The Peterborough Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee (PACAC) will be deciding Wednesday (January 21) on a recommendation to city council as to whether a historic farmhouse slated for demolition should be removed from the city’s heritage register or given heritage designation.
On December 11, the city received a notice of intention to demolish the building at 314 Carnegie Avenue from D.M. Wills Associates Limited on behalf of property owner Activa Holdings Inc., a Waterloo-based company that developed the adjacent 382-home Heritage Park subdivision between 1999 and 2014.
The demolition notice followed a November 19 notice from the city to Activa Holdings Inc. that a recent inspection found the building contravened the city’s property standards by-law, and ordered the owner demolish it.
“Due to the current deteriorating state of the building in question you are hereby ordered to have said building demolished,” the city’s notice stated. “In the interim until said building can be demolished it is to be secured to prevent entry of unauthorized persons.”
According to the demolition notice from D.M. Wills Associates Limited, the farmhouse has not been occupied in over 10 years, since it was used as office space for Activa Holdings Inc. for the Heritage Park subdivision.
In 2023, Activa Holdings Inc. demolished accessory structures and ancillary additions to the farmhouse, including the veranda, due to their state of deterioration and collapse.
“The original farmhouse structure remains; however, it requires continued efforts to maintain a safe premises and secure the house against trespassers and vandals and the owner has no intention to retain the structure going forward,” states the demolition notice, adding that Activa Holdings Inc. intends to develop the property as part of the company’s 2016 registered plan for the Heritage Park subdivision.
At last Monday’s general committee meeting, councillor Dave Haacke brought forward a motion that directed staff to “expeditiously consult” with PACAC on whether the property should be designated or removed from the heritage register and to report back to council with PACAC’s recommendation by or before February 13.
Under the Ontario Heritage Act, if a property is listed on a municipal heritage register, the owner must give the municipality at least 60 days of written notice before demolishing it, allowing council time to consider formal designation.
Councillors voted 10-2 in favour of Haacke’s motion, with councillors Joy Lachica and Alex Bierk dissenting, and the general committee recomendation will be considered for endorsement at the city council meeting this Monday (January 19). Council will make a final decision on the demolition after it receives PACAC’s recommendation.
The farmhouse was listed on the city’s heritage register in 2019, along with another 152 properties, with the city’s heritage staff describing it as “a good example” of a mid-19th century Gothic Revival farmhouse with a central gable and double arched window, a verandah, polychromatic bricks, and decorative wooden bargeboard.
The property was purchased in 1859 by farmer John Garbutt, who first constructed a frame farmhouse on the site by 1861, with the Garbutt family owning the property until the 1930s.
