The 18th Annual London Heritage Awards

On April 9, London's Heritage Awards were held at Museum London again. Sponsored by ACO London and Heritage London Foundation, the awards honour individuals and organizations who have contributed to the preservation of London's history and built heritage. As usual, I was in attendance and was especially impressed by the following:

At left is 839 Queens Avenue, built ca. 1881 in what's now called Old East Village. Owner Barb Penner received a Restoration Project Award for her work on this heritage-designated stunner. Note the intricate woodwork with stencil-cut semicircular arches surrounding the double window and the brackets on the space above the bay window below. The double-leaf front doors have carved panels. The porch handrail, spindles and flooring have been restored. And Ms. Penner even had wooden storm windows custom made to fit. Bravo!

I'm really picky when it comes to heritage restorations but, believe it or not, I wouldn't change a thing here. The result makes me feel like I've stepped back in time. The house is currently for sale, so I hope the next owner preserves it. 

I've been driving past 538 Colborne Street (right) on my way to work for years and was concerned about its dilapidated look. But thanks to Ken Madlener, this 1909 Dutch Colonial home is looking good again and has also won a Restoration Project Award. Once a family home, it's now a triplex. Many building owners wouldn't have concerned themselves with exterior restoration - but not Ken. He restored the covered front porch, rebuilt the wooden pillars and their stone bases, and restored the Juliet balcony above. Even the original leaded glass and stained-glass windows were carefully restored and reused. Once again, this building looks good from the street. 

The building at left must be one of London's greatest homes. 527 Princess Avenue, located in East Woodfield, is a gorgeous late Victorian Queen Anne mansion, built in 1899-1900 for well-known London photographer Frank Cooper. Note the imposing capped tower on one side (because what's a Queen Anne without a tower?) and the elaborate window in the front gable. There's also a second-floor balcony and beautiful detail in the gable over the front entry. A special touch is the lovely wraparound verandah, perfect for relaxing on a summer evening, sipping a cold bevie, and watching the world go by. The Small-Scale Restoration Project Award is for replacing the fish-scale pattern slate roof, copper trim and tower finial. Because details matter.

Elmwood Lawn Bowling Club, on last year's Geranium Heritage House Tour, isn't a place you'd think would receive a heritage award. But the club, founded in 1911, has received a Cultural Landscape Award, meaning the whole place is of importance, not just a building. At first a men's-only club, designed for a variety of sports, Elmwood now welcomes women (duh!) and, well, everyone plays lawn bowling. Not being coordinated enough for any sport, I'd never been here before last year's GHHT and never knew where the club was. Turns out it's tucked in behind Edward, Elmwood, Bruce, and Brighton streets in Old South. There's even a 1916 clubhouse on the lot, extensively renovated. Such a genteel oasis. 

Other awards went to individuals for their contributions to London history. A Local History Award went to artist Cheryl Radford for her illustrations of streetscapes and local architecture. Her art has appeared in personal collections, local galleries, greeting cards, and books she has co-authored about London's history. Here's one from my collection: 

ChKs Publishing, 2015

Another Local History Award went to Lorraine Tinsley for her well-researched history of London's Oxford Park neighbourhood. Which, of course, I've also got:

Oxford Park Community Association, 2024

There were other awards, recognitions, and commendations, of course, including one for Banting House, which recently underwent numerous repairs, window refurbishment, porch restoration, etc. A "Compatible Design" award went to the owners of a new house in Old South which doesn't fit too badly into the historic streetscape. Recognition also went to a renovation on Elmwood Avenue East that was on last year's Geranium Heritage House Tour. The multiplex was a definite eyesore, so the owners should be commended for removing a coating of grey stucco and repointing and cleaning the brick underneath. However, the building has been completely gutted, the former nine units turned into seven, and there are few historical vibes whatsoever. 

I'm a bit unsure about giving a heritage award to the builders of a new house, just because it looks a bit old. I'm also not thrilled about giving an award for a place with few remaining heritage features. I know why these awards were given, of course. Drive through any older neighbourhood and you'll see numerous examples of how NOT to renovate an older building. So the Awards organizers need to award any effort to preserve anything. If even the slightest consideration has been given to heritage, bless the owners' hearts. Give them an award.

What are London Doorways? A new book about London, Ontario's unique entranceway

ACO London has produced another attractive and informative book about London, Ontario architecture. It's called London Doorways: An Expanded Study of Triple-Arched Doorways. "Expanded" because ACO published a smaller book on the subject in 2014 but people kept finding more doorways. Now there's a 127 page deluxe version filled with colour photos, b&w maps and diagrams, brief tributes to late doorway researchers Herb Craig and Julia Beck, a study of the Italianate and Gothic Revival background, and a bibliography, glossary and location index. 

If you're wondering what the heck a London doorway is, just look at the book cover (left). Its characteristics include three wooden-arched members that are part of the door's jamb and frame. The centre rounded transom arch spans the width of the door and the sidelights are separately arched but at a lesser height. They were built over 125 years ago by skilled craftsmen, no two being exactly alike. Architectural historians could explain in more detail (and the book does) but that's it in a nutshell. 

Why are these called London doorways? Because most of them are located in the older neighbourhoods of London, Ontario as well as on suburban roads that were rural in the 19th century. A few are found in the surrounding countryside, in communities like Strathroy, Ailsa Craig, St. Thomas or Thamesford. There's one as far away as Mildmay and one in Arthur. 

It's difficult to say who built them. They appear to have been created by multiple craftsmen, which explains all the variations. Historical research has identified some original owners of the houses who were connected to London's construction trade. Names include Thomas Scott, a cabinetmaker, Jeremiah Moran, and Richard and Thomas Ward. 

Most of the book consists of attractive colour photos of the doors and the houses that contain them, along with brief histories of the homes and their first owners. You might want to keep the book in your car so you can check out lovely doorways while you're out running errands. 

What the book highlights, of course, is the importance of preserving older local architecture. You won't find these doorways outside of southwestern Ontario. They're ours. 

London Doorways may be purchased through ACO London or at Attic Books. Cost is $50.

So ACO, what's next? Keyhole windows?

100 Stanley Street: Make an offer to the City of London, Ontario. Fast.

Here it is. 100 Stanley Street at the corner of Wharncliffe Road South. A white brick Queen Anne house built about 1896, with a keyhole window on the main level and a rectangular oriel window on the second floor. The oriel has a small bracket detail above and rests on a decorated wooden sill. There's coloured glass in the windows. And there's lovely interior woodwork, such as a newel post shaped like a King chess piece.

Yes, it's a bit difficult to see, the garden having become a jungle. Some would even say the foliage obstructs views at the intersection.

Nancy Finlayson lived here for decades, about thirty years in total. Her home was designated by the city in 2010. It stands on Stanley Street, at one time the main road out of the city to Port Stanley. 

But in 2017 the public learned that the city was considering demolishing her home, expropriating the land to widen Wharncliffe Road and repair the nearby railroad overpass. The road widening was necessary, the city argued, to remove the traffic bottleneck, prevent congestion and collisions. 

But Feisty Nan fought The Plan. And she wasn't the only one. Others in the city raised petitions on her behalf and staged demonstrations on the corner. The city was starting to look bad. Who tosses an old lady out of her home just to widen a road?

In 2018 the City of London indicated it was not without sympathy (or realized it looked nasty) and stated they were willing to spend an extra half million dollars to move 100 Stanley to a lot on a nearby street,  admittedly an accommodation most cities wouldn't bother with. Relocating her home was a way to save it from the wrecking ball and keep it within its own historic neighbourhood. And it would only cost $500,000 to cover the bill to move the house about 100 metres. 

Yet when the city offered to move her lovely home to the corner of Wharncliffe and Evergreen, Nan argued it would take the house out of its context onto a bare, treeless lot. She insisted she wouldn't move.

In January 2020 London City Council voted to expropriate her land. As recently as June 2020, Nan said she wouldn't leave. Unfortunately, she was told she needed to get out by October 1. In September, the city reached a settlement with her, offering $500,000 for her home and land. Perhaps she realized she couldn't "beat City Hall." She has moved to a home in Blackfriars. 

Yet despite the sale of the land and house, the city continued to consider moving the home, probably due to pressure from conservation groups such as ACO London. But in early 2021, city engineers suddenly estimated the relocation cost at $900,000 - $1,100,000 and, at this point, some on City Council decided the cost was too much.

On March 23, City Council narrowly voted to demolish the building. (I haven't heard how much that will cost.) The road widening is expected to begin either later in 2021 or 2022. Total cost: $39 million. Of which the cost of moving 100 Stanley was merely a proverbial drop in the bucket. 

One could argue that the city put poor Nan through a nightmare. A lady in her late seventies, kicked out of the home she loved. Anyone with an ounce of sympathy would be on her side. And her house had numerous interesting features, being particularly well preserved. I was "House Captain" in 2009 when her home was included on ACO London's 36th Annual Geranium Heritage House Tour. I remember Nan saying of her home "I love you." If it was my place, I'd love it too. It was particularly well preserved. And now, what she'll remember for the rest of her life was her desperate fight to save it.

But if I'd been her, I'd have let the city move the house. Just think of the advantages: a safer, less busy location; a new basement; new landscaping; the lovely home itself saved for future generations. Londoners in the 2090s might have been able to see a well-preserved home from 200 years earlier. 

I know what some will say. She impeded progress. She's only an attention seeker. She got a great price for her home so why complain. There's lots of old houses so why care about this one. The intersection is a bottleneck and needs to be widened.  Certainly the comments about the former owner posted online have been cruel indeed. Apparently there are some very nasty people out there, posting anonymously at the end of internet news stories. 

But let's for a minute pretend we live in an Ideal Heritage World. In that world an infrastructure change wouldn't adversely affect cultural heritage resources. Our cultural heritage would  be preserved in situ, there would be no expropriation, no demolition of municipally designated properties. We wouldn't be widening roads to make room for more cars. We'd be trying to find ways to get  people out of their cars, via car pooling, public transportation, bicycles, walkways, better planned neighbourhoods, etc. 

We don't live in that world yet. So here's my suggestion. The City of London should sell 100 Stanley for $1 to anyone who can move it. And forget about that high price tag for moving. ACO London has received two estimates suggesting it wouldn't cost more than $500,000 to move the house. Seriously. And surely selling the home would cost the city less than demolition. 

Just contact the city fast. Before 100 Stanley becomes another victim of Progress.