Heritage Conservation District directly speaks to the Community Strategic Plan's goal of: "Preserving our past, while forging our future."

The Amherstburg Historic Conservation District Study area reflects the historic commercial and residential core of the original Town.

Amherstburg has historically been defined by the Detroit River - its location upon that waterway - and very close proximity to Lake Erie. This maritime context led to the establishment of Fort Amherstburg, later Fort Malden, which gave rise to the Town. The fort dominated the town physically, economically, and culturally. The establishment of the fort in the late 1700s and the subsequent layout of the Town of Amherstburg in close proximity supported the community with its soldier population and the shipbuilding activity that occurred in the fort’s associated Navy Yard.

Amherstburg was the leading town in Essex County and Southwest Ontario, being a thriving commercial, trade, and population centre. The town was well connected with transportation links, with the two main roads in western Ontario emanating from the town. Ships provided direct service to Montreal and service to Detroit and other Great Lake cities. Additionally, the Town was a point on the Sauk trail, an ancient path system used by Indigenous peoples, and an important fur trading route. After the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, immigration by fleeing slaves accelerated, with Amherstburg becoming an important destination and settlement area.

While Amherstburg gained railway service in 1872, Windsor overtook it in the early 1880s with improved rail service and the town began to lose its status as the principal town in Essex County. However, the town continued to be an important regional commercial centre and industrial town. The town was the headquarters of river dredging crews in the early 1900s as well as home to new industries like the Brunner Mond soda ash facility. The late 1800s and early 1900s also saw the town gain status as a summer resort with the development of Bois Blanc Island and resort hotels. The Town continued to evolve economically and physically as a result of all of these developments, albeit in a less significant way than in the nineteenth century.

EXPLORE Amherstburg's Designated Heritage Buildings, click here.

Phase 1 of 2 is complete. The Town has adopted the HCD Study.

Phase 1 was inclusive of an analysis of the initial study area and a recommendation to the Town as to the appropriate boundary for implementing an HCD Plan. On June 25th, 2024 Town Council adopted the study. Click the image below to read the study, it is also available in the documents section to the right.

Amherstburg HCD Study

Passing of Study Area By-law

Please note that on July 8, 2024 the Council of the Town of Amherstburg adopted By-law 2024-050, a by-law to designate a Heritage Conservation District Study Area within a defined area in the Town of Amherstburg in accordance with the Ontario Heritage Act, section 40 (1).

The study area by-law stabilizes this area of the Town with regards to the potential removal or demolition of built heritage assets until such time as an HCD Plan is adopted by Town Council or the lapsing of one year from the date of the adoption of the by-law.

The HCD Study Area By-law prohibits the erection, demolition, or removal of buildings or structures located within the HCD Study Area. The intent of an HCD is to protect existing areas that have cultural heritage value and to guide future development so that they do not have a negative impact on the identified character of the area.

By-law 2024-50 Study Area Map

That being said, it is important that the Town balance the need to protect the area being studied while still providing a way for developments to move forward. The by-law includes some exemptions in order to achieve these goals.