Historical Background
The earliest school recorded in the area of Machell’s Corners (Aurora) was a Quakers school in 1806 at an unspecified location, a mere 2 years after the original crown deed settlings of 1804.
About 1822, a private home was used to provide some schooling.
Finally around 1840, a log building opened as “Common School”. It was located on the west side of Yonge Street, close to the present corner of Yonge and Reuben Streets.
By 1855, the Methodists had built a new frame church and their old log church building was converted to a school. It was located at the rear of the property at the northwest corner of Yonge and Tyler Streets.
In 1857, the Church Street property became the site of a larger bricked-frame school. By 1869, a second room had been added.
By 1885, overcrowding necessitated the construction of the present much larger building. School Board chairman Reuben Kennedy supervised construction. The architect was Thomas Kennedy (no relation) of Toronto. The main contractor was William Cane & Son of Newmarket.
The school was first used on April 12th, 1886 and was officially opened on September 30th, 1886. Large folding doors were installed to divide the hall into two classrooms which were occupied by the new Aurora High School from 1888 to 1892, when their own building was completed on Wells Street.
When fire destroyed the Wells Street high school, its students returned to the Church Street school for a number of years, until 1925 when the present Wells Street school was built as a high school.
By 1952, a new high school was completed on Dunning Avenue. This allowed public school students to move to the newly vacated Wells Street school.
In 1953, the Church Street school was acquired by the Town of Aurora. During 1953 and 1954, the Whitchurch school board used the building. It was subsequently leased to Remington Rand’s National Training Institute fom 1955 to 1962.
From 1963 to 1968, it was used by various area schools. From 1969 to 1976, it served as headquarters for the new York County Board of Education.
In 1981, the Church Street building underwent renovations to facilitate use by various community groups. That same year, the building was designated under the Ontario Heritage Act and an Ontario Heritage Foundation plaque was erected on the site.
Architectural Background
The two-storey school building is constructed of yellow brick and is supported by a rough stone foundation and a full-height rough stone basement.
Brickwork panels are laid in patterns involving flat-arch brick lintels, which distribute overhead weight away from windows and doorways.
Under the eaves are cornices comprised of six courses of brick. Each course projects outward from the one below, providing highly decorative shadows under the eaves.
The school’s plan is rectangular, with three projecting gables across its front (south) façade and one on each of its ends (east and west). The gables’ elaborate detailing, ornate front belfry and central decorative blind roof monitor combine to produce a picturesque silhouette.
In 1876, Queen Victoria became the first Empress of India. In the years that followed throughout the British Empire, there was a trend to copy the designs of old Indian buildings. It has been observed that the decorative gable-ends, belfry and roof monitor replicate the style of one of the kiosks of the Golden Temple of Amritsar in India. These unique features mark the building as a fine example of the late Victorian era.
The building’s internal layout consists of six classrooms, a large hall (located on the west side of the second floor) and an ample central staircase.
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