Help Save a Historic Home

A place to hang out, chat and post general discussion topics. (Non-technical posts here)
User avatar
Willa
Revered expert in almost everything
Posts: 1369
Joined: Tue Dec 06, 2016 9:46 pm

Help Save a Historic Home

Post by Willa »

A resident in London, ON, is facing having her lovely heritage home, which she has lived in for more than three decades, expropriated by the city to widen a street. Here is a short video with her inside her house, explaining what it means to her, with a link to the Change.org petition. I cannot imagine how terrible this woman must feel:

https://vimeo.com/211092872

https://www.change.org/p/save-100-stanley-street

p.s. Pass this on

User avatar
Gothichome
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 4183
Joined: Sun Aug 16, 2015 8:34 pm
Location: Chatham Ont

Re: Help Save a Historic Home

Post by Gothichome »

Signed, I certainly hope they can save this home. The fact that it is a designated property and yet they can still come expropriate and tear it down shows the weakness of the current designation system. I find it a bit sad. I certainly hope they can get the ACO people involved.

User avatar
Manalto
Inventor of Knob and Tube
Posts: 2108
Joined: Tue May 16, 2017 11:09 pm

Re: Help Save a Historic Home

Post by Manalto »

It's always unfortunate when a historic house is torn down. (In my town in CT, the Little Tavern on Silver Lane, with a rich Revolutionary War history, was razed for a tire shop.) It's even more egregious when someone is living there who is being displaced. I'm sorry to learn that the laws in Canada don't seem to favor the homeowner any more than they do in the U.S.

User avatar
Manalto
Inventor of Knob and Tube
Posts: 2108
Joined: Tue May 16, 2017 11:09 pm

Re: Help Save a Historic Home

Post by Manalto »

I was wrong about two things regarding the Little Tavern in East Hartford. One, it was later than the Revolutionary War and two, it wasn't razed. Here is an excerpt from the East Hartford Historical Society newsletter:

"The junction of Silver Lane and Main Street was situated on the north to south route of Springfield to New London or New Haven. It was also the site of the key east to west route to Manchester, Bolton and Andover. Further on eastward, this route connected to the Tolland Turnpike and onward to Boston. One of the primary stops for travelers in East Hartford would have been at the juncture of these well-traveled routes. While there have been several taverns located at or near this intersection, only the William Smith Tavern remains on site at 158 Silver Lane. The others have all disappeared, the casualties of ‘progress’.

However, the Town of East Hartford was able to salvage one of these buildings - the David Little Tavern. We know that David Little owned and operated a tavern on Silver Lane due to the items listed in his Last Will and Testament. Who else would keep a ‘large table in the bar room’, cases of gin and cider, and 28 assorted chairs? His inventory of the furniture and table service runs on for pages in the will. State records dated in 1786 show him as being assessed a tax for running a tavern (Since tax records for Hartford County were non-existent before 1783, we assume 1782 might be the earliest David Little established his businesses). And a sign, uncovered after the property was acquired by the State DOT for a re-alignment of the intersection in the 1980’s reads, “David Little’s Tavern”.

Interestingly, and to add to the confusion, historical town records uncovered an anomaly: the house that was to be so carefully dismantled and stored for posterity was only half-built at the time of his death in 1792! David Little had actually lived next door, due east of this property and ran a smaller tavern (and a store) out of his house at the corner of Silver Lane and Main. He had sold a section of adjacent land to his wife’s brother, Moses Hills, and the two of them were co-owners of the building that was already under construction. When David died at the age of 46, his immediate heirs as beneficiaries and minors, sold the building to their Uncle Moses who finished the house. From the description of interior of the larger facility, the center of the first floor-plan did not contain a center staircase and was maintained as a large bar room similar to the Great Room in the Bullard Tavern at Sturbridge Village. It is thought that Moses Hills ran the new larger tavern and the name of Little’s Tavern was retained in honor of David.

Further confusion exists because David Little’s smaller tavern was used as a tavern into the 1800’s by Epaphras Bidwell. It exchanged hands again, going to Benjamin Sisson, who acquired the entire corner from Bidwell’s unmarried daughter. These buildings were named for the persons who owned them. The tavern became a private home afterwards. This house was dismantled during the summer of 1989 to permit work on the nearby highway. While the site was not planned to be part of the highway itself, the house lot was needed for storage of trucks associated with that construction. Dismantled, photographed and carefully numbered the entire house sits in a bay on Ecology Drive. Several ideas have been floated as to the use that the building could be put to.....such as an information center or a restaurant. The building is now listed as part of the State Register of Historic Places. Perhaps this treasure will see the light of day yet!"


An uncertain future, but still better than demolition.

Please keep us posted regarding developments on Nan Finlay's house in London. It may have a happy ending.

User avatar
Willa
Revered expert in almost everything
Posts: 1369
Joined: Tue Dec 06, 2016 9:46 pm

Re: Help Save a Historic Home

Post by Willa »

Here is the latest on her situation - no resolution or absolutes, yet:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/london/lo ... -1.4404519

And a site with more info:

http://save100stanleystreet.com/

It's very embarrassing that many heritage designations(ie city policy) are essentially toothless. Like her home is designated, it is obviously very intact inside and out, she is in an older area full of other old houses. I am not familiar with the area where her house is - but it seems the city has had 120 years to live with the current plans. There must be other potential solutions/locations to the expropriation for road widening ? It sounds like the city has suggested that her house could be moved across the street - but then her garden would be destroyed, and something like 13 other homes would be torn down.

I also have not heard if the city has offered a cash settlement AND the professional relocation of her house to an appropriate lot in a similar location.

I really don't know what a good solution would be, short of not expropriating people's homes ?

This must feel like the worst nightmare.

User avatar
Manalto
Inventor of Knob and Tube
Posts: 2108
Joined: Tue May 16, 2017 11:09 pm

Re: Help Save a Historic Home

Post by Manalto »

It's heart-breaking. I think we can all relate. Even with my minimal investment of time, energy and money, I've become attached already to my old house in Alabama. I can't even imagine what a violation this must feel like to Ms. Finlayson.

We're living in a "screw-you" (the individual) society. Whatever is more convenient for businesses and government is what wins. The sad thing is that studies show street-widening only increases traffic; it almost never solves the problem it professes to address. So, aside from the horrible upset Ms. Finlayson is now suffering in her golden years, the whole action is probably pointless.

User avatar
JacquieJet
Shakes a cane at new house owners
Posts: 621
Joined: Sun Feb 14, 2016 4:37 pm
Location: Ontario, Canada

Re: Help Save a Historic Home

Post by JacquieJet »

Thanks for posting about this, Willa. I just signed the petition. I really hope she is able to keep her home and her gardens. She must be so stressed about it all! How horrible.
1917-ish
Happy 100th birthday, house!!

User avatar
Willa
Revered expert in almost everything
Posts: 1369
Joined: Tue Dec 06, 2016 9:46 pm

Re: Help Save a Historic Home

Post by Willa »

Update:The city is willing to move her house across the street, but will destroy her garden. No good solutions here.

http://www.lfpress.com/2018/01/31/nan-finlayson-the-city-offers-to-move-a-heritage-home-to-clear-the-way-to-repair-a-rail-bridge-and-widen-a-road

User avatar
Gothichome
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 4183
Joined: Sun Aug 16, 2015 8:34 pm
Location: Chatham Ont

Re: Help Save a Historic Home

Post by Gothichome »

Willa, I think the offer to move her home is the best she’s going to get. Maybe she can negotiate the relocation of a mature tree or two. As for her gardens, she can get all her neighbours to take some of the plants, when the home gets relocated she can replant. Moving the home does have upsides, the home is saved for the future and it will get all new in ground utility services.

User avatar
Vala
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 1039
Joined: Mon Aug 17, 2015 4:29 pm
Location: Southern IL, USA
Contact:

Re: Help Save a Historic Home

Post by Vala »

I would take the offer to move. A garden can be replaced, a historic home cannot.

Post Reply