Former farmhouse gets approval for a heritage designation in Mississauga
Published May 21, 2024 at 3:52 pm
A former farmhouse, which harkens back to Mississauga’s agricultural past, got approval for a heritage designation.
The home a 924 Clarkson Rd. S., located on the south of Lakeshore Road West at the corner of Clarkson Road South and Matena Avenue, was built between 1915 and 1918, according to a report before the Heritage Advisory Committee on May 14.
The committee voted in favour of a heritage designation but council will have final approval.
The home is a rare example of the American Foursquare architectural style, according to the report.
“There are only half a dozen examples (of American Foursquare) in our city and this might be the finest one,” said committee member and historian Matthew Wilkinson at the May 14 meeting.
American Foursquare homes are typically cube-shaped (usually slightly greater depth than width), with two full storeys and an attic.
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Joshua D. Bunting and his family owned the home and farmed the land, like many other Clarkson residents. Joshua farmed from 1918 until he died in 1949.
The home is believed to have been built by the previous owner, W. A. Raymo who bought the land in 1915. Raymo was a contractor.
While this area was primarily farmland, things began to change in the early 1940s.
The construction of a new railway line to the Clarkson oil refinery significantly changed the local landscape in 1941.
The Clarkson refinery, on Lakeshore Road, west of Southdown Road, should not to be confused with the Imperial Oil lands, now the Brightwater development.
In the 1940s, many farmers were concerned about the impact the oil refinery would have on local farmland and lake water. Among them was Joshua Bunting who said he “objected strenuously” to these new developments in Clarkson, according to the report. The new refinery wasn’t far from his home.
Residents were concerned about fire hazards, smells and the depreciation of their properties.
The land was purchased in 1941, and the refinery opened on Nov. 15, 1943. The refinery changed hands many times and in 2016, then-owner, Suncor sold Petro Canada to Dallas-based Holly Frontier, which is the current parent company, according to Heritage Mississauga.
The refinery production ranges from food-grade lubricants to machinery-focused oils.
After resigning himself to the presence of the railway line and oil refinery in the area, Joshua continued to live on the property until his death in 1949. After he died, his sons sold the home in 1950.
One of his grandsons, John Pearce Bunting (1929-2017), was the president of the Toronto Stock Exchange from 1977 to 1994.
The home at 924 Clarkson Rd. S. remains a connection to the farming history of Clarkson.
For more information, see the meeting and reports here.
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