The Core Area of the Town of Goderich

The unique layout of Goderich’s core encompasses eight primary streets radiating from an octagon bounded by eight business blocks. This octagon, marketplace or civic square, with a park at its centre, is popularly known as “The Square”.
Four streets intersecting at right angles Victoria, Nelson, Waterloo and Elgin- form the outer edges of the core with the octagon in the centre.

“West Street” and “The Square” are two heritage conservation districts within this core area, designated by the Municipality of Goderich under the Ontario Heritage Act. In its early years, “The Square” was known as “Market Square” and its current legal address is “Courthouse Square”.

The original concept for the core area has been attributed to John Galt, the Canada Company’s first commissioner who was inspired by the 1st Century B.C. city planning concepts of Roman architect Vitruvius.These concepts were later translated into town plans by Renaissance architects.

The historic value of the core lies in the fact that Goderich is a rare example of a town plan that was designed and surveyed in advance of any construction. Growth was not left to accident, nor to the whim of individual tastes, but planned especially to suit the flat ground upon which the core stands. The original town had developed at the harbour following 1827. Later, businesses relocated to the Market Square laid out by Galt above the bluffs.

Contrary to a popularly held belief, the town plan was NOT switched with one meant for Guelph. It is likely that this myth arose due to a struggle of wills between John Galt and the Canada Company directors. The latter were determined to name present-day Guelph, ‘Goderich’ in honour of Lord Goderich, while Galt was equally determined that the first established settlement be called ‘Guelph’. After a period when both parties stubbornly used their own favoured names for each settlement, Galt’s version prevailed. The town plans for these two communities, however, were always intended
for where they are now found.

Goderich’s primary radiating streets, 99 feet in width, converge onto the circular road which is also
99 feet wide. Secondary streets are 66 feet wide. The central park covers about three acres. Added to
the clarity of the radial design and ordered symmetry, is the alignment of the eight principal roads
with the points of the compass.

The octagonal-shaped park at the centre was occupied for nearly 100 years by the original Huron County Courthouse, an Italianate brick building of imposing scale, massing and elegance. The current courthouse replaced the original which had been destroyed by fire in 1954.
Ringed by eight commercial blocks, The Square reflects a vision of a town centre of classical design and elegance, possibly owing inspiration to formalized urban spaces like the London Nash Traces and Bath Crescents, of England. The 1890s saw The Square come closest to achieving the elegance its radial plan promised. Although much has changed, a significant portion of the aesthetic and architectural value evident at that time, is still largely intact and still deserving of on-going maintenance and preservation.

From the 1840s to the 1890s, the growth of Goderich centered around the development of the Market Square. This fast growing town was the centre of a prosperous agricultural region and by the 1850s, had established itself as the social, economic and administrative centre for the District of Huron, an area much larger than the current County of Huron. Goderich was also the headquarters of the Canada Company which was responsible for opening up the million-acre Huron Tract for settlement.