Heritage Mapping and Resources

Cemeteries and Burial Grounds

An inventory of all known Euro-Canadian cemeteries and burial sites located within the amalgamated City of Hamilton. This volume also describes the legislative and administrative context of cemeteries in the City of Hamilton, a history of these cemeteries, and a discussion of Euro-Canadian funerary markers and motifs.

• Inventory of Cemeteries and Burial Grounds(PDF, 4.36 MB)

Places of Worship

An inventory of all known buildings used as places of worship built prior to 1967 throughout the former municipalities of Ancaster, Beverly, Binbrook, Dundas, East Flamborough, Glanford, Saltfleet, and West Flamborough.

• Inventory of Places of Worship(PDF, 4.27 MB)

An inventory of significant places of worship in the former municipality of Hamilton from 1801 to 2001.

• Inventory of Places of Worship in Hamilton(PDF, 7.64 MB)

The Ontario Heritage Act is the principal piece of legislation in the province that enables municipalities to conserve, manage and protect heritage properties.

There are two major parts of the Act that deal with formally protecting heritage properties:

• Part IV, which enables a municipality to designate individual properties that are of historical interest or value.
• Part V, which enables a municipality to designate an area or grouping of properties, including buildings and their setting, as a heritage conservation district.

Heritage Conservation Districts in Hamilton

In Hamilton, there are 7 Heritage Conservation Districts:

• Cross-Melville
• Durand-Markland
• Hamilton Beach
• MacNab-Charles
• Mill Street
• St. Clair Avenue
• St. Clair Boulevard

UPDATE -  The City of Hamilton is reviewing the existing St. Clair Boulevard Heritage Conservation District Plan to update and clarify the Plan and bring it into compliance with the Ontario Heritage Act. This review will include updating policies and guidelines for heritage alterations and financial incentive programs available to property owners in the District. 

In 1992, the St. Clair Boulevard Heritage Conservation District was designated under Part V of the Ontario Heritage Act by By-law No. 92-140. An accompanying Background Study and Plan(PDF, 8.18 MB) was developed, but never formally adopted by Council.

Each Heritage Conservation District has two reports: a District Study and a District Plan.

• The District Study contains the:
  • heritage attributes of the study area
  • rationale for designating the neighbourhood as a conservation district

• The District Plan contains the:
  • basis for the careful management and protection of the area’s heritage features including buildings, spaces and landscape features
  • guidance on relevant planning and development matters that may affect the area’s unique character

These reports are only available by request. If you wish to request a non-accessible copy of the reports, contact us at [email protected]

Heritage Bridge Guidelines

Outlines the process by which the City can assess the heritage value of bridges and associated structures over 40 years old, provide for Environmental Assessments for said structures and document existing inventory of structures.

• Heritage Bridge Guidelines(PDF, 218.49 KB)

Heritage Structure Assessment

Heritage record of bridge structures over 35 years old in Hamilton.

• Heritage Bridge Structure Assessment Report(PDF, 5.2 MB)