Cultural Heritage Landscape Project

These descriptions of the Culture Areas are from the 2005 Inventory of landscapes: please let us know what you think of them.

Streetsville Village Core

Despite the encirclement of Streetsville by encroaching urbanization over the past twenty years, the main core of the community retains the distinct scale and character of a rural farming town. New developments continue to respect the scale of shop fronts along the main portion of the street and local features have crept into the many forecourt walls fronting buildings to the north end of the core area. Because of its integration with the surrounding development, the core area remains a local service centre to its surrounding community - albeit to a much larger population base. Care should be taken to ensure that the appearance of Streetsville, including extant churches, cemeteries and public buildings, is retained in the face of future development pressures to ensure that the character of this part of Mississauga remains intact. There are over ninety heritage properties listed, many of which are designated. Streetsville is recognized as a significant cultural landscape because it retains a portfolio of heritage buildings of a consistent scale and portrays a period landscape of a small village.

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Sheridan Research Park

Sheridan Research Park is a unique campus of architecturally significant mid-rise structures which is associated with the "planned research park" movement. Careful control of building siting through urban and landscape design guidelines means that the area has a distinct visual character within the environs of Mississauga as a whole. This landscape was intended to improve the productivity and creativity of those who work in the associated industries and research facilities. Several of the buildings located here are of a unique architectural quality. The Xerox building by Steve Irwin was awarded a Canadian Architecture Award. Sheridan Research Park is recognized as one the country's first privately funded research parks and established a precedent setting model for similar planned facilities on university campuses and other private commercial/industrial developments across Canada.

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Credit River Corridor

The Credit River is 58 miles long in total and has a drainage area of 328 square miles. From south of Georgetown to Erindale, the river cuts through the boulder till of the Peel Plain and in some areas exposes the underlying Paleozoic bedrock of shales and sandstones. The River flows through a wide alluvial terrace at Meadowvale where its banks are gentle and tree covered. As it approaches the old Shoreline of glacial Lake Iroquois at Erindale it cuts deeper and deeper into the Peel Plain creating steep valley walls in excess of 75 feet deep. In several locations, such as on the former Bird property north of Burnhamthorpe, intermediate benches were formed as the water levels of the glacial lakes receded. These benches and alluvial terraces provide wonderful natural and recreational settings for trails and other recreational activities. South of the Iroquois shoreline the River cuts through the sands and boulder till of the Iroquois Plain. The last mile of the river is drowned and marshy. The wave action of Lake Ontario continues in its efforts to build a bar across the mouth of the river which is periodically removed by dredging. Despite its size, the River has had significant impact on the settlement of the area. At one time, Erindale had a mill and for a short while a small hydroelectric generating station. At Streetsville, four flour mills operated some of which remain today as modern mills. Two sawmills and a carding mill were built in Meadowvale. The banks of the river continue to be developed for attractive residential neighborhoods, parks and special uses such as the University of Toronto Erindale campus. The river provides the residents of Mississauga with a variety of recreational and educational opportunities. The Credit River Valley is the most significant natural feature remaining in the City of Mississauga. (excerpts from The Physiography of Southern Ontario)

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War Time Housing (Malton)

This planned subdivision is located opposite the northeast corner of Pearson International Airport. The neighbourhood is close to where the original Malton Terminal was located and remains close to the present airplane manufacturing and service industry. Although some of the original houses have been altered with newer porches, dormers, raised basements and garages, many retain characteristics typical of the period with 1 to 1 roof pitches, central front doors, picture windowed living rooms to one side, kitchen and eating areas on the opposite side and bedrooms and bathrooms to the rear. According to local sources, one in four of the houses were moved from Bramalea Road when the airport was expanded in 1950. The relocated houses and lots sold for $2,500.00 each. The street names in the area, including Churchill Avenue and Victory Crescent, act as reminders that this area was developed during the post-war period. Its significance lies in the fact that it retains a number of post-war houses which represent some of the first mass produced housing in the GTA.

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Mineola Neighbourhood

Mineola was developed before it became standard practice to regrade top soil into large piles in the early twentieth century, level every nuance of natural topography and engineer the complete stormwater drainage system artificially. In Mineola a road system was gently imposed on the natural rolling topography of the Iroquois Plain; homes were nestled into slightly larger lots and natural drainage areas were retained. This provided greater opportunity to save existing trees and because the soils and drainage system were minimally impacted, provided fertile ground for the planting of new vegetation, the natural regeneration of native trees and landscaping of the residential landscapes. What has evolved today is a wonderful neighbourhood with a variety of quality housing stock and a rich stimulating landscape that blends the houses with their natural and manicured surroundings. There are no curbs on the roads which softens the transition between street and front yards. The roads wind, rise and fall with the natural topography and houses sit often at odd angles to take advantage of slopes and the location of large trees. A gradual infilling has increased the density over the years and care must be taken to ensure that this does not, in the end, ruin the very quality and character that makes this neighbourhood so appealing and attractive. Of the many neighbourhoods in Mississauga, the Mineola neighbourhood stands out as one of the most visually interesting and memorable. As is often the case, when new development is balanced with the protection of the natural environment, a truly livable and sustainable community evolves. Mineola is an excellent example of this type of community.

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Lorne Park Estates

This unique shoreline community combines a low density residential development with the protection and management of an amazing forested community representative in many ways of the pre-settlement shoreline of Lake Ontario. Mature specimens of white pine, red oak, etc. give this residential area a unique visual quality. This cultural landscape is recognized for its wonderful balance between residential development and the protection of a mature forest community. The area was initiated as the 75 acres Lorne Park pleasure resort in 1879. In 1886, the Toronto and Lorne Park Summer Resort Company acquired the property and built summer cottages. In 1999, the last remaining cottage was demolished due to damage from an earlier fire. This neighbourhood remains a privately held community.

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Trelawny Community

This experimental residential neighbourhood within the larger Meadowvale new town, attempted to break the "spaghetti" mold of curvilinear streets and cul-de-sacs typical of the majority of subdivision development scattered across GTA since 1970. In a unique organization of street pattern created by arterials and hammer-headed housing clusters, this development attempted to increase housing density in a single family home format. The subdivision pattern attempted to minimize the impact of the car by reducing typical road standards and integrating vehicular access more compactly with the layout of drives, garages and smaller scaled access streets. Although it remains to be seen how successfully this community will mature as a residential area, it is recognized as a special cultural landscape for its creative attempt to more compactly integrate vehicular access with the residential component of the neighbourhood and to assist in reducing the sprawl of suburban development into neighbouring rural areas through higher densities.

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Erindale Village

This small residential enclave has a wonderful visual appearance and special landscape character defined by mature trees and a common scale of structures. Most prominent are the rows of Norway spruce, remnants of the former agricultural fields, which predate the housing development. The preservation of these trees through the sensitive siting of housing and roads has created a unique and wonderful residential environment similar to other neighbourhoods straddling the Credit River Valley. The street pattern and scattered heritage properties are the remnants of this nineteenth century village.

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Creditview Road Scenic Route

Creditview Road scenic route runs along the east side of the Credit River, from Britannia Road to north of the 401. Towards the northern portion of the Creditview Road, it crosses over the Credit River. For the most part, it follows a straight alignment from the southeast to the northwest. The road offers a scenic view of various parts of Mississauga, from recently established commercial and residential neighbourhoods to areas of significant historical, horticultural and scenic interest. An historic hedgerow and view to the Credit River south of Highway 401 make this a scenic view of note.

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Mississauga Road Scenic Route

Mississauga Road is one of the oldest roads in Mississauga. Its alignment varies from being part of the normal road grid in the north to a curvilinear alignment in the south following the top of bank of the Credit River. The scenic quality of the road is notable because it traverses a variety of topography and varying land use from old established residential neighbourhoods to new industrial and commercial areas. From Streetsville south the boulevards and adjacent landscapes are home to some of the oldest and most spectacular trees in the City. It is acknowledged as an important cultural landscape because of its role as a pioneer road and its scenic interest and quality.

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