One of the oldest houses in Oshawa gets a "sleek modern" renovation :(

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JacquieJet
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One of the oldest houses in Oshawa gets a "sleek modern" renovation :(

Post by JacquieJet »

https://www.durhamregion.com/news-story ... te-office/

I know it's the trend right now, so I shouldn't be too surprised... but still, what a disappointment! Boo!
1917-ish
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Sow's Ear Mal
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Re: One of the oldest houses in Oshawa gets a "sleek modern" renovation :(

Post by Sow's Ear Mal »

Couldn't see what they had done to the interior. But I have to say though, that adaptive re-use is keeping a few old places out of the path of the wrecking ball.

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Re: One of the oldest houses in Oshawa gets a "sleek modern" renovation :(

Post by Manalto »

Mr. McDougall appears pleased with himself.

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Willa
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Re: One of the oldest houses in Oshawa gets a "sleek modern" renovation :(

Post by Willa »

Uh - Torontoitis spreads to Oshawa. Good exterior, inappropriate interior. "Urban"graffiti with his name on the interior wall ? Sigh.

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JacquieJet
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Re: One of the oldest houses in Oshawa gets a "sleek modern" renovation :(

Post by JacquieJet »

Sow's Ear Mal wrote:Couldn't see what they had done to the interior. But I have to say though, that adaptive re-use is keeping a few old places out of the path of the wrecking ball.


There is only one interior shot, and as Willa said, it has his name spelled out in "cool" graffiti on the wall... :crazy:
You are right, at least it wasn't torn down... but still, to have only a shell remain makes it (IMO) not much better than the typical new build home.
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Re: One of the oldest houses in Oshawa gets a "sleek modern" renovation :(

Post by Olson185 »

Summary [Note: I do take some measure of interpretive liberty under the assumption savvy politicians in Canada say and record things in such a way the subtext is there for those who know how to read it; in order to understand what is 'really' going on.]:

1) March 2011, in Cultural Heritage Assessment, this property was listed first among seven as being the most significant due to it being "a rare example of a cobble/stone gothic revival cottage and one of the few remaining examples of mid-19th century architecture in northeast Oshawa. The wooden porch, although not original to the house is a good example of late 19th century decoration employing both Victorian and Neo-Classical inspired detail. It is rated as a Significant BHR."
March 2011 Heritage Report

1a) See PDF page 3 (doc page 2) of the following for original facade appearance: Structure w/ gothic window & porch addition

2) November 2014, property purchased by current owner.

3) October 2015, request for zoning variance with the stipulation the exterior remain as is
October 2015 ReZoning Request

4) September 2016, complaints made, by Heritage Oshawa to the Development Services Committee, regarding changes made to the exterior, without prior approval, and a request owner restore the exterior were rejected. Note, one of the Councillor's has a pecuniary interest in the property.
September 2016 Complaints
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Re: One of the oldest houses in Oshawa gets a "sleek modern" renovation :(

Post by 1918ColonialRevival »

As soon as I saw the vinyl windows in an 1830s stone structure I wanted to puke.

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Willa
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Re: One of the oldest houses in Oshawa gets a "sleek modern" renovation :(

Post by Willa »

Olson185 - good sleuthing there.

With this kind of pseudo restoration the worst thing is when the owner's ego becomes part of the renovations. This pic is in the link, from the news story but it IS really, really cringeworthy. It incenses me when the interior of a heritage structure is not considered an asset worth restoring/preserving. The guy looks 35 year old plus, with taste going on 14.

Actual quote from owner/realtor responsible for this: "I'm a huge fan of design and old versus new and I love the combination and what you can do with the old stone walls with newer modern decor, I think it's such a classy look," he explains.

"...A classy look...":

tumblr_os7rwdZcfc1t1vpxko1_1280.jpg
tumblr_os7rwdZcfc1t1vpxko1_1280.jpg (103.62 KiB) Viewed 689 times

1918ColonialRevival
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Re: One of the oldest houses in Oshawa gets a "sleek modern" renovation :(

Post by 1918ColonialRevival »

Since graffiti is now "classy", we've got a few war zones....err....I mean neighborhoods in Baltimore that have just increased in value tenfold! :lol:

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Willa
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Re: One of the oldest houses in Oshawa gets a "sleek modern" renovation :(

Post by Willa »

1918ColonialRevival wrote:Since graffiti is now "classy", we've got a few war zones....err....I mean neighborhoods in Baltimore that have just increased in value tenfold! :lol:


Well, put a "vintage inspired"sofa in front of one of those walls, and hire a couple of unemployed men to sit on the sofas in various poses*, and you'll see the property values escalate immediately.

* You'll need to provide some snazzy socks for the hired dudes to wear while they pose in their uncoordinated shoes, otherwise people won't get that this is the new classy.

Classy, like those 1970's glitter iron-on t-shirts that said "A Touch of Class" with a rose. Or airbrushed t-shirts with kittens and fringe with plastic beads, classy. Maybe you could buy some for the sofa dudes to wear, so no one will miss the point.

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