Redevelopment Fit For a Princess

 

Domus Developments would like to renovate 300 and 306 Princess Avenue, above, into nine-unit apartment buildings. Each old home would be divided into six one-bedroom apartments while proposed rear additions would contain three more two-bedroom units. Since rezoning would be necessary for the rear units to be built, the proposal will go before London City Council's Planning Department in March. 

Being part of the West Woodfield Heritage Conservation District, these houses are designated under part of the Ontario Heritage Act. A heritage alteration permit will be necessary before a building permit is issued. From this article, it sounds like city staff are supportive and the project will likely go ahead.

300, on the left, is a stately Queen Anne with Romanesque stone arches over the doors and windows and a wonderful central tower that's reminiscent of Italianate. In other words, its style is eclectic. It was built ca. 1893 for James R. Shuttleworth, a prominent fruit wholesale merchant. Shuttleworth was president of the Children's Aid Society of London in the 1890s. 

 Bottle from J. Tune & Son          

306 is less spectacular but has decorative wood trim and a lovely wrap-around porch. It was built in 1906 for Charles Henry Tune of J. Tune & Sons Soda Water Works, a London company established about 1882 on Clarence St. north of York. A couple of years later the company moved to the south side of York between Richmond and Talbot. It employed about eight hands and shipped soda water as far west as Windsor and as far east as the Ingersoll and Woodstock area. The J. in the company title was Charles' father, James. Eventually the Tunes became London Soda Water Works. At left is a bottle from my personal collection, dating to the J. Tune & Son days. 

As someone who used to live nearby, I've long been concerned about the deteriorating state of these architectural and historic gems. According to the linked article, Domus President Michael Mescia loves these buildings and wants to preserve them as they are. I'm glad to hear that.

I'm a little concerned, though, when I look at the artist renderings. Scroll down through the article and have a look. I know they're only drawings but I think I'm seeing replacement single-pane windows which wouldn't have existed at the time the homes were built. And 300 looks like a new grey excrescence will supplant the current  second-storey woodwork. What will the end result look like?

I admit I have a bee in my bonnet about windows. So many otherwise wonderful heritage renovations have replacement windows that look entirely inappropriate. I know it's difficult to add modern innovations while maintaining historic charm. And those moving into the future apartments will demand "mod cons." But there are so many older buildings in London with startlingly unsuitable windows. I find myself groaning inwardly as I stroll the city streets. 

So I'm happy to learn about this project but not without reservations. I hope the end result will look like something the Shuttleworths and Tunes would approve of. Or at least recognize. 

Dwelling on the Positive

Since most heritage commentary dwells on the negative - that is, yet another neglected building in danger of demolition - it's refreshing to occasionally point out a heritage preservation success story. One of these is the so-called Kenross House at the northeast corner of Waterloo and Piccadilly. The Queen Anne style mansion was built about 1908 for Charles J. Somerville, mayor of London in 1918-19. Architectural highlights include half-timbering, a round tower, wide verandah, and the Dutch gable pictured at left. Owners Timothy and Natalie Tattersall won an ACO-HLF Heritage Award in 2009 for restoring this building. An especially nice touch is the small garden on the corner with a plaque dedicated to Jean Ann Hills, a former owner who passed away in 2007.