Heritage house's history includes
fact and fiction
By Avi Saper Nov. 13, 2008 |
Rae
Bridgman remembers the first time she saw Kelly House, the 126-year-old
structure on Adelaide Street that is the last remaining heritage home
in the Exchange District.
"We must have been going by
here about 10 years ago when we
saw this house. It was completely
out of place," said the children's
author and illustrator who incorporated
the house in her MiddleGate books,
a series of fantasy adventures.
"There's no rhyme or reason
to its existence other than it's
obviously a leftover from a previous
time period."
Now, instead of writing about Kelly
House as the secret portal to the
magical city of MiddleGate, Bridgman
is trying to ensure that the building
won't be turned into a parking lot.
David Rich, the building's owner,
has requested that the city remove
Kelly House's status as a Grade
III heritage building. If the request
is granted, it will allow for the
house to be demolished.
Bridgman believes the house has been neglected for years, to the point that it is now an eyesore.
"Part of my thinking at the
time when I saw the house is this
house needs protecting,"she
said. "It's derelict, it's
not being taken care of."
The city's historic buildings committee,
chaired by Coun. Jenny Gerbasi,
ruled last month that the building
shouldn't have its status removed.
However, the historic building
committee won't have the final say.
Next, the matter will be discussed
by the city's planning and property
development committee on Nov. 25.
From there it could go to city council
depending on the outcome. "The
experts on the committee believe
that the heritage value of the building
remains,"Gerbasi said, noting
that the committee looks at a wide
range of criteria when evaluating
a request.
The building's uniqueness was a
major factor in keeping it protected,
Gerbasi said.
According to the councillor, this
isn't the first example of "demolition
by neglect," a disturbing trend
of property owners failing to maintain
older buildings until the best option
is to tear them down.
Owners have certain responsibilities,
but the current bylaws don't have
enough teeth," Gerbasi said.
Gerbasi said she was unaware of
the building's literary history
when the committee was discussing
Kelly House, but said it was something
that should be taken into consideration.
"I would hope that council
in making its decisions would value
that," Gerbasi said.
"Look at Prince Edward Island;
half its economy is based on Anne
of Green Gables."
Bridgman said she's received many
emails from people who are concerned
about the future of Kelly House,
and is expecting strong opposition
to the delisting request at the
Nov. 25 meeting.
Parking lots don't feed the imagination
of our kids," she said.
Both Bridgman and Gerbasi can see the building being restored for use as a restaurant or offices.
"I think there would be a
lot of potential interest in this
type of building. If you don't want
to fix it up or take care of it,
put it on the market," said
Gerbasi, adding that an engineer
evaluated the building and declared
it could be repaired.
"Grant money could be obtained
through CentreVenture and the provincial
government for someone who wanted
to restore the building," Gerbasi
added.
