The following op-ed appeared in the March 21 edition of the Guelph Tribune:
Demolition by neglect. It’s a handy way around the constraints placed on heritage properties when the owner can’t get proper permission to tear a structure down. Just let it go to ruin and let it fall down by itself.
There was a meeting about this last night, sponsored by the local branch of Architectural Conservancy of Ontario. This column is written well ahead of that, but the timing of the meeting couldn’t be better.
It is something the city itself is on the point of doing with the old Wilson farmhouse on Simmonds Drive. The city has owned it since 2002 and has left it sitting vacant ever since. With no money in the budget for maintenance, it has become a decrepit eyesore. A community park is going on the old farmland, and the house is in mortal danger. The city hasn’t had any luck so far finding other uses for the house, despite years of trying.
When you have a heritage building that has been ignored to death, what can be done? The homeowners in the neighbourhood are anxious to get the park developed. They want the farmhouse levelled. They are probably right when they say it is a blot on the landscape and their view will be considerably improved when it is gone.
That’s what demolition by neglect is all about.
It doesn’t have to happen. Coun. Ian Findlay has an idea with all the ingredients of a successful win-win situation. As reported in this paper last week, he wants to turn the farmhouse into a community learning centre. He thinks it could be put to two uses.
It could be a demonstration house for energy-efficiency technologies. At the same time it could be used as meeting space for community, cultural, sports and other groups. Renting out space could generate some revenue to offset the cost of running it.
Properly done, it would be an ideal destination for school trips. Young minds could be opened up to the possibilities waiting in the future they are about to build for themselves.
The stumbling block is a very predictable one in these days of cash-starved government. Money. There’s nothing in the city’s capital budget to pay for the renovations. If this innovative plan is going to work, the funding will have to come from somewhere else. There is a similar house on Mill Street in Kitchener. If you Google “REEP House for Sustainable Living” you will see what it does and how it was funded. The city, which is moving forward with park development on the rest of the land, should give Findlay time to explore options for the house.
If the house will showcase state-of-the-art energy saving solutions, who better to approach than the companies supplying the technology? That’s what they did in Kitchener. Insulation, windows, heating and cooling, roofing, solar power companies. They all got in on the ground floor. Also kicking in were the local hydro utilities, credit union, CMHC and renovation experts. It is a perfect opportunity to explore creative partnerships to rejuvenate an “at-risk” heritage structure.
The north end Wilson farmhouse doesn’t have to be brought to rubble. It can be an enhancement to the neighbourhood and an example for those looking for ways to put new life into their aging homes. The city may not have enough cash on hand to restore the building. Surely it can find what it needs to market the project to the people who can. Findlay has a good idea. Let’s help him make it happen. Alan Pickersgill