Wauchope House is a ‘marvelous’ property

Letter to the Innisfil Scope March 2 2011

I would like o address some of the statements made by Gord and Brenda Wauchope, and other recent letter writers, in relation to the difficulties surrounding the listing of the Wauchope residence on Innisfil’s heritage register.

First, it is incorrect to assume that the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario is entirely unsympathetic to the Wauchope Family’s wishes. This is not the case at all. The Wauchopes find themselves in a situation where they own a marvelous heritage home, which now happens to sit on a valuable piece of commercial development property. As with anyone else, they should be able to sell their house at the best price available. In many municipalities, developers would see such a building in this location as a valuable investment. If the fear is that placing a house on the register will cause a lessening in its value, then developers need to be educated in the facts of the Ontario Heritage Act. Further, studies undertaken by professor Robert Shipley of the University of Waterloo show that heritage houses have generally increased in value, when compared to other homes in the same neighborhood.

The Innisfil Heritage Committee is charged under the Act with trying to preserve the community’s built heritage for the future. The recommendation that a house be placed on the register merely allows for 60 days of deliberation, should a demolition permit be requested by the owner. There are no other stipulations. However, while trying to do its job, the committee may give the appearance of being unsympathetic to the owners’ wishes. This is most unfortunate, because it is basically untrue. There is no doubt that this house is worthy of preservation, meeting the criteria set out in the Act, yet the owners’ wishes do not coincide with this aim. While there is a conflict resolution process built in to the Act, and the issue has been tested in court, it seems that some kind of compromise needs to be reached between the town and the Wauchopes.

Heritage committee member David Steele is quoted as saying that the Wauchope house could be turned into ‘a high end restaurant’. In fact, in a previously published letter from the ACO, it was suggested that there were potentially several uses to which the building might be adapted, including a coffee shop, tourist office, professional offices, a gallery to display local art and artifacts, museum, or any combination of these.

The draft report of the Inspiring Innisfil 2020 study suggests that just such a focal point for bringing the arts, culture, and tourism together is needed in the town. This building would perform that function admirably.

Council, which can accept or reject recommendations made by the committee, has the ultimate authority in heritage matters. It will have to decide whether this piece of Innisfil’s history is important enough to save — either in its present location or elsewhere. If it is, they must work out some sort of compromise that will satisfy the Wauchopes, who are justifiably concerned about their financial future. If such a compromise is not forthcoming, then we will probably see the destruction of yet another Innisfil heritage house. Of course, should the house be demolished, it is gone forever.

One is forced to ask the question: Is turning this property into a drive-through restaurant ultimately going to serve the community better in the long run? Or, is preserving and effectively reusing an architecturally magnificent structure with a valuable link to Innisfil’s past a better solution?

Barbara Love,

Secretary, Simcoe County branch of the Architectural

Conservancy of Ontario