The Ontario Heritage Act allows the City of Cambridge to designate areas with cultural heritage value as a Heritage Conservation District. The City of Cambridge currently has three Heritage Conservation Districts.

Blair Village

In 2002, the City of Cambridge designated Blair Village as a Heritage Conservation District. The Blair Village Heritage Conservation District Plan ensures that the community of Blair remains a village in character, form and function. The Plan also includes policies to:

  • Protect the area from suburban development
  • Protect and enhance the area's natural environment
  • Protect and enhance the area's heritage features
  • Promote the area's village design
  • Ensure new developments fit the village's protected design
Dickson Hill

In 2005, the City approved the Dickson Hill Heritage Conservation District Plan. The Plan provides a heritage conservation strategy for the City-owned public spaces in Dickson Hill - one of the most unique communities in Cambridge.

Dickson Hill features many different types of historical buildings, including:

  • Residential
  • Institutional
  • Commercial
  • Manufacturing

In addition to the buildings, key elements that define the character of Dickson Hill include:

  • Tree-lined streets
  • Distinctive globe street lights
  • Prominent urban public spaces and landscape features
History of Dickson Hill

Credited with founding the Village of Galt, the Honourable William Dickson, arrived to the Dickson Hill area in 1816. Dickson was responsible for a lot of the commercial development on the west bank of the Grand River. His son, William Dickson Jr., acquired most of the lands that currently make up the residential area of Dickson Hill.

The development of the residential area of Dickson Hill occurred over several decades, completed by a series of developers. Florence Dickson, niece to William Dickson Jr., and his heir, controlled the development of this area until the 1890s.
Main Street

The City of Cambridge introduced the Main Street Heritage Conservation District Plan in 1984. The district is in the heart of the former city of Galt and its boundaries are Main Street, Ainslie Street, Imperial Lane and Water Street.

Features of the Main Street Heritage Conservation District include a block of commercial buildings that form one of the most outstanding historic streetscapes in Ontario. This area has a variety of architectural styles and building ages, from the Granite Block of 1862 to the High Victorian Osborne Building of 1895. Subtle variations of detail and style make this area worthy of long-term conservation and enhancement.