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Heritage home lost to profit taker Preservation society decries loss of local ‘heirlooms’
Brent Richter brichter@nsnews.com
THE North Shore Heritage Preservation Society says the North Shore’s municipalities need to tighten their rules around heritage homes or risk losing them to developers’ wrecking balls. This, after the group has learned a heritage designated home in Edgemont Village has been demolished, only to have the lot listed for sale with plans for a five-bedroom, sevenbathroom “McMansion” to occupy it. “This is ideal for someone who wants to build their dream home ASAP right in the heart of the village,” the lot’s MLS listing states. Designed by noted local architect Fred Hollingsworth in 1950, the home at 2895 Newmarket Dr. was razed after the District of North Vancouver issued a demolition permit on July 3. NEWS photo Kevin Hill Buildings that date back to the North Shore’s formative PETER Miller, president of the North Shore Heritage Preservation Society, looks glumly at the cleared lot at 2895 Newmarket Dr., history or homes once lived close to Edgemont Village. It used to be the site of a heritage designated post-modern home designed by Fred Hollingsworth. Scan in by important people have with Layar for photos of award-winning heritage preservation and a video on heritage issues. an intrinsic value worth That’s better than a McMansion, Miller said, but it “Why would you buy a heritage a home only just to tear it protecting, the group argues, comparing the homes to family down?” Clay, asked. “If they just want an empty lot to build their still amounts to “Disneyfication” when new materials and heirlooms. “The heritage buildings we see around us are our link to our dream home, they should go find some rundown bungalow that workmanship are used to mimic the real thing. “There is an emotional attachment that an old building has past and sweeping them away means we sweep away all evidence isn’t on the heritage register and do it there. There’s plenty of to the past. If you go up to a front door, which was there almost of where we come from,” said Peter Miller, society president. those kinds of houses around.” The group is also in mourning for a 1910 home, part of 100 years ago, and touch it, you can feel that people have been “In this particular case, we regret very much that the system Finlay’s Row on the 200-block of East 19th Street, which City going in and out of that door for 100 years,” he said. “When you permitted this to happen. It’s very sad.” District staff met with the owner, as is standard practice when of North Vancouver council debated vociferously before issuing go up to a door that looks essentially the same but came from someone wants to demolish a heritage home, to discuss other a demolition permit in a split vote. Council had already funded a Rona, there’s none of that emotional connection to the past.” In the meantime, the group is left to try to persuade a options that would see the house preserved, said Jeanine Bratina, $10,000-study into the costs of renovating the home and offered to put up $25,000 of the approximately $745,000 needed to homeowner or developer to stay the bulldozers. district spokeswoman. If done correctly, it’s cheaper to repair than rebuild, Miller “Ultimately, the decision does rest with a property owner,” raise the structure, pour a new foundation, and bring the floor and ceiling joists up to code. Rebuilding from scratch would run said, and keeping a heritage home comes with a much smaller Bratina added. But real estate speculators shouldn’t be seeking out historic about $651,000, city staff concluded. The owners are pledging environmental cost than building a new one, taking into account homes for their lucrative property flips, said Jennifer Clay, society to rebuild a new home on the lot with a design aimed to fit in the landfilling, transportation and raw resources needed. “The greenest building is an existing building,” said Miller. with the rest of Finlay’s Row. vice-president.