Thornhill Heritage Foundation aims to improve home's accessibility

Federal government gives foundation $31,000 grant

Yorkregion.com
April 19, 2017
By Simone Jospeh

Robert West’s son was a man desperate to save his relationship.

He was worried his girlfriend would end their relationship and was hoping one day she would be his wife.

So, this descendant of Robert West wrote her a letter, likely written in the late 1800s.

The letter is one of the many historic documents found among about 28 boxes in The Robert West House in the Yonge and Centre streets area of Thornhill, says Wendy Locke, treasurer of the Thornhill Heritage Foundation.

“It was poignant, the way he wrote it,” Locke says.

Thanks to a federal grant, the Thornhill Heritage Foundation hopes more people can access artifacts like this historic letter.

The federal government gave the foundation a $31,403 grant about a month ago to make The Robert West House more accessible.

This funding will be put toward improvements like installing ramps and creating accessible parking spots.

“We have to have accessibility before we can open it as a heritage site to the public,” Locke said.

April 21 is the sod-turning ceremony for this accessibility project and Thornhill MP Peter Kent is scheduled to attend.

Some of the construction work on the accessibility project has already begun, Locke said. The Robert West House will eventually serve as a heritage centre, storing historic documents and artifacts. People can host meetings and events at the house, she said.

A contractor told Locke that the accessibility work can be finished in a month. But before the house opens to the public, some historic material still has to be catalogued, she said.

The Thornhill Horticultural Society gave the Thornhill Heritage Foundation $2,500 toward buying and installing shrubs, plants and a landscaping plan.

The sod-turning ceremony is on Friday April 21 at 10 a.m. and is open to the public.

Louisa Keith, a descendant of Robert West, donated The Robert West House to the Thornhill Heritage Foundation.

The home at 7780 Yonge St. was built by Robert West (1816-1884), an English immigrant who came to Upper Canada in the 1830s.

Go to thornhillheritagefoundation.org for more information on the Robert West Heritage House.