https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/heritage-status-home-toronto-caldecott-1.7163883A couple in an affluent midtown Toronto neighbourhood is asking the city to remove the heritage designation from their century home because they say the original owner was racist.
The two-and-a-half storey 9,000-square foot house in the Yonge and St. Clair area, was built in 1906 for Stapleton Pitt Caldecott, a former Toronto Board of Trade president who was opposed to immigration, a University of Toronto historian says.
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The board turned down the couple's request
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A city staff report to the TPB concluded the home's designation had little to do with its association with Caldecott. Instead, the report says the home is worth preserving because it was designed by prominent Toronto architect Eden Smith and because of the unique structural qualities he brought to the building.
"Staff maintain that the property is valued as a fine representative example of an early 20th century house form building designed in the Period Revival style influenced by the Arts and Crafts Movement,"
The fundamental argument that should be made is that no Western-style building should have heritage designation in Canada, as otherwise would be an affirmation of colonialism.
Akladios said that within weeks he told the couple that if they wanted to object to the house's heritage designation, they'd be better off focusing on the building's architectural merits than on Caldecott, because he felt they'd have a better chance challenging the designation on those grounds.
Western architecture needs to be eradicated from Canada (and all other former Western colonial possessions) ASAP.
Another board member, Paul Cordingley, told last week's meeting the Mahesan-Earle application raises significant points about what a heritage designation means.
"I think we have to find a way of disengaging preservation from celebrating," he said. "Because I would not want anyone to think that if we're trying to maintain the designation of this house, that we are celebrating or downplaying what goes along with that."
If you want to preserve it, you are saying the house belongs here. But such a house only got built because of Western colonialism. Therefore you are saying you are glad Western colonialism happened. So there is no disengaging preservation from celebration.
As for whether the couple is looking to renovate or demolish the house, Earle told CBC Toronto they're not looking to have the designation removed "as a tactic."
"I have no plans of developing this house or changing this house," she told CBC Toronto.
I suggest you demolish it.