The Peel County Courthouse
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| Architect: |
William Kauffmann, Toronto |
| Built by: |
Kestevan and Storey, Toronto |
| Cost: |
$18,385.00 |
| Opened: |
January 1867 |
| Material: |
Buff coloured brick, limestone base, some cast iron details, slate roof tiles |
| Style: |
Classical, Italiante, Picturesque, and Gothic |
Designated under the Ontario Heritage Act. |
Function and style:
Like the jail, this building’s outward appearance reflects the interior use. It would have been obvious to people looking at the imposing, grand and formal exterior that serious and important work was going on inside.
The building provided a place for trials and hearings to take place. It also provided County staff with offices, meeting rooms and vaults. Peel County Council met in the second floor Council Chamber.
The Peel County Courthouse blends several architectural styles, as do many Ontario courthouses built after 1850. In the Courthouse you can see the decorative elements from the following styles:
Classical: The façade is symmetrical and orderly. The main doorways are centred on both the Main Street and Wellington Street facades. The half circle fanlight transoms over the doors are also marks of this style, as are the Greek pediments and columns around the doorways.
Italianate: The windows with rounded tops, and their grouping in pairs is an Italianate feature.
Picturesque: The onion-shaped octagonal dome on top of the cupola resembles domes found in Eastern Europe and Russia. The use of this form reflects the Victorian’s love of travel and exotic places and an increased interest in making buildings attractive, or “picturesque”. The same is true for the decorative “pepper pots” on the corners of the roof.
Gothic: The shape of the decorative trim above the windows is gothic. The gothic form was primarily used in churches where it was thought to lead the eye heavenward and towards God. The use of gothic windows in a courthouse reveals the strong association of religion and government at the time.
A new County Courthouse was built in 1967 south of Steeles Avenue. The County retained the property on Wellington Street and it was used for office space. During the 1980s it housed the Peel Museum and Art Gallery.
When the Peel Heritage Complex reopens, the courthouse will be used for offices, a board room and reference library. The Courtroom and Council Chamber will be available for rentals.
The courthouse is protected by a Heritage Easement with the Ontario Heritage Foundation.
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