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UER Forum > Archived Canada: Ontario > Crditdale Farm in Brampton is no more (Viewed 248 times)
SoNaive 


Location: Brampton, Ontario
Gender: Male


Why did it come as a surprise, to think that i was SoNaive

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Crditdale Farm in Brampton is no more
< on 6/11/2007 7:08 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Some arsonists burned most of the creditdale farm heritage property.

BRAMPTON - It appears someone was determined to burn down a heritage building in Brampton.
And this past weekend, they were successful.

Less than two months after city staff in a report reiterated their concern for the security of Creditdale Farm, the circa 1950s barn on the site burned to the ground early Sunday morning. A mid-19th Century farmhouse is still standing on the site and has been undergoing restoration work. Nearby Churchville residents are now concerned for the safety of the farmhouse.

Creditdale Farm, on the northwest corner of Creditview Road and Steeles Avenue, is considered a "very significant" heritage property. The barn was destroyed by fire at 2 a.m. Sunday, but the fire did not damage the farmhouse.

First fire a month ago

Just four weeks earlier, on May 7, a fire was started on the south facing wall of the all-wood barn around midnight, but the flames were spotted by a passing motorist and volunteer firefighters were on the scene within five minutes. They were able to extinguish the flames and save the barn, but had a bad feeling they might be back.

This past weekend, the same volunteers were back, but this time, there was nothing they could do.

"The whole place was just fully engulfed," said volunteer firefighter Larry Shred. "There was nothing we could do except watch it burn down."

Flames were shooting 200 feet into the air. Shred said he has never seen a structure so engulfed in flames before. The barn was twice as large as an average barn.

Arson is the suspected cause and the Ontario Fire Marshal's office and Peel police are investigating.

The 12-acre property is designated under the Ontario Heritage Act and was considered "a very significant heritage resource" that might even warrant national historic sites nomination, according to city staff.

It has been the target of vandalism recently and in a report to councillors May 23, city staff expressed the need for the property to be used in some way because, "The safety of the Creditdale Farm depends on the occupancy and use of the site and buildings. Vacant properties are targets for vandalism and arson."

The city checks the property once a week, and when broken windows or doors are found, the owner is contacted and told to re-secure the buildings.

In addition to the farmhouse, there are also the long-overgrown remnants of the landscaping around the property, which was done by Carl Borgstrom, the man who designed the Royal Botanical Gardens, much of the Niagara Parks system, and several prominent estates across Ontario.

Borgstrom owned the property and lived there, also using it as his studio, from the late 1930s to the 1950s. He was one of Canada's best-known landscape architects.

In the 1960s, noted Canadian heritage architect B. Napier Simpson did some restoration work on the farmhouse.

There is also a 70 to 100-year-old Linden tree on the front lawn, possibly the oldest of its kind in the city, and the in-ground swimming pool is believed to be the very first privately owned in the city, dating back to the 1950s.

Archaeologists have also discovered 11 sites of significance on the property, including three exceptionally large Iroquoian villages dating back pre-1000 BC.

Historically significant property

It all means the farmhouse, barn, landscaping plan, all other structures, trees, vegetation, vistas and other elements forming the cultural landscape, and the archaeological resources are included as heritage attributes of the property under the provincial designation.

HR Developments owns the property and the city spent several months in negotiations with the owner last year to put a heritage conservation easement on the site. The barn was not included in that easement, according to city spokesperson Gordon Smith.

That easement was agreed to, and it will remain on title with the property, regardless of who owns it. The easement gives the city strong powers to protect the property, including requiring the property owner to restore, conserve and preserve it, giving the city access to the property twice a year to inspect the condition of the land and buildings, giving the city the right to repair and maintain the property if the owner doesn't and then billing the owner, and allowing public access.

The city put a condition on the developer's subdivision agreement for the surrounding area, requiring the owner to come up with a heritage conservation plan for the heritage property. In 2005, the developer hired heritage architect David Eckler to assess the property and a phased-in plan was devised.

The first phase of the plan is done-- a new roof, soffits, gutter and fascia for the house. The second phase-- masonry repairs, stabilization of wood details, windows and doors, repainting and repairing recent acts of vandalism-- was scheduled to be complete before this summer. The city collected a letter of credit, which will be returned once the conservation work is done.

A study of the site led city staff to conclude last month that the city should not buy it, and that it should remain in private ownership. Commercial or residential uses were identified as the most beneficial, with public access maintained. It could be a tourist attraction, according to the staff report.

Last week, city councillors agreed the city would not buy the site, or enter into a private-public partnership to preserve it.




here's what it used to look like

http://urbania.ohl....php?showimage=968
(not my picture)

edit:
oops, i meant to make it publically viewable
[last edit 6/12/2007 1:44 PM by SoNaive - edited 1 times]

Prinny Dude!
sillygirlv12 


Location: Orangeville
Gender: Female


better than kids

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Re: Crditdale Farm in Brampton is no more
<Reply # 1 on 6/12/2007 9:35 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
I am so disgusted. What is wrong with people?

UER Forum > Archived Canada: Ontario > Crditdale Farm in Brampton is no more (Viewed 248 times)



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