41: 1333 Dorval Drive, RayDor Estate & Glen Abbey 1. Description … - business/41... ·...

Inventory Report: 1333 Dorval Drive, RayDor Estate & Glen Abbey

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41: 1333 Dorval Drive, RayDor Estate & Glen Abbey

1. Description of Property Municipal Address 1333 Dorval Drive Name (if applicable) RayDor, Glen Abbey Legal Description PCL 17-4, SEC T-15; PT LTS 17,18,19 & 20, CON 2 TRAF SDS, PTS 1,3,4 & 5, 20R5211, EXCEPT

PTS 1,2 & 3, 20R12459 ; OAKVILLE. T/W PT LT 19, CON 2 TRAF SDS, PT 3, 20R5193, AS IN H166095. S/T 63461, H104134, H164850, 652520 (ADDED 99.02.02), H513675. T/W EASE

Location of Property The property is bounded by Upper Middle Road to the north and northwest, and by residential properties to the south and southeast. It is accessed through main gates at its south end, from Dorval Drive. Sixteen Mile Creek runs through the property and the Sixteen Mile Creek Trail runs along the eastern edge of the property line.

Ownership Private Access Access granted by Robert Visentin of Clublink. Site visit carried out on September 21, 2015.

(AB, CU, KH, Brendan Stewart (ERA), Robert Visentin (ClubLink), and Scott Hannah (Town of Oakville)).

Current Use Golf Course, Canadian Golf Hall of Fame Existing Designation Designated in 1993 under Part IV of the OHA (By-law 1993-112) as “a property of historic and

architectural value and interest". The Reasons for Designation are attached as Schedule “A”, and are reproduced here in Appendix A. The Reasons for Designation note that “The reasons for designation pertain only to the exterior portion of the original RayDor estate house and does not extend outwards to include the golf course”.

General Description Glen Abbey is an 18-hole golf course designed by well-known golfer and course designer Jack Nicklaus in 1976. The former farmland was first developed as a country estate, “RayDor”, by Canadian mining magnate Andre Dorfman from 1937 to 1953. It was used by the Jesuit Fathers of Upper Canada as a retreat and monastery from 1953 to 1963. It was first converted to a golf course in 1963 and rebuilt as a golf course in 1976. It has hosted the annual Canadian Open golf tournament 27 times since 1977. Built structures on the property include: the “RayDor” manor house built in 1937-8 to designs by Toronto architect F.H. Marani; a wood-shingled stable likely dating to the 1930s; a wood-shingled house of unknown derivation; and the clubhouse, a sprawling, Expressionist, wood-shingled structure built in c.1976. A key part of the landscape is the natural valley surrounding the meandering Sixteen Mile Creek, which provides viewscapes from the clubhouse and is the location of the “valley” golf holes (No. 11 through 15). The property is a mix of designed landscape (with rolling topography, ponds, sandtraps, greens, etc.) and naturalized vegetation. It includes a number of commemorative markers related to golfing history. The property is surrounded by low-to-medium-density, residential neighbourhoods.

Priority Level High


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Figure 1: 1333 Dorval Drive, RayDor Estate House (AB, 2015)

Upper Middle Rd. W

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Dorval Dr.

Sixteen MileCreek

Upper Middle Rd. W

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Dorval Dr.

Sixteen MileCreek

LEGEND

Glen Abbey Golf Course

Cultural Heritage LandscapeInventory Map

Drawing not to scale

Corporation of theTown of Oakville1225 Trafalgar RdOakville, ONL6H 0H3

Watercourse

Site Structures

Vegetation

Assessment Boundary

Building

CHL Study Area

Heritage District

Heritage Trail

Parkland

Park Trail

Road

Cemetery

Club House

RayDor

House and Stables


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2. Key Recommendations Priority = High

Rationale for priority level:

• High potential for development; and • All existing built and natural cultural heritage resources may not have been identified or included in current

designation.

Recommendations for future action:

• Prepare a full evaluation report to document the site and its history and confirm and/or update the Town’s understanding of the cultural heritage value or interest and heritage attributes of the property;

• Depending on the recommendations of the evaluation report, consider whether to amend the designation by-law under section 30.1 OHA to clarify or correct the statement of cultural heritage value or interest of the property and description of heritage attributes, or whether it might be necessary to pass a new by-law;

• Consider means for conserving heritage value and attributes outside of the OHA, including Official Plan amendments, secondary plans, zoning by-laws or community design plans. Other possible approaches might include a conservation plan, commemorations plan or interpretation plan.

3. Documentation and Inventory of Built Form List of Built Features:

• Main Building: the RayDor manor house, built in 1937, is a Classical building in the Beaux-Arts tradition, with features borrowed from the more romantic “Château” style.1 The house follows a symmetrical plan with a central main entrance topped by a broken pediment and outlined in carved-stone trim. The exterior is a rough-faced, coursed stone with smooth stone trim and symmetrically placed, leaded-glass, casement window units. The red-clay-tile roof has hipped dormers and stone chimneys with clay pots. A 1996 addition to the rear (west) elevation, known as the “Leonard E. Shore Building”, is home to the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame;

• Stable: this one-and-a-half-storey, wood-frame building has a number of features associated with model farm buildings of the early 20th century, including: a symmetrical, U-shaped plan; a combination of steeply sloped, gambrel roofs with louvered ventilators and steeply sloped, gable roofs with flat-roofed dormers; Classical detailing such as return eaves and thick wood surrounds; plenty of windows including paired and circular units; and a wood-shingled exterior;

• Shingled House: a two-storey building adjacent to the stable is clad in cedar shingles, with a shallow-slope, gable roof, symmetrically arranged openings and verandahs on two elevations;

• Clubhouse: This sprawling, “cottage-style” building was designed c.1975. It is defined by its long, low profile, wide, overhanging eaves and massive, cedar-shingled roof with inset terraces. Extensive glazing on the western elevation provides an uninterrupted view of the 18th hole green;

• Utility buildings: a number of modern buildings to the south and southwest of the 18th green and clubhouse, and various maintenance sheds throughout the property;

• Stone building: a modern stone building adjacent to the parking lot;

1 Known in the United States as “French Eclectic”, the Château style was modelled on the chateaus of the Loire Valley, France but became known as a distinctly Canadian style because of its use for public buildings and railway hotels from the late 1880s onward. While not common in the United States, it enjoyed intense popularity in Canada during the 1920s and 1930s.Leslie Maitland, Jacqueline Hucker & Shannon Ricketts, A Guide to Canadian Architectural Styles, (Peterborough: Broadview Press, 1992, reprinted 2002), p. 93.


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• Gazebo: an octagonal, wooden gazebo with two-tier, cedar-shingle roof and lantern cap, surrounded by stone sculptures and stone benches;

• Bridges: many metal and wood bridges throughout the eastern section that provide access across Sixteen Mile Creek; • Commemorations: stone piers with concrete caps at each tee box, mounted with bronze plaque recounting

significant moments in golf history; and a stone wall with plaques commemorating the winners of the Canadian Open;

• Red telephone box: a British-style telephone kiosk; and • Entrance: stone gate posts and an iron fence.

4. Documentation and Inventory of Natural Form List of Natural Features:

• Sixteen Mile Creek running in a north-south direction on the eastern portion of the property; • The valley walls, naturally eroded; • Native vegetation throughout the site; • A designed golf course landscape, designed by golfer Jack Nicklaus; • Rolling topography designed for the golf course; and • Ponds created for the golf course.

5. Design (Typology) ‘X’ all that

apply Categories of Cultural Heritage Landscape

Description

X Designed Landscape “…clearly defined landscape designed and created intentionally by man.”

X Organically Evolved Landscape

“…results from an initial social, economic, administrative, and/or religious imperative and has developed in its present form in response to its natural environment”

Relict Landscape (Evolved Landscape)

“…in which an evolutionary process came to an end at some time in the past.”

Continuing Landscape (Evolved Landscape)

“…retains an active social role in contemporary society closely associated with the traditional way of life, and which the evolutionary process is still in progress.”

X Associative Cultural Landscape

“…justifiable by virtue of the powerful religious, artistic, or cultural associations of the natural element rather than material cultural evidence, which may be insignificant or even absent.”

6. Historical and Thematic Associations

The land on which 1333 Dorval Dr. is located was originally patented to King’s College in 1814. King’s College was an Anglican college established by Royal Charter in 1827 and would later become the University of Toronto.2 It was given a large number of land grants in order to finance its operations.

2 Martin L. Friedland, The University of Toronto: A History. (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2002), at pp. 4, 31, 143, 156, 313, 376, 593–6. ISBN 0-8020-4429-8.


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The 1877 Map of Trafalgar Township shows Isaac Carter on Lot 19, just east of the Sixteen Mile Creek. The map shows a building on the north portion of the lot, surrounded by an orchard. A second large orchard, is located in the middle of the land parcel, likely atop the valley ridge, and close to the current location of RayDor estate house.

In the late 1930s, Toronto mining magnate Andre Dorfman purchased sections of four farms adjacent to Sixteen Mile Creek, and created a large country estate which he called “RayDor”. He commissioned Toronto architect F.H. Marani to design a stone manor on an elevated ridge overlooking Sixteen Mile Creek.3 The Dorfman family spent sixteen years at RayDor. In 1953, Dorfman sold the 480-acre estate to the Jesuit Fathers of Upper Canada4. For the next ten years the property was the home of the Loyola Retreat and RayDor was used as a monastery. In 1963, the Jesuit fathers sold the property and the Loyola Retreat relocated to a new seminary near Guelph.

The former RayDor estate was purchased by a group of seven Oakville residents in 1963, incorporated as Clearstream Development Limited. They created the Upper Canada Country Club, a prestigious gentleman’s club with an 18-hole golf course. The former manor house became the golf clubhouse and the course was named “Glen Abbey” in honour of the Jesuits. With memberships granted only to those with an income higher than $25,000, the club was not successful.5 By 1969, the golf course had closed and the 325-acre site was being used as a ski resort with a T-bar and a vertical drop of 140 feet.6

In 1974, developer and golf enthusiast Rod McIsaac purchased the property through his asset management company, Great Northern Capital. He reached an agreement with the Royal Canadian Golf Association (RCGA) that it would become the permanent home of the Canadian Open. Because the existing golf course was not suitable for professional golf and the large number of spectators involved, McIsaac and RCGA hired well-known golfer and novice course designer Jack Nicklaus to design a new golf course in 1976. It was his first solo design. In 1975, RCGA moved its headquarters to Glen Abbey, and established a golf museum and display space for the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame. It purchased the property in the early 1980s and sold it in 1999 to ClubLink. The golf course, museum, headquarters and Hall of Fame all continue to operate at the site.

Andre Dorfman

Andre Dorfman (1887- 1961) was born in France and trained at the University of Geneva, Switzerland, as a mining engineer and a metallurgist. He immigrated to Canada in 1910, and began working at McIntyre Porcupine Mines as a metallurgist. He made most of his fortune through good investments, but became a very powerful figure in the Canadian mining industry.7

Ferdinand Herbert Marani

Ferdinand Herbert Marani (F.H. Marani) (1893-1971) was a successful Toronto architect whose career spanned over 50 years. He was the founding partner in a succession of architectural firms between 1919 and 1971. His various offices can be credited with the design of hundreds of buildings across Canada. He studied architecture at the University of Toronto (1912- 3 Robert Hill, “Ferdinand Herbert Marani” in Dictionary of Architects in Canada 1800-1950 at http://dictionaryofarchitectsincanada.org/node/1462 . Accessed 16 November 2015. The entry reads: “OAKVILLE, ONT., residence for Andre Dorfman, Middle Road, 1937-38 (C.R., 1, 15 Sept. 1937, 148)”. 4 Town of Oakville. Sunningdale Information Sheet. Accessed October, 2015, from http://www.oakville.ca/culturerec/is-sunningdale.html The Town material shows that it was sold to the Toronto Diocese of the Society of Jesus (Jesuit) for $265,000. Ashe & Burnell suggest that it was purchased by the Toronto and Hamilton Roman Catholic Dioceses (Ashe & Burnell, p. 40). The Ottawa Citizen reported on January 10, 1953 the announcement that it was purchased by the Jesuit Fathers of Upper Canada for an undisclosed sum. The Jesuits planned to erect a new building on the site. 5 Ashe & Burnell, p. 40. 6 Skiing: The Magazine for the Serious Skiier, Vol. 22, No. 3, November 1969. The reference reads “The baronial former home of mining millionaire Andre Dorfman in Oakville, Ont., has been converted into a ski resort called Glen Abbey. A T-bar and floodlights were installed on the 325-acre site utilizing a slope with a vertical drop of 140 feet. Dorfman left the property to the Jesuits when he died in 1961. The mansion subsequently went from retreat house to golf clubhouse to outdoors clubhouse.” 7 Ashe & Burnell, p. 40.

http://dictionaryofarchitectsincanada.org/node/1462


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14) and trained in the offices of Eden Smith & Sons and Sproatt & Rolph. He was known for his conservatively-styled buildings and his preference for Classical and Neo-Georgian styles of architecture, the type of work that was strongly favoured by his clients, including insurance companies, hospitals, private schools and wealthy businessmen seeking designs for private houses. He was elected a fellow of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada in 1939 and as a full Academician of the Royal Canadian Academy in 1947. Drawings for most of his projects are held at the Archives Ontario.8

Golf Canada and the Canadian Open

The RCGA was established in 1895 as the governing body for golf in Canada. In 2010 it changed its name to Golf Canada. The first Canadian Open Golf Championship was held by the RCGA at the Royal Montreal Golf Club in 1904. In the 1970s, RCGA moved its headquarters to Glen Abbey and established a museum and hall of fame on the site. The Canadian Open was held at Glen Abbey from 1977-2000, with the exception of 1980 and 1997. Since 2000, the Canadian Open rotates between courses throughout Canada; it has returned to Glen Abbey a handful of times, including in 2015.

Jack Nicklaus

Jack Nicklaus (b. 1940) is an American golfer who turned pro in 1961 at the age of 21. Nicknamed ‘the Golden Bear’, he won six Masters, four US Opens, five P.G.A. Championships, three British Opens, a record eighteen major championships, six Australian opens, and five PGA-Player-of-the-Year titles.9 He is considered one of the greatest players in the history of the game of golf. His company, Jack Nicklaus Design, has designed 290 courses in 41 different countries, of which 142 are used on professional tours.10

Tiger Woods’ shot in 2000

Tiger Woods’ shot in 2000 – considered to be one of the greatest golf shots of all time – occurred at the 18th hole of Glen Abbey. Using a six-iron from the right fairway bunker, Tiger shot over the trees and the water, landing on the fringe of the green, and allowing him to keep his lead over Grant Waite and win the 2000 Canadian Open. With previous wins at the U.S. Open and the British Open, this win would earn Tiger the ‘Triple Crown’ status, the first one since Lee Trevino in 1971.

7. Contextual Associations The property is surrounded by low- to medium-density residential neighbourhoods, developed since the 1960s.

8. Evaluation (O. Reg 9/06)

O.Reg.9/06 Criteria Criteria

Potentially Met (Y/N)

Potential Justification

1. The property has design value or physical value because it,

i. is a rare, unique, representative or early example of a style, type,

Y The former RayDor manor house may be a representative example of the French Eclectic or Chateau style.

8 Robert Hill, “Ferdinand Herbert Marani” in Dictionary of Architects in Canada 1800-1950 at http://dictionaryofarchitectsincanada.org/node/1462 . Accessed 16 November 2015. 9 Biography.com Editors. Jack Nicklaus Biography. Published by A & E Television Networks. Accessed October 2015, from http://www.biography.com/people/jack-nicklaus-40666#business-interests 10 Nicklaus Design. Golf Course Design Company Profile



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expression, material, or construction method,

The stable may be a representative example of the “model farm” type of stable recommended in the early 20th century. Depending on its history, the adjacent house may be a representative example of an early style such as Loyalist or Georgian. The clubhouse, built c.1976, may be a representative example of Expressionist or Post-modern architecture.

ii. displays a high degree of craftsmanship or artistic merit, or

Y

The stone carving on the exterior of the RayDor manor house may display a high degree of craftsmanship or artistic merit.

iii. demonstrates a high degree of technical or scientific achievement.

Y The golf course design by Jack Nicklaus may demonstrate a high degree of technical achievement.

2. The property has historical value or associative value because it,

i. has direct associations with a theme, event, belief, person, activity, organization or institution that is significant to a community,

Y

While it is not on Lake Ontario, the property may be associated with the development of large country estates in Oakville by wealthy urbanites in the early 20th century.

The property may still be associated with Andre Dorfman, a significant figure in the Canadian mining industry.

Glen Abbey is associated with Golf Canada (formerly RCGA) which may be considered significant to the national community of golfers.

Glen Abbey may be associated with the history of the sport of golf in Canada, including the Canadian Open.

Glen Abbey is associated with Tiger Woods 18th-hole shot in 2000, which


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may be considered significant to the international community of golfers.

ii. yields, or has the potential to yield, information that contributes to an understanding of a community or culture, or

N Not known.

iii. demonstrates or reflects the work or ideas of an architect, artist, builder, designer or theorist who is significant to a community.

Y

RayDor manor house demonstrates the work of F.H. Marani, a well-known Toronto architect with a significant body of work in the GTA.

Glen Abbey Golf Course may demonstrate the early work of Jack Nicklaus in golf course design.

3. The property has contextual value because it,

i. is important in defining, maintaining or supporting the character of an area,

N Not shown.

ii. is physically, functionally, visually or historically linked to its surroundings, or

N Not shown.

iii. is a landmark. Y

Glen Abbey may serve as a landmark within Oakville but also within the wider golfing community at a national level.

9. Photographic Documentation

Figure 3: Rear (north) elevation of the former RayDor manor (at left) and detail of gazebo and statues (at right). (AB, 2015)


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Figure 4: Rear addition to the former RayDor manor: north elevation (at left) and south elevation (at right). (AB, 2015)

Figure 5: View of the clubhouse from the pathway of the 18th hole. (AB, 2015)


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Figure 6: The 18th Hole, from the location of the famous Tiger Woods bunker shot in 2000. (AB, 2015)

Figure 7: Stone piers, with plaques commemorating significant moments in golf. (AB, 2015)


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Figure 8: Front elevation of the former stable. (AB, 2015)

Figure 9: Shingled house (at left) with former stable (at right). (AB, 2015)


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Figure 10: Tee block on the ridge, looking east into the valley. (CU, 2015)

Figure 11: View along Sixteen Mile Creek, facing north towards Upper Middle Road Bridge. (AB, 2015)


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10. Analysis & Recommendations Potential Heritage Value:

Several of the buildings at the site that are older than 40 years may have design value as representative examples of a style or type, including the former Raydor manor house, the stable, the adjacent house, and the clubhouse. The RayDor Manor House may display a high degree of craftsmanship or artistic merit in relation to its stone carvings. The golf course may demonstrate a high degree of technical achievement, depending on the extent to which it retains features of the Jack Nicklaus design and the extent to which it was an innovative design.

The property may have historical or associative value because of its associations with the development of large country estates in Oakville in the early 20th century or with Andre Dorfman, depending on the extent to which early features have been retained. It may be associated with RCGA/Golf Canada and the history of the sport of golf in Canada, including the Canadian Open and Tiger Woods’ 18th hole shot in 2000, and these may be considered significant to a community, including not just Oakville but the national or international golfing community. The property may also have historical or associative value because it demonstrates the work of Toronto architect F.H. Marani and golf-course designer Jack Nicklaus, depending on the integrity of the work they created on site, and their level of significance to the relevant community.

Glen Abbey may serve as a landmark within Oakville but also within the wider golfing community at a national level.

Actions:

The property at 1333 Dorval Drive is designated under Part IV of the OHA (By-law 1993-112). The reasons for designation are lengthy, and are attached as Appendix A. The existing by-law appears to adopt the existing golf course boundaries as the limits of the designation, but includes a statement in each of the Reasons for Designation and the Legal Description, limiting the application of the by-law to the RayDor house. There are also a number of potential cultural heritage values and heritage attributes that the existing designation does not address.

The existing by-law could be improved to conform to post-2005 requirements of the OHA for designation by-laws by streamlining the description of heritage value, considering additional potential areas of cultural heritage value or interest discussed above and adding a more concise list of the heritage attributes that support those values. A full evaluation of the property would provide the information necessary to write an appropriate statement of cultural heritage value or interest, and description of heritage attributes.

The property is currently the subject of a pre-consult with respect to potential development of the site. To provide greater certainty for all parties, it would be important to address potential changes to the statement of cultural heritage value and heritage attributes as soon as possible. Section 30.1 of the OHA provides that municipal council may amend a designation by-law without going through the designation process again, if the purpose of the amendment is to clarify or correct the statement explaining the property’s cultural heritage value or interest or the description of the property’s heritage attributes. Once the full evaluation has taken place, the Town will need to consider whether any recommended changes fall within the exception described in section 30.1, given the wording of the existing by-law, or require a new designation by-law.

The Town may also want to consider the extent to which cultural heritage value of the landscape can be protected or managed through means other than the OHA. This might include provisions in the Official Plan or secondary plans, zoning by-laws or community design plans. It might include a conservation plan. Potential components of the conservation plan might include a commemorations plan or an interpretation plan to protect and celebrate intangible rather than tangible values of the site.

A ‘high’ priority level is recommended for the following reasons:

• High potential for development; and


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• All existing built and natural cultural heritage resources may not have been identified or included in current designation.

11. Sources Ashe, David and Joyce Burnell, Oakville Street Names and Landmarks, (London, ON: Burnell Creighton Publishing, 2007).

Biography.com Editors. “Jack Nicklaus Biography”. Published by A & E Television Networks. Accessed October 2015, from http://www.biography.com/people/jack-nicklaus-40666#business-interests

Friedland, Martin L. (2002). The University of Toronto: A History. University of Toronto Press. pp. 4, 31, 143, 156, 313, 376, 593–6. ISBN 0-8020-4429-8.

Hill, Robert, “Ferdinand Herbert Marani” in Dictionary of Architects in Canada 1800-1950 at http://dictionaryofarchitectsincanada.org/node/1462 . Accessed 16 November 2015.

“Jesuits Buy Ontario Estate,” in Ottawa Citizen, 10 January 1953.

Nicklaus Design. Golf Course Design Company Profile. Accessed October, 2015 from http://www.nicklaus.com/design/overview.php

Skiing: The Magazine for the Serious Skiier, Vol. 22, No. 3, November 1969.

Thompson, Robert, “Canadian Open – A History of Glen Abbey,” Canadian Golfer, 18 July 2013. Accessed at http://canadiangolfer.com/2013/07/18/canadian-open-a-history-of-glen-abbey/

Town of Oakville, “Heritage Register: Section F”. Last updated: October 24th, 2014. Accessed online at http://www.oakville.ca/assets/2011%20planning/hrtg-SectionF-2015.pdf

Town of Oakville. Sunningdale Information Sheet. Accessed October, 2015, from http://www.oakville.ca/culturerec/is-sunningdale.html

12. Appendix A SCHEDULE "A" TO BY-LAW 1993-112

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE

The building at 1333 Dorval Drive was built in 1937 as the estate house of successful mining engineer, Andre Dorfman.

Andre Dorfman was born in France in 1887. After receiving training in mining engineering and metallurgy at the University of Geneva, Switzerland, Dorfman came to Canada in 1910, drawn by news of discoveries of mineral deposits in the Canadian Shield. Soon after his arrival in Canada, Dorfman obtained a job on the mill staff at McIntyre Porcupine Mines, where he gained early recognition as a metallurgist.

Quickly perceiving the financial opportunities in the young Canadian mining industry, Andre Dorfman soon became very wealthy through investments. His first major success in management and finance was acquiring control of and rebuilding the fortunes of Huronia Belt. This was an English company, which later merged with Keely Silver Mines and Vipond Consolidated Mines to become Anglo-Huronian Limited.

With his expertise in mining and metallurgy, and success in investment, Andre Dorfman eventually became one of the most influential figures in the Canadian Mining Industry. Some of the companies in which he was a controlling figure included International Nickel (I.N.C.O.), Noranda and Kerr-Addision Gold Mines. Dorfman's greatest success was in attracting the


http://canadiangolfer.com/2013/07/18/canadian-open-a-history-of-glen-abbey/

http://www.oakville.ca/assets/2011%20planning/hrtg-SectionF-2015.pdf

http://www.oakville.ca/culturerec/is-sunningdale.html

http://www.oakville.ca/culturerec/is-sunningdale.html


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Patino family group of Paris, France, famous for their vast fortune made through tin mining in Bolivia, to invest in the Canadian Mining Industry.

For most of his time in Canada, Andre Dorfman made his home in Toronto. In the late 1930’s however, the Dorfman family wished to reside in a more rural setting, so Andre Dorfman purchased sections of four farms adjacent to the Sixteen Mile Creek in present day Oakville, with the intent of creating a country estate. As the centerpiece for this estate, Andre Dorfman commissioned the construction of a large stone manor house overlooking the valley of the Sixteen Mile Creek. Referred to as “the farm” by the family, Andre Dorfman gave the estate the official title of RayDor.

As one of Canada's wealthiest men, Andre Dorfman was able to spend lavishly on his RayDor estate house. After sixteen years at RayDor, Dorfman sold the estate in 1953 to the Jesuit fathers of Upper Canada for use as a retreat. Mr. Dorfman died in New York in 1961 at the age of 74.

The Jesuit fathers operated the former RayDor estate as the Loyola Retreat and used the estate house as a Monastery. They remained there unti 1963, when they relocated to a retreat near Guelph where a new seminary had been constructed.

In late 1963, a group of seven Oakville people formed Clearstream Developments Limited and put forth a proposal for the property which was accepted by the Jesuits. The Clearstream proposal involved converting the property into a non-profit "everyman's'' prestige club which they gave the name Upper Canada Country Club. An 18-hole golf course was constructed, and the estate house was used as a clubhouse. As a memorial of the tenure of the Jesuits on the property, the golf course was named Glen Abbey.

In the early 1970s the Royal Canadian Golf Association (R.C.G.A.) came to realize that the established courses that were being used to stage Canada's premier golf tournament, the Canadian Open, could not accommodate the increasing number of spectators that were attending the event. As a result, the R.C.G.A. decided to look for a permanent home for the Canadian Open. It was not long before the many attributes of Glen Abbey came to the attention of the R.C.G.A. and eventually Glen Abbey was purchased by the Association as the home for the Canadian Open.

Although the existing golf course on the property was a good course, it was not up to the standard required to host the Canadian Open. As a result, the R.C.G.A. decided to hire Jack Nicklaus, a well-known golf course designer and arguably one of the world's best ever golfers, todesign and build the new Glen Abbey course.

Since its completion, the new Glen Abbey course has been a great success. The first Canadian Open was held there in 1977, and since 1981, Glen Abbey has hosted the Canadian Open.

ARCHITECTURAL SIGNIFICANCE

The RayDor estate house at 1333 Dorval Drive was built in 1937 by Andre Dorfman as the home for his family. The building is a good example of the estate homes that were built in Oakville during the early part of this century. With its steeply pitched roof, flared eaves and symmetrical facade, RayDor represents an example of the French Eclectic style, a style likely chosen by Mr. Dorfman to reflect architecture of the country of his birth, France. According to A Field Guide to American Houses by Virginia and Lee McAlester, the French Eclectic is a relatively uncommon style in North America.

Some notable features of the house include the carved stone exterior, red clay tile roof, leaded casement windows with stone transoms, a Beaux Arts Classical style main entrance with a carved fruit bowl ornament over the elaborate solid oak door, hipped dormers, and stone chimneys with clay pots. The sympathetic modern addition is excluded from this designation.

The reasons for designation pertain only to the exterior portion of the original RayDor estate house, and does not extend outward to include the golf course.

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