172-year-old home spared from demolition in Oxford County
A 172 -year-old home in Oxford County is protected from demolition, at least temporarily.
Southwest Oxford council has approved a notice of intent to designate a two-storey yellow brick structure on Mount Elgin Road, in Mount Elgin, Ont. as heritage.
The move comes after a lengthy debate Tuesday morning and several weeks of opposition from community members.
The home, known as Elgin Hall, was built in 1850.
Elgin Hall, in Mount Elgin, Ont. on Tuesday, August 9, 2022. (Sean Irvine/CTV London)
Recently sold to a developer, a subdivision plan calls for the home to be demolished to create an access road. But a community fight has convinced council to spare the home, at least for now.
“Council has the authority to protect this property from demolition immediately today,” community organizer Debbie Kasman told council members.
Cody Groat, an assistant professor in the department of history and the Indigenous studies program at Western University, and a former Mount Elgin resident, told council the structure is worth saving for several reasons. One being its first resident, Ebenezer Vining Bodwell.
“It was the home for the Member of Parliament for the riding of South Oxford after Confederation, so after 1867. The individual later went on to become the superintendent of the Welland Canal and the Vancouver Board of Trade.”
Ebenezer Vining Bodwell, the first owner of Elgin Hall. (Submitted)
And now, a later resident, also a former politician and broadcaster, Garth Turner, is looking to buy it from the developer. If successful, the council heard, Turner intends to restore it for use as a community hub.
Inside council chambers, a planner for the developer conceded negotiations with Turner are ongoing. If they succeed, Chris Pidgeon says Elgin Hall would become part of a modified subdivision plan.
“We would simply remove the five or six lots that it was carved into, and realign the road because the road was going through that lot.”
The changes are welcomed by those wishing to save Elgin Hall.
A family celebration at Elgin Hall in the 1930s. (Submitted)
Kasman says council’s decision gives time for a sale to take place, or at least a chance for a full heritage designation to be considered. “We absolutely won the first level of victory. You have no idea how excited we are!” she said.
Southwest Oxford says the notice of intent to designate Elgin Hall can be appealed within 30 days and if the council chooses, repealed after 90 days.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
BREAKING Ottawa public school board, 3 Toronto-area school boards launch lawsuit against social media giants
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and three school boards in the Toronto-area have launched legal action against social media giants, accusing them of "disrupting students' fundamental right to education."
Doctors visiting a Gaza hospital are stunned by the war's toll on Palestinian children
An international team of doctors visiting a hospital in central Gaza was prepared for the worst. But the gruesome impact Israel’s war against Hamas is having on Palestinian children still left them stunned.
Crypt near Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner could fetch US$400,000 at auction
A one-space mausoleum crypt in the vicinity of Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner will go on auction Saturday, when it is expected to reach between US$200,000 and $400,000.
This Toronto restaurant is no longer accepting tips. Here's how it's going
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff – tipping is no longer accepted.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Premiers not being truthful about carbon tax, Trudeau says while sparks fly in Ottawa
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Conservative premiers across the country are 'not telling the truth' when it comes to the carbon tax. Trudeau's comments came as fresh sparks were flying in Ottawa at a recalled House of Commons committee.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.
What new auto insurance reforms will mean for Ontarians, if they get introduced
Ontario has among the highest rates for auto insurance premiums in Canada -- just below Alberta and Nova Scotia -- however, the introduction of an insurance reform in the provincial budget could soon lower prices.