Heritage home in Queensville bites the dust due to safety concerns

East Gwillimbury council removes 20157 Leslie St. from list of heritage properties after home found in disrepair

Yorkregion.com
Sept. 16, 2019
Simon Martin

Another one bites the dust. East Gwillimbury council decided to remove the heritage home at 20157 Leslie St. from its list of heritage properties after it was revealed the home was in poor and unsafe condition.

The home was estimated to be built in 1873 and was owned by George Wright, a carriage maker in Queensville.  When the property owner requested the property be removed from the register, the town’s heritage advisory committee (HAC) agreed due to the unsafe conditions. The HAC also acknowledged that the property owner was responsible for the neglect of the property and requested the owner make a financial contribution to the town’s heritage fund as a condition of removing the property from the register.

Council members voiced their displeasure with the predicament the property owner had left them in.

“We are seeing more and more of these heritage homes,” Mayor Virginia Hackosn said. “Certainly, at some point, that house should have had more attention. It’s way behind what it should be and I guess that’s what you call demolition by neglect.”

Ward 2 Coun. Tara Roy-DiClemente was also scathing in her criticism.

"This highlights how much of a pressing need we have to identify and protect the types of property on our list,” Roy-DiClemente said. "This property owner quite frankly knows better. At this point its starting to feel like its deliberate which is unfortunate."

Roy-DiClemente said the town needs to put some teeth into its property standards to stop things like this from happening. “This is a really sad situation and it didn’t need to be like this,” she said.

Ward 3 Coun. Cathy Morton said the town should look into trying to salvage some materials from the house.

“Maybe there is some way to save a little history,” Morton said.

As part of the council resolution, the town said a commemorative plaque will be installed on the site indicating past history associated with the dwelling.

The preliminary heritage assessment produced by ERA Architects indicated there might be cultural heritage value at the site due to the construction date (1870-1880), the association with the Wright and Doan families, and its location as a prominent entry to Queensville from the south.