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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1977-09-29, Page 25STREET �1 the Pritit he. la Ig. isth$ the aatot ve hat`i� 4 Jeotp Mair 'mer. atutl Saba thew .citing FIRST PRIORITY DESIGNATIONS SECOND PRIORITY DESIGN.ATIONS.. Indian GODERICH HAR3OUR srri RIVER Is lona YHorbour Park a z Pi;!0>j \t",-1-• yG' LGIN inl 11 d 0,1? -1! •QUE• 1 AVE WEST r_ 1 V1J O ry Horton emigrated from England Goderich in 1833 with his father, Ty Horton, Sr., a blacksmith. After pecting for gold in California and tralia, Henry Horton, Jr., became a er and erected a fine cottage on his erty on East Street, acquired in . The house was probably con- cted in the early 1860's; Horton was inly in residence by 1866. The ge remained hi the Horton family 11913; later owners include Annie Cassidy, the three Vaughan sisters, and the present owner, Alice Smkth. It is an excellent example of the Picturesque Cottage, characterized by such details as the peaked projecting frontispiece, the scrolled "gingerbread", the gothic window in the peak, and the half gothic windows in the gable ends. This is an exceptionally well preserved example of grout construction; this material was not uncommon in Goderich at one time, but extant examples are scarce. ST. PAT() WEST • LGHTHOUSE STREET �l L •P Goo rtAFALGER L BRUCE {_NEL. , ) .• couR— HOUSE 50UAP 4' Noe co ose TEfHAC1 NAPIER N7 MONTCALMJ [S'RrfT WOLFE ESEA J (STREETi J :€j r BROCK STREET' _STREET STREET STREET a J MAITLAND i� •-J h �r Gtoderich NE WGATE FAST REET rn ['.O•sr DAVID _____0 i r ff L r ___ v�( PARK ELGIN AVE EAST 7.7 qA. 130 YEAR -39 SALT FORD SIGNAL --STAR THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 1977 SECOND SECTION • Heritagehomes eslna e A cross sectio i' of the history of Goderich is in the process of being preserved as a resetlt of a lengthy study by the Goderich Architectural Con- servancy Society. The eight member committee handed council a report recently on its two year research project and asked that council consider the contents of the report for a bylaw protecting some houses in town for historical purposes. The report distinctly names 12 houses in Goderich to he considered for protection under the Ontario Heritage Act 1974 and names an additional 38 for consideration in the near future. The houses are pictured in the report and the reasons, both architecturally and historically, are given as to why the home should be considered for protec- tion. A brief history of the owners of the homes is given and their connection to Goderich. The committee considered the 12 homes given priority in the report to be "the most prominent „heritage buildings" in Goderich. The committee felt that the report would serve to outline the heritage building resource that the town of Goderich is "indeed so fortunate to have". It added that the report will Edmund and James Ritchie sold the lot at the top of harbour hill to D.B.O. Ford in 1839 and he, presumably, built his Greek Revival home soon afterwards. In the Days of the Canada Company recalls a costume party held in this house in the early 1840's. The property was sold to Henry Hands, a baker, in 1852 and the Hands family continued to reside in the house until 1883, although the house was actually owned for a time by Thomas Andrews. The house is said to have been used as a guardhouse during the Fenian raids of 1866. Later owners include Elizabeth Welsh, Michael and John Dalton, and Daniel Wiggins, world roller skating champion. The present owner is Reverend William Craven. This building is one of the very few examples in Goderich of Greek Revival design, as shown by its plan, with gable end toward the street, pediment with "Palladian" window and dentellae trim, flush hoarded front, and bold door surround with fluted Doric columns and heavy entablature. underline the need for heritage con- servation in Goderich and its continued support by the community. The designation of the heritage homes basically provides the architectural - conservancy supporters with three months grace if an owner of one of the homes decides to alter the structure or demolish it. By designating the homes under a bylaw, an owner must report to council any plans to change the outside structure of one of the buildings or demolish all or any part of it and the town, through the architectural con- servation society, can use the Ontario Heritage Act to delay the owner 90 days. By providing the 90 day breathing space the society may be able to con- vince the owner not to gr through with the plans or can find an alternative use for the building in order to keep it intact, In some cases the province provides low interest loans for anyone interested in buying and restoring or maintaining a heritage home and the committee hopefully would he able to find some method of preserving it. The designation of it hume as a heritage building usually increases the value of the property. Realizing that the home is an historic site of sorts or that it represents an architectural design of a bygone era the owner has some' in- centive to keep the house in top con- dition. That coupled with the prominence given the home usually serves to give it Netter than average market value. The owners of the •homes are all ad- vised what the designation of their property means. Most owners are more than eager to have their homes designated and the society provides them with a history of the home as well as a plaque designating it a heritage home. - The study of the homes was a long and tedious job for the committee mem hers. Titles were searched and the lifestyle of many of the owners was studied to add flavor to the heritage. The committee broke the town into two sections, the core area hounded by Victoria, Nelson and Waterloo Streets and Elgin Avenue, and the residential area with which comprised the remainderof town. The examination of the heritage of the huildings on The Square will he done later according to the committee. The commercial area has a "diverse and complex -nature which requires a separate examination according to the report. Isaac Rattenhury acquired lots 56 and 57 in 1833 and soon erected the first British Exchange hotel. The hotel deteriorated over the years; it was a lodginghouse when Donald Strachan, a prominent local businessman, Nought the property in 1877. He decided to construct a mansion for himself; the present structure dates from around 1880. Later residents of the house include Robert C. Hays, a locally renowned lawyer, James Johnston, and Raymond Hughes, the present owner. Significant architectural features Include the mansard -roofed corner tower, the heavily modelled window headings, the patterned shingles, and the delightful iron cresting which crowns the roof. Most important, however, is the building's consistency of detail, for it is "a remarkably unaltered example of late nineteenth-century eclectism, invention, and osten- tation—the quintessential Victorian house." —from Ontario Towns, Oberon Press