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P4GE4~ W YJ~UE RýS The Hertalge Edition, SEP'TEMMER 13, 1989 Doug Anderson 2nd Class Postal" Publisher Registration #05351 MniriceFifher Published VOICE OF THE COUNTY TOWN The only Whitby newspaper independently owned and operated by Whitby residents for Whitby residents. 131 Brock Street North, P.O. Box 206, Whitby, Ont. LiN 5S1 Editor Peter Irvine Advertising Manager Alexandra Simon Production Manager every Wednesday. By 677209 Ontario Inc. Phone 668-6111, 668-6112, 668-6369 &CA Heritage Pays Last weekend, an "Olde Tyme Whitby Fair" was held to launch one of Whitby's major new housing developments. This Saturday, the downtown is having its major promotion of the year, Heritage Day. This heritage supplement contains dozens of ads from businesses whose sole stock in trade is reproductions or interpretations of .old, or "antique" or "traditional" styles. Ever since Canadas centenniai year more than twenty years ago, "old" has been "in". Every new subdivision in Whitby is being built in a new interpretation of older styles. Palladian windows, polychrome brickwork, quoins, pilastered doorcases and returned eaves are all part of~the new vocabulary ot suburban'n'ome design. No, the heritage movement has not infiltrated tne offices of every developer in N. America. Developers are businessmen who build whatever sells - and people, want héritage. People look for the traditional styles and ambience when they shop as well. People furnish their homes in "colonial", "classical" or "country" styles. Balloon drapes have' returned. Wallpaper patterns and borders from the 1800's are being reproduced for use in modern homes. Small decorative accents like straw or grape vine wreaths and corn husk dolls and wooden knick-knacks line the shelves of every gift shop. The market for "heritage" is huge with Whitby alone having at least a dozen shops which cater exclusively to this market. Shopper preference has an influence on the design of commercial architecture as well. Bill Little has no trouble renting space in Pearson Lanes but dozens of other shops in downtown Whitby, many in "modernized" heritage buildings, remain empty. Many successful mall developments in Toronto like the Village by the Grange and Hazelton Lanes have painstakingly recreated the atmosphere of the narrow cobblestone street in order to entice more shoppers. These are not small-time entrepreneurs - these are mega-million developers. The smart money is on heritage. So why doesn't Whitby, which has such a rich inventory of Victorian buildings, capitalize on its prime asset? Why do we allow those buildings to be demolished; why do we allow owners to neglect them and let them get run down? Whitby has too many small owners who seem to have closed their eyes about twenty-five years ago and haven't seen what's going on around them. And we have a municipal council which pays lip-service to heritage but will do nothing to protect it. We've got what so many communities wish they had - a real downtown with real character. Why is the debate over the character of the downtown still going on? Sure we've lost a couple of key buildings but the streetscapes are still dominated by the older buildings and the smart money is filling in the gaps with replicas. Wake up Whitby! The age of glass and chrome is gone. For those who thought that heritage is dead - you're wrong. Heritage is alive and well and living on Bay Street. LACAC's rote i in preservation By JUil Stock (Based on Kevin Sugden's 1987 article) As Whitby continues to experience unprecedented growth and development, the role of its' heritage and roots becomes increasingly important. Many of Whitby's older buildings play an important part in our heritage. They have housed such important figures in the history of Whitby as mayors, councillors, local tradesmen, producers and other dignitaries. These people had often contributed to the early structure and development of Whitby itself. However, many of these memorable landmarks such as the old Whitby jail, the post office, the Oddfellows Hall, and the old town hall, have been lost in the name of expansion and development. During the 1950s and 1960s, business enterprise was foremost in the local consciousness, and many exceptional buildings were demolished in the effort of progress. In some ways this attitude of the time can be excused because those decades following World War II wilfully turned their back upon their heritage. This honest quest for the creation of a different world involved the loss of many of Whitby's initial structures. Then Whitby council passed a motion in 1978 to create a municipal committee with the mandate of advising council on matters concerning architectural heritage conservation. Four years before, the Ontario provincial government had passed the Ontario Heritage Act, which contained a section that sets out legislative procedures for the creation of Local Architectural Conservation Advisory Commit- tees, known as LACACs. Whitby LACAC is composed of private citizens who volunteer their time and experience. The committee enjoys the advantage of having a secretary, Kathleen Power, a member of the municipal planning department. A budget is received from the Town for its operation expenses. Over the first few years, the committee has also benefitted from the work of several summer students for whom additional municipal funds, as well as a provincial grant from the Ministry of Citizenship and the Ministry of Culture and Communications, have been allotted. The Whitby LACAC began with the hope of stemming the tide of demolition in the town. The Heritage Act equips a municipality with the means of applying heritage designation status to any buildings selected by the LACAC as worthy of protection. The most important effect of such designation is the restraint it can impose on the property owner, discouraging alterations that harm notable features of their building and preventing demolition of the structure for 180 days after permit application. This moratorium is applied so Forever Friends Gifts & Canadiana Reproduction Furniture We carry: • Wreaths • Pierced Lamp Shades .....P.... • Children's & Adult's Gift Books & B ed . . Belly Button Babies ...and many other unusual gift items. & Anderson Sts., Whitby666.466 that interested parties have an opportunity to suggest an alternative solution to demolition. Options include convincing the owner to retain and hopefully upgrade the building, sale of the property to a third party, or removal of the house from the land. A final result would be expropriation of the property from the owner. 30 properties designated At this point, Whitby LACAC has designated 30 such heritage properties under the Ontario Heritage Act. Among these are: the Terrace on Byron St., The Station Gallery, Ringwood (Lasco Steel headquarters on Hopkins St.), the Chronicle Office at 173 Brockl St. N. the Centennial Building, and the old Whitby Library. Also included are many private dwellings in Whitby, Brooklin, Ashburn and Myrtle, such as the Hood-Hare House at Centre and Dunlop streets, the David Briggs House on Myrtle Rd. E. and the house at 300 Byron St. N., Adams-Beckman. Currently the committee is working towards designating the Donald A. Wilson house at 519 Dundas St. E. (Whitby Medical Arts. Building), the James Boreham house at 400 King St., and the Fothergill house at 1011 Dundas St. W., beside Whitby Tvith the unprecedented growth that the Whitby 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, as sense of itself and an historical presence. Assuredly, the quality of our future depends upon the strength of our past. Whitby has a strong heritage rooted to the arrival of Whitby's founder, Peter Perry in 1836, and the beginning of development. The Ontario County Court House on Centre St. once attracted many settlers in the professions of law and politics. Development began slowly and still continues today. However, to retain our pride in Whitby's heritage we must learn to preserve the old while we create the new. mNý