerous opportunities for creative re-use.

This silo on the south-west corner of the QEW and Winston Churchill, along with two Silo291bcairns that serve as markers, are all that remain of the community of Sheridan. The cairns were constructed from the river stone originally collected to build the stable area foundation for the Lawrence barn in the 1870s. This silo marks the site of the Lawrence family farm.

Sheridan was a Methodist village served by traveling missionaries. Originally known as Hammondville, the name was changed to Sheridan in 1857, in honour of the Irish playwright, Richard Brinley Sheridan. In its heyday, Sheridan boasted 100 residents. Greeniaus Road in Clearview is named for Cynthia Greeniaus (1834-1929) whose family also farmed the area.

Clearview Drive was named by Mr. Cecil Lawrence. He subdivided that parcel of land in the early 1960’s. The rest of his 90 acres property was sold for development of Clearview. Bill Lawrence, Cecil’s descendent, lived in the area before moving to North Halton to continue working the land. I have vivid memories of singing in the Church choir with Bill Lawrence during the ‘70’s! Sheridan College, Sheridan Homelands, Sheridan Park Research Centre, and Sheridan Nurseries are all named in honour of this early community.