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20 - The Oakville Beaver Weekend, Saturday October 27, 2007 www.oakvillebeaver.com JOSHUA CREEK Joshua Creek gets a piece of history By David Lea Tell a friend A piece of Oakville's history has not only been saved but has been sold for more than $800,000. The newly-reconstructed Tovell home was opened to the public this past March, to give those interested a chance to see how history can be made functional for the present. Originally built in 1868 by Dr. Anson Buck and later purchased by William Tovell Sr., the Tovell home was located on Lot 27, Concession 1, south of Dundas Street where it served as a stage coach stop between Toronto and Hamilton. Two years ago, Dawn Victoria Homes purchased the land the Tovell home sits on as part of a housing development project. With the Tovell home not fitting in with the type of houses owner Donald Husack had planned for the area, he was presented with a choice - tear it down or relocate it. He chose to relocate it, but with this decision came problems. "The structure was in very poor condition. So, it wasn't worth moving it as a whole. It was better to disassemble the house and then rebuild it with some new materials," said Husack. Utilizing the talents of Heritage Architect Ian McGillivray, as well as the historic architecture business Timeless Materials Co., the Tovell home was taken apart, transported and reassembled in the Joshua Creek area of Oakville. "What you're seeing in the house is all original to this house. The flooring, all the beams that are in the corners are all original to the house," said Husack. "We took the stones out of the original foundation, had them split and then installed in this house here. There's actually a corner stone that, at some point, someone had put 1883 on it. It's at the front corner of this house." Although much of home's historic material has remained intact certain areas have been improved upon for the 21st century. "The windows are not the originals. They're replications and very good ones, too. You wouldn't want the original windows in the house. They were just too drafty," said Husack. Proper insulation in the walls and the addition of a garage and laundry facilities are some of the other modern touches Husack has added. By all accounts the replica was a hit with all who came to see it, particularly Myrtle Tovell, 87, the previous owner of the original Tovell home. "I'm really pleased. I think they did a terrific job," she said. "Another special thing they did was move the tree on the corner there from a row of trees my husband planted along the border of the old property." Now living in Delmanor Glenn Abbey Seniors Community, Tovell came with her daughters Dorothy Kingston and Shirley Dolby, to see how much is left of the home she occupied for 60 years. "I can't believe all this, I really can't," said Tovell, noting how the hardwood floor she walked on in the replica is the same floor she had walked on for over half a century in her home. "It brings tears to my eyes." Tovell's daughters had a similar feeling of déjà vu as they walked the halls of the two-storey home. "This is just the way it looked," said Dolby. Dolby says understanding that demolition would not be the Tovell home's fate helped her mother with her decision to sell. "I think it made it easier for mom to leave knowing that this was going to happen," she said, gesturing to the structure around her. The home also went over well with the Oakville Historical Society's Harry Barrett who all too often is forced to fight developers to save Oakville's heritage. On this occasion he found himself singing the praises of one. "I'm very impressed because he's done a terrific amount of work on this house," he said. Husack alerted the Oakville Historical Society to the fact that he wanted to preserve the Tovell home and worked closely with them throughout the moving process. "It just proves the fact that you can do it," said Barrett. "He said, 'I can move it and I can make money,' and it's not too often a developer will tell you that." In perhaps the greatest review of all the replica of the Tovell home sold for over $800,000 to an Oakville couple who, Husack says, will truly appreciate it. "They're into vintage houses." For Husack keeping a piece of history alive while at the same time updating it for the modern world just makes sense. "The thing with a historical building is that it has to have a purpose when you're done," he said. "There's no point in restoring something that has no purpose because it's just going to fall into wreck and ruin. This one has a purpose now, it's going to a family that is going to live here." Direct Diamond Importers Diamond Studs... Diamond Dreams OUT OF INK ? 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