Report to: Development Services Committee Report Date:
SUBJECT: Robb House Reconstruction
Applicant:
Forest Bay Homes
File
No. SC 06 134969
PREPARED BY: George Duncan, Senior Heritage Planner, ext. 2296
RECOMMENDATION:
THAT Council accept
the opinion of Rochon Engineering Incorporated and acknowledge that, given the current
state of the Robb House, the option of creating a replica using some of the
original material is supported subject to the applicant providing details of
how much of the original material will be salvaged, and how this can be
accomplished safely;
THAT as part of the
replication of the building, the applicant is to provide a Markham Remembered
baked enamel interpretive plaque at their cost explaining the history of the
Robb House and that the existing structure is a replica;
THAT the applicant enter
into a Site Plan Agreement to reflect the revised plan to replicate the
building, with detailed drawings and specifications to enable an accurate
replication of the form and features (brick details around windows, quoining,
eave returns, etc.), and provide an appropriate Letter of Credit;
THAT Council approve
a demolition permit to allow the disassembly of the Robb House following the
execution of the revised Site Plan Agreement;
AND THAT Staff be authorized and directed to do all things necessary to give effect to this resolution.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
The William Robb
House is located on the east side of
There is an active Site Plan Control Application (SC 06 134969) for the
Robb House restoration, which involved the relocation of the house forward on
the lot and the construction of a garage at the rear. It should be noted that this house was
relocated and placed on a new foundation in the 1950s, so this has been the
second move for the building.
Over
the summer of 2007, the house was moved forward on the lot, closer to
The applicant
commissioned an engineer’s report to assess the damage and feasibility of
restoration. The applicant also
contacted a restoration company to propose a solution. They propose to demolish the Robb House,
salvage the exterior facing stone, and construct a replica building. The structural damage to the house has made
it an unsafe work site, therefore the walls cannot be repaired with the
building in its present condition. This
situation has been confirmed by Town staff with the input of an independent
consultant.
Heritage Markham and
Heritage Section staff have accepted, with regret, that the Robb House cannot
be safely restored in its current state and support the construction of an
accurate replica which incorporates stone and other components salvaged from
the original building.
1. Purpose 2.
Background 3. Discussion 4. Financial
5. Others
(Environmental, Accessibility,
Engage 21st, Affected Units) 6.
Attachment(s)
PURPOSE:
To authorize the reconstruction of a severely damaged, designated heritage building.
BACKGROUND:
The William Robb
House is a significant heritage building in the Armadale Community
The William Robb
House, a fieldstone farmhouse built in 1853, is designated under Part IV of the
Ontario Heritage Act (By-law No. 89-91, amended by By-law
2003-220). The building is also
protected by a Heritage Easement Agreement registered on
The owner has applied for Site Plan Approval
There is an active
Site Plan Control Application (SC 06 134969) for the Robb House restoration,
which involved the relocation of the house forward on the lot and the
construction of a garage at the rear. It
should be noted that this house was relocated and placed on a new foundation in
the 1950s, so this has been the second move for the building. The application was endorsed for approved in May
of 2007, however the Site Plan Agreement has not been executed by the applicant.
The building was permitted to be moved prior to full site
plan approval
At the request of
the applicant, Town staff permitted the house to be moved onto a new foundation
prior to final site plan approval, on the basis that all issues had been satisfactorily
resolved. The early move facilitated the
applicant’s schedule, optimum weather conditions, and the schedule of the
building mover.
Damage occurred when the house was lowered onto the new
foundation
Over the summer of
2007, the old foundation of the Robb House was removed and the structure
supported. The house was moved forward
on the lot, toward
The applicant has worked with staff to assess and resolve
the situation
Town staff has been
in contact with the applicant and met on several occasions since being advised
of the situation on
The applicant has proposed to reconstruct the Robb House
The applicant has
engaged the services of a building restoration company (Marshall Sedgwick) to
assess the feasibility of restoring the Robb House. The applicant’s preferred option for
restoration of the Robb House is attached (Appendix “A”). The approach is to demolish the building, and
build a replica to modern standards, faced in the original stone.
Staff has obtained independent assessments to assess the condition of
the building and its potential for restoration
In order to obtain an independent expert opinion on options for the Robb
House, Town staff engaged J.D. Strachan of
A further
independent assessment was commissioned to determine if the building site could
be made safe to allow restoration to take place. The Planning and Urban Design
Department secured the services of Rochon Engineering Incorporated to assess
the feasibility of restoring the Robb House.
Staff has received a report from Rochon Engineering stating that, in
their opinion, the building is unstable due to the damage that has occurred and
cannot be made a safe work site. (Appendix
“C”). The main issue is that the perimeter layer of stone is not supported by
the foundation and could fall at any time.
This opinion is consistent with the expert opinions of the applicant’s
consultants.
OPTIONS/ DISCUSSION:
The Robb House cannot
be safely repaired in its current state
In view of the
findings of Rochon Engineering, it appears that the Robb House cannot be safely
repaired and restored in its current state.
This leaves two alternatives:
Option 1:
Salvage as much
original material as possible, and create a replica that would allow the Robb
House to remain a community landmark, acknowledging that it would no longer be
an authentic heritage building. This is
the option the applicant is advocating. The replica would have to be as accurate
as possible to the original house, using photographs and detailed drawings of
the stone pattern and architectural details.
Option 2:
Accept that the Robb
House has been damaged beyond repair, approve demolition, and commemorate its
history through a landscape feature constructed of some of the stone, with a
Markham Remembered interpretive plaque.
Replication of heritage buildings is generally not
supported but has been done in
While not an ideal
means of heritage conservation, there is precedent in
If this option is
approved, the applicant will have to provide details of how much original
material will be salvaged for re-use in the replica, and how this material
would be salvaged given the state of the structure.
A commemorative plaque alone would not have the same
impact
The idea of
commemorating the building with an interpretive plaque would accept the loss of
the authentic building and be a more “honest” heritage conservation
approach. However, given that the
applicant is willing to create a replica building with some original material,
a plaque explaining the replica could be included to deal with this issue.
Heritage
Heritage
The applicant has
agreed to restore the Robb House exterior to its original appearance prior to
the renovations of the 1950s, which included an increased roof pitch and dormer
windows on the front. The applicant
stated that all windows will be wood, and details will be reproduced as
accurately as possible. If possible, two
interior fireplace mantels will be salvaged and reinstalled in the replica
building.
FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS AND TEMPLATE: (external link)
Not applicable.
ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS:
Not applicable.
ACCESSIBILITY CONSIDERATIONS:
Not applicable.
ENGAGE 21ST CONSIDERATIONS:
The preservation of heritage buildings and the development of solutions to address preservation issues helps achieve a quality community by strengthening local identity.
BUSINESS UNITS CONSULTED AND AFFECTED:
Not applicable.
RECOMMENDED BY:
____________________________ ________________________________
Valerie Shuttleworth, MCIP, RPP Jim Baird, MCIP, RPP
Director of Planning & Urban
Design Commissioner of Development Services
ATTACHMENTS:
Figure 1: Applicant and Location Map
Figure 2: William Robb House prior to relocation
Figure 3: Extent of damage following relocation
Appendix ‘A’ - Proposed Robb House Re-Construction (Applicant)
Appendix ‘B’ - Letter from J.D. Strachan Construction Limited
Appendix ‘C’ - Letter from Rochon Engineering Incorporated
Appendix ‘D’ - Heritage
Figure 1
FILE PATH:
Q:\Development\Heritage\PROPERTY\MONIQUE\DSCApril2208.doc
Applicant:
Clay Leibel, Forest Bay Homes
Telephone (416) 988-77778
Fax No. (905) 479-2934
Location Map: