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P E~ 14, WHITBY FREE PRE1-. HERITAGE SUPPLEMENT, SEPTEMBER 9,1987 Designation: Rather than a constraint, iti's a "rnild encouragement" By KEVIN SUGDEN For many people who own old notable buildings, the idea of volun- teering to have a legal measure ap- plied to their property is ridiculous. To deliberately allow conditions to be placed on what you can and can- not do to old exterior features of your building would be insane. But 31 property owners in Whitby don't think so. These are the owners of homes and buildings that are designated heritage properties. The local homes and landxnarks on these pages are all designated under the Ontario Heritage Act. For a variety of reasons they have been found to exhibit notable historic and architectural features. These are appreciated enough by the owners that they have chosen to have them protected. Just what does heritage designation mean? When the Whit- by Local Architectural Conser- vation Advisory Committee (LACAC) researches an old building for designation, a list of items called "Reasons for Designation" is compiled. These include important historical facts related to the property and significant architectural features of the outside that represent the character of the building. An owner may wish to have interior features included also. This list is presented to council, which then decides to pass a designation bylaw at the next meeting, one month hence. Once a building receives heritage designation, this is what happens: The owner obtains a bronze plaque, to be mounted outside, that iden- tifies the property and describes its significance; the technical resour- ces of LACAC and through it, the expertise of the Ontario heritage branch, are available for advice concerning the conservation and restoration needs of the building. This includes the administration of designated property grants that are available every year and can be renewed annually. Up to $3,000 of provincial government funding is available per year, matched on a 50/50 basis by the property owner. This means that a $6,000 project would only cost the owner2$3,000. Over the past five years, 23 such grants have been readily obtained by local property owners. If a property owner wishes to make an exterior alteration to this designated building, LACAC will advise whether the change will af- fect designated heritage features. To date, all four applications for alteration have been approved quickly by council. Such changes include the addition of sunporches, changes of roof levels and exten- sions. So long as 'an alteration is sympathetic to the character of the building, there is no reason to discourage it. Any changes to the interior or the grounds of a proper- ty come under no control. There is no desire to affect the use or in- terior comfort of the building. If a property owner wishes to demolish or remove the designated building, then Town council has the option of refusing a permit for 180 days. The purpose of this interval is to allow time for the LACAC and other interested groups to propose alternate solutions. Resale of the property, careful removal of the building to a new site or a decision by the property owner to retain the building because of its heritage value, these are all possible an- swers. However, if no solution can be agreed upon, the property owner may apply for and obtain a demolition permit after 180 days, and proceed to destroy the building. So, it can be seen that heritage designation, rather than being a ridiculous constraint, is actually a mild encouragement to respect the historical and architectural heritage of a building. The designation really prevents nothing but only allows time to re-examine what may be incompletely con- sidered plans. For those, like the 31 designated property owners in the community who appreciate the value of their heritage buildings, this is no restriction at ail. What heritage designation may ensure is that the effort and atten- tion a venerable building receives from its owner, outlasts the resale of the building. Future owners will receive the same financial benefits and will also be encouraged, because of designation, to conserve its heritage features. Thus, an owner has the comfort of knowing that their architectural conser- vation efforts may be preserved as a lasting legacy in the Whitby community. Whitby's designated properties Jacob Bryan House 1862 300 Byron Street South, Whitby Across the street from the Anglican rectory, this attractive Regency style cottage was the original home of the Royal Hotel owner. The Terrace, 1857 122 - 130 Byron Street North,.Whitby One of the finest examples of 19th century small town row housing in On- tario, they were built by Robert Perry, whose mansion next door was demolished two weeks ago. Thomas Sleigh House 1863 210 Trent Street West, Whitby Bricked over in 1906 by its owner, John Mathison, a famous cricket player, t.his house has the unusual feature of an offset front doorway. The Horace Bascom House, 1913 600 King St., Whitby Dr. Bascom, the oldest county sheriff and civil servant in Ontario, lived in this cedar shake neocolonial home until his death at age 93. Ringwood, 1876 1601 Hopkins Street South, Whitby Built by Barnabas Gibson, a prominent railway contractor, the mansion blends several 19th cen- tury stylings. It has been carefully preserved as the corporate headquarters of Lasco Steel Corp. 'Heritage in Action' - Sept. 26 To cap off Whitby's Heritage Month activities the Local Ar- chitectural Conservation Advisory Committep (LACAC) will be spon- LERATINQ FURNITURE And Accessories SOLID OAK ROLL TOP DESK Reg. $2249..........SALE$ 9 $499. $949a soring a presentation and open house at Henry Street High School on Saturday, Sept. 26. Beginning at 10 a.m. Jean Simenton of the Ontario heritage branch will be talking about the problems of repairing old homes and offering ideas of various con- servation techniques. This session is intended for those members of the public who may own old heritage buildings. Simenton will be available after the talk for any questions concer- ning repair problems. To register for the presentation, please contact the LACAC secretary, Bryce Jor- dan, in the planning department at the municipal building (6-5803). Beginning at 1 p.m. will be the "Heritage ,in Action" open house. Featuring displays of 19th century crafts and trades, the exhibition will also offer information and displays relating to heritage property designation and the ar- chitectural conservation movement in Ontario. At 1:30 p.m., Mayor Bob Atter- sley will present a commissioned watercolour of the Centennial Building (old Ontario County Court House) by artist Ann Syme to the winner of the grand prize draw of the LACAC-Whitby Free Press "A Place in Time" contest. Displays will be open until 4 p.m. New Heritage Act may make preservation more attractive FROM PAGE 3 forts to promote local interest and concern for our common architec- tural heritage. With the un- precedented growth that the Whit- by community has experienced in recent years, there has been a more urgent need to recover a sense of continuity with the past. Many new residents need the assurance of recognizing that Whitby has a genuine identity, a sense of itself and an historical presence. The tide of denegration of those visible reminders of our past has not yet been reversed. Still we suf- fer from the habits of the 1950's and 1960's. There remain many people who will probably never be con- vinced that we owe it to ourselves to respect what has come before use. The Ontario Heritage Act is currently under review to deter- mine how it may be improved to become a more effective mechanism for heritage conser- vation. Perhaps we may soon have a more palatable means of en- couraging the support of property owners who remain ambivalent or opposed to the idea of architectural preservàtion. In a very real sense, the quality of our future depends on it. SOLID OAK MICROWAVE STAND Reg. $566............SALE T.V. STEREO-ENTERTAIN MENT UNIT Reg. $1065............SALE h SINCE 1977 ~: 4)