The Archibald Fenwick House is a listed heritage property
The Archibald
Fenwick House is listed on the Markham Register of Properties of Cultural Heritage Value or Interest. It is an abandoned building in rural Markham, outside the current urban boundary. The house was constructed as the residence of
Archibald Fenwick, a successful farmer and wealthy landowner in the crossroads
community of Cashel. His portrait
appears in the book Markham 1794-1900. The house, constructed 1845-1850, is an
excellent example of an Ontario Regency Cottage. The interior, though damaged by the elements
and vandals, still retains most of its original woodwork. A summary of the heritage significance of
this property is attached as Appendix ‘A’.
The house is vacant and in a
state of severe deterioration
This house has been
vacant for 10 years or more, and although the owner has generally kept the
building secured through boarding, it is now in a state of severe deterioration
due to the action of weather, vandalism and age. However, staff believes the house is still
salvageable and restorable if timely action is taken. The essential, significant heritage features
of the Archibald Fenwick House remain intact, though threatened, at this time.
Development in this area will not likely occur for some time
The subject land is
zoned rural residential, and is an agricultural area outside of the Town of Markham’s current urban boundary. It is unlikely that development will occur
for some time, and the house, already in a state of advanced deterioration, almost
certainly will not be in a condition to be restored and incorporated into future
development plans.
Fieldgate Developments, the property owner, does not intend to repair
and re-tenant the house, which they acquired as an abandoned building
Staff has been in
communication with Fieldgate Developments, who have indicated that their
development plans are at least 10 years in the future, and they do not intend
to repair or re-tenant the vacant house, which they acquired as an abandoned
building in recent years.
The Markham Heritage Estates Study identified this house as a priority
candidate for relocation to Markham Heritage
Estates
The Markham Heritage Estates Study, 2004, identified this house as a priority candidate
for eligibility for relocation to Markham Heritage Estates.
In the study, the Archibald Fenwick House received a rating of 83.5 out
of 100, and is high on the list (8 of 16) of the most significant and most
threatened buildings in Markham. The Ontario Regency Cottage is a
significant but uncommon house type in Markham and is presently represented by only one example
in Markham Heritage Estates.
Justification for
eligibility for the Archibald Fenwick Houses’ relocation to Markham Heritage Estates is the building’s exceptional cultural
heritage significance, the severe state of deterioration, and the fact that development
is not imminent (see excerpt from the Heritage Estates Study, Appendix ‘B’).
Heritage Markham
recommended that the Archibald Fenwick House be declared eligible for
relocation to Markham Heritage
Estates
At its meeting of May 14,
2008, Heritage Markham recommended that the Archibald
Fenwick House be declared eligible for relocation to Markham Heritage Estates in order to ensure its significant
heritage attributes, both exterior and interior, may be preserved before
additional deterioration occurs (see Extract Appendix ‘C’).
Building Eligibility
Criteria
The
building eligibility criteria for Markham Heritage Estates provide that:
- only significant heritage buildings which are
threatened and cannot be retained on their
original sites are eligible for the heritage
subdivision;
- buildings should be listed on the Markham
Inventory of Heritage Buildings;
- buildings must be located within the present
boundaries of the Town;
- buildings located in heritage conservation
districts and study areas will generally not be
considered; and
- only those structures classified as Group 1
or 2 will be considered suitable candidates.
Council
amended the above criteria on December
8, 1992 in order to clarify the matters to be considered when
evaluating the “threat of loss” of a heritage building. Three of these additional criteria would
appear to be relevant to this situation:
d) the
extent to which the building is vacant and threatened with loss through lack of
security provisions, active vandalism, and inadequate care and maintenance of
important architectural details and significant building fabric;
e) the
extent to which enforcement of relevant by-laws and regulations of the Town and
other authorized public agencies could prove effective in overcoming the threat
of loss;
g) the
extent to which provision could be made for maintaining the building
satisfactorily on its present site, or relocating the building to another
secure location on the original property, in the immediate vicinity or to some
other location in Markham deemed
appropriate by Council.
The Archibald Fenwick House
satisfies each of the above criteria for eligibility for relocation to Markham Heritage Estates.
The
Archibald Fenwick House satisfies all of the Town of Markham’s criteria for
eligibility for relocation to Markham Heritage Estates. The house is located within Markham, is not in a heritage
district and is listed on the Markham Register of Properties of Cultural Heritage Value or Interest.
Fieldgate Developments has indicated
its willingness to cooperate with the Town
Research
and site investigations have shown that the building is significant and is
threatened on its original site due to its vacant, deteriorating state. The owner does not intent to repair or
re-tenant the house, and has no immediate plans for redevelopment of the
property. The owner has indicated their willingness to cooperate with the Town
to allow the Fenwick House to be made available for relocation to Markham Heritage Estates.
Relocation to Markham Heritage Estates is recommended
Given
the threatened state of the building, and that development of the property may
not occur in time to enable on-site preservation of the building, staff are of
the opinion that its approval for eligibility for relocation to Markham Heritage Estates is timely and
appropriate.
