RECOMMENDATION:
That
Council declare the dwelling known as the “Udell-Hamilton House”, located at
7292 19th Avenue, to be eligible for relocation to Markham Heritage
Estates;
PURPOSE:
To recommend to Council that “The Udell-Hamilton
House” at 7292 19th Avenue be declared eligible for relocation to
the Markham Heritage Estates Subdivision.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
The Udell-Hamilton House, located at 7292 19th
Avenue is a listed heritage building located on the north side of 19th
Avenue east of 9th Line and is currently vacant and boarded. Due to the current abandonment of the
dwelling and the unlikelihood of any opportunity for the Town to require
preservation of the building on site in the foreseeable future, the frame house
is verifiably threatened in its existing location. The subject house is a significant heritage building and has been
recommended by Heritage Markham to be eligible for relocation to the Markham
Heritage Estates.
BACKGROUND:
Applicants request permission to relocate house to Markham Heritage
Estates
Mr. Mike
Bradshaw made a deputation at Heritage Markham on December 11, 2002 in support
of his request to relocate the dwelling at 7292 19th Avenue
to the Markham Heritage Estates Subdivision.
Mr. Bradshaw provided Town (Heritage Section) staff with a letter at the
meeting from Mr. Robert L. Armstrong, the current owner of 7292 19th Avenue, confirming
his intention to sell the dwelling for relocation (see Appendix ‘A’).
The dwelling
is a large 2 storey frame house, originally built by Matthew Udell Jr. c.1855 in the Georgian/Neo Classical style
and later modified to a late Victorian appearance. The house has a high
pitched roof and with extensive decorative woodwork (see Appendix ‘B’);
The Udell-Hamilton House is listed on the
Markham Inventory of Heritage Buildings.
The
Udell-Hamilton House is listed on the Markham Inventory of Heritage
Buildings. The building was
subsequently researched by Town (Heritage Section) staff and has been evaluated
as a Group 1 heritage building (most significant) according to the Town of
Markham Heritage Building Evaluation System.
The building is highly regarded for having one of the most complete
historic interiors of any building known in Markham and has a number of unique
exterior architectural features.
House occupied until 1996 is now vacant
The
Udell-Hamilton House was an occupied farmhouse on a working farmstead for over
140 years. Although the farm remains in
operation, in 1996, the building was vacated by the present owner and has been
unoccupied since that time. The
foundation of the house appears to have experienced some structural problems in
recent years, which appear to make the house inhabitable on its existing site
without extensive repair being undertaken.
Since the current owner has no apparent use for the existing dwelling,
improvements have not been made.
House is
threatened in its existing location
Since the Udell Hamilton House is a frame
building and not currently occupied, it is anticipated that if the current
state of abandonment and lack of maintenance of the structure continues, then
deterioration will continue unabated from the elements and vandalism. This
would lead to the depreciation of its architectural value. If relocated at this time, it is anticipated
that the significant architectural elements of the house will be able to be
preserved.
Heritage Markham recommends relocation to
Markham Heritage Estates
At its meeting
of December 11, 2002, Heritage Markham recommended that the Udell-Hamilton
House at 7292 19th Avenue be made eligible for relocation to the
Markham Heritage Estates.
OPTIONS/DISCUSSION:
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
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.
The
Udell Hamilton House would appear to satisfy all five criteria for eligibility
for relocation to Markham Heritage Estates.
The building is threatened by a lack of maintenance and the lack of
development potential for the lands in the forseeable future, which would have
allowed the Town to require that the building be preserved on its original
site. The building has also been
classified as a Group 1 structure.
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 (See Appendix ”D”). One of these additional criterion would
appear to be relevant to this situation:
·
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.
The above information on the building’s heritage significance and
relocation eligibility is provided to assist Council when considering the
Heritage Markham recommendation for relocation to Markham Heritage Estates.
Determination
of the suitability of any heritage building for relocation to Markham Heritage
Estates is at the discretion of Council.
Udell-Hamilton House Satisfies the Criteria
The Udell-Hamilton House satisfies the criteria for relocation to
Markham Heritage Estates. It is
recommended that Council declare the building as being eligible for relocation
to the Markham Heritage Estates.
FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS:
None
BUSINESS UNITS CONSULTED AND AFFECTED:
None
ATTACHMENTS:
Figure 1 -Applicant/Agent Location Map
Figure 2 -Aerial View of property
Appendix ‘A’ - Letter
from Mr. Robert L. Armstrong, Owner of the Udell-Hamilton House, dated December
3, 2002 granting permission to Mr. Bradshaw to move the house.
Appendix ‘B’ – Historical and Architectural
information regarding the Udell-Hamilton House;
|
|
|
|
|
Valerie
Shuttleworth, M.C.I.P., R.P.P.
Director
of Planning and Urban Design
|
|
Jim
Baird, M.C.I.P., R.P.P.
Commissioner
of Development Services
|
FIGURE 1
FILE PATH: Q:\Development\Heritage\PROPERTY\NINETNTH\7292\pms0218.doc
OWNER: Robert L. Armstrong
6
Rouge River Circle
Markham,
ON
L6B
1A8
Mr.
Mike Bradshaw
6
David Gohn Circle
Markham,
ON
(416)
806-1077
LOCATION
MAP:
