Two homes up for heritage designations in Mississauga

Two homes are slated for heritage designation approval in Mississauga.

The designations for the properties at 4646 Heritage Hills Blvd. and 1400 Dixie Rd. will be considered for approval at Mississauga’s City Council meeting on Jan. 28.

The home at 4646 Heritage Hills Blvd., known as the Kee House, is now part of a plaza.

Irish émigré Hugh Kee built the home around 1860, according to a report to Mississauga’s Heritage Advisory Committee on Nov. 4.

The home is unique for its dichromatic brickwork, a decorative technique using two contrasting colours of brick to create patterns or highlight architectural features.

The Kee House in 1989. Photo: City of Mississauga report

As the area changed from a rural farming community to an urban centre, the home became part of a development.

In the 1980s, businessman Marvin Goodman developed a strip mall, which now surrounds the home, and the Heritage Hills subdivision. The mall and housing development were inspired by the Kee House and built in the same style.

The Kee House is now part of a plaza. Photo: Google Maps

Known as the McMaster House, the home at 1400 Dixie Rd. is located across from the Toronto Golf Club on the west side of Dixie Road south of the Queen Elizabeth Way.

The original home was built around 1911, with two later additions added in 1922, according to a City of Mississauga heritage report.

The home’s style is described as “an eclectic mixture of early and Medieval English building traditions to create a picturesque, traditional appearance,” the report noted. Prominent architect Frank Darling designed two wings of the house, which were added in 1922.

Leslie Howard Pallett bought the property for $4,800 in 1911. The Pallett family is originally from England and came to Canada in 1834. The family helped “transform the Dixie area in Mississauga,” the report noted. They assisted with the construction of the Dixie Fruit Market, the old Dixie Arena Gardens and the Bethesda Wesleyan Methodist Church.

In 1925, Arthur Carson McMaster purchased the property for $25,500. McMaster was a lawyer and was involved in prominent cases throughout Ontario.

In 1968, the home’s then-owner, Margretta McMaster, died and the house was sold to developer Dulcie Development Limited. Two condo buildings were later built around the home — the developers did not want to tear down the house, the report noted.

“In fact, they restored it for residents to enjoy,” the city report stated. “Today it is used as a space for residents of the Fairways Condos to use for celebrations, such as weddings and birthday parties.”

The home at 1400 Dixie Rd. is now part of a condo community. Photo: The Greenheart Group

For more information on the heritage designations, see the council meeting agenda and reports here.