PURSUANT TO THE ONTARIO HERITAGE ACT, R.S.O. 1990
TAKE NOTICE that the Town Clerk of the Corporation of the Town of Lincoln intends to designate the following real property, including the lands and building, as a property of cultural heritage value or interest, pursuant to the provisions of the Ontario Heritage Act, R.S.O. 1990, Chapter O.18, Part IV, Section 29.
4881 King Street, Part Lot 161, Corporation Plan 3, Beamsville, Parts 1 to 3 on 30R-7905, in the Town of Lincoln.
Description of Property
4881 King Street contains a 2.5-storey residential building on the north side of King Street in Beamsville, Town of Lincoln, situated between East Street and Bartlett Road and adjacent to Great Lakes Christian College.
Historical Value
The property has historical value for its association with prominent local individuals. Before 1886, the land was owned by John Henry Smith and his wife Rosetta. Smith was the grandson of John Smith, one of Grimsby’s earliest settlers, arriving in 1787. Rosetta was a member of the Prudhomme family, also well known in the region. The Smiths sold the property to Hugh Sinclair, who constructed the house circa 1905.
Hugh Sinclair was active in Beamsville’s civic life. He served as one of the first directors of the Mechanics’ Institute formed in 1884, continuing in this role until 1897. He was elected to the Board of Education in 1886 and served for many years. Sinclair was also village auditor, a director of the Clinton, Louth and North Grimsby Agricultural Society, secretary to Senator William Gibson, and Beamsville’s Postmaster.
Architectural Value
The dwelling has architectural value as a rare and notable example of a red pressed brick house combining Queen Anne Revival and Edwardian Classicism styles, built in the early 20th century during a period of significant economic and population growth in Beamsville. At this time, the village was expanding following the rebuilding of its commercial core after the 1891 fire, and industries such as the Beamsville Pressed Brick Company and a major carriage works were thriving. Within the Town of Lincoln’s proposed Heritage Conservation District, Queen Anne architecture represents only 4% of building stock and Edwardian Classicism 6%. The house also reflects the work of a significant local builder, using red pressed bricks and rough brick voussoirs supplied by the Beamsville Pressed Brick Company, established in 1875.
Contextual Value
The property supports the heritage character of the East End Mixed-Use Corridor, an area of modest setbacks and predominantly nineteenth-century buildings that reflect Beamsville’s prosperous industrial past, including stonecutting, brick pressing, and fruit growing. The property is physically, functionally, and visually linked to its surroundings, contributing to the pedestrian streetscape. West of Great Lakes Christian College, residential properties have shallow front yards, while the College features broad lawns. Bartlett Creek bisects the area, with larger residential lots to the east and mixed commercial and industrial uses on the north side of King Street.
Additional Information
Full particulars of the reasons for designation are available in the Clerk’s Office, Town Hall, 4800 South Service Road, Beamsville.
NOTICE OF OBJECTION to the proposed designation, with reasons and supporting facts, must be served to the Town Clerk before December 20th, 2025.
DATED at the Town of Lincoln this 20th day of November 2025.
J. Kirkelos, Town Clerk