1872. Unionville, as the center of the township, had until the 1970s held the town offices. The development of the subdivision immediately to the west of the small town in the late 1960s, brought attention to the run down nature of the buildings in the business area. The provincial government, with support of the regional and township governments were prepared to widen the road, which would have meant the demolition of the buildings. A great furor arose, culminating the Unionville Annual Festival, whose original purpose was to bring attention to the situation and to raise funds to fight the widening. Quickly, local politicians came on board and the road widening was stopped. In the early 1980s, the bypass was built around Main Street Unionville to relieve the heavy traffic. The bypass became the new alignment for Kennedy Road, though it was named Unionville By-pass for a number of years at first, and the original line was renamed as Main Street Unionville. With the coming of change the buildings were revived and a unique Victorian Village atmosphere came into being. Settlement History Landmarks Historical Village of Unionville Varley Art Gallery Unionville Library Unionville Village Firehall Major Intersections References Roads in Markham, Ontario Tourist attractions in Markham, Ontario