Good article in Oshawa This Week about the Robert McLaughlin house at 195 Simcoe St. Oshawa.
The Petition this morning is OVER 3,000 SIGNATURES, and that is in less than one week!
The article is copied here. Also, below is the list of the MANY PERMITTED USES under the property's zoning. Adaptive reuse is certainly an option for this large historic Oshawa house actually on a 1/2 acre property (including 201 Simcoe St. N., 12 and 16 Elgin St. E.)!
"Heritage advocates call on Oshawa council to save McLaughlin family home from 'demolition by neglect'
Home at 195 Simcoe St. N. was heavily damaged by fire in 2019
An Oshawa home of significant heritage value is facing demolition after it suffered massive fire damage almost two years ago but local heritage advocates are fighting to preserve it.
The home, located at 195 Simcoe St. N., is associated with Robert McLaughlin who was the founder of the McLaughlin Carriage Company which later became General Motors Canada.
The home was built around 1887 in the Classical Revival Style and McLaughlin lived in it from 1901 to 1919 with his wife Eleanor. It was converted into office space in the 1960s, hosting doctors and dentists and before being left vacant.
McLaughlin is also a former mayor of Oshawa and the house was also home to another former mayor, RH James.
Warren Munro, development services commissioner for Oshawa, explained the city first received a request for a demolition permit from Nantucket Investments and property owners Sherland Chhangur in 2017.
Heritage Oshawa was opposed to the demolition and ordered a heritage research report before ultimately recommending that the property receive a heritage designation. Council opted to label it a “listed non-designated property” instead.
“If somebody files a notice of intent to demolish when it’s a listed non-designated property, council has 60 days to oppose the demolition permit and do a designation,” said Munro.
In February of 2019, Munro said the property owner went to the committee of adjustment and received approvals to redevelop the house into an apartment building but two months after that a massive fire significantly damaged the property.
A man suspected of a stabbing barricaded himself in the house and threatened to set it aflame. As police negotiated with him, the fire broke out. Firefighters had to wait until the man was apprehended by police to fight the fire.
At the time the house was officially vacant, but regularly used by squatters.
Munro said after the fire, the property -- which caused massive damage and left a large hole in the roof covered by a tarp -- was subject to property standards complaints and Chhangur was ordered to commission an engineer’s assessment on the site.
The city received the assessment in January 2020 and it stated that the house had excessive water damage as well as fire damage and it outlined two options: demolish or repair it with a recommendation to demolish.
“We reached out to (the owner) in April 2020 and said what is your intention? We kept following up in May and in May he got a property standards order that said we order you to do one of two things: demolish or repair,” explains Munro. “He hasn’t done it and it got referred to our legal team and it’s currently before the courts.”
This month, the city received a letter from Chhangur stating his intent to demolish the house.
Council will consider the issue on Feb. 22. If council doesn’t take any action, after 60 days the city can issue a demolition permit.
Local heritage advocate Jane Clark, who is a member of Heritage Oshawa but spoke on her own behalf, said she believes the home can still be saved and there are examples of homes in Durham that have been significantly damaged by fire that have been restored.
Cathy Clarke, a former Oshawa councillor and former chair of Heritage Oshawa, has created a Change.org petition called “Save the Robert McLaughlin House from Demolition by Neglect ”which has garnered over 1,800 signatures over the weekend.
Clark said a decision that allows the demolition of 195 Simcoe St. N. to move forward “affirms that demolition by neglect is an effective and welcome strategy for developers and owners of Oshawa’s heritage properties, and sets a dangerous precedent for the city’s remaining heritage resources.”
Here's a link to the Petition chng.it/NHZ7mZvb
The Petition this morning is OVER 3,000 SIGNATURES, and that is in less than one week!
The article is copied here. Also, below is the list of the MANY PERMITTED USES under the property's zoning. Adaptive reuse is certainly an option for this large historic Oshawa house actually on a 1/2 acre property (including 201 Simcoe St. N., 12 and 16 Elgin St. E.)!
"Heritage advocates call on Oshawa council to save McLaughlin family home from 'demolition by neglect'
Home at 195 Simcoe St. N. was heavily damaged by fire in 2019
An Oshawa home of significant heritage value is facing demolition after it suffered massive fire damage almost two years ago but local heritage advocates are fighting to preserve it.
The home, located at 195 Simcoe St. N., is associated with Robert McLaughlin who was the founder of the McLaughlin Carriage Company which later became General Motors Canada.
The home was built around 1887 in the Classical Revival Style and McLaughlin lived in it from 1901 to 1919 with his wife Eleanor. It was converted into office space in the 1960s, hosting doctors and dentists and before being left vacant.
McLaughlin is also a former mayor of Oshawa and the house was also home to another former mayor, RH James.
Warren Munro, development services commissioner for Oshawa, explained the city first received a request for a demolition permit from Nantucket Investments and property owners Sherland Chhangur in 2017.
Heritage Oshawa was opposed to the demolition and ordered a heritage research report before ultimately recommending that the property receive a heritage designation. Council opted to label it a “listed non-designated property” instead.
“If somebody files a notice of intent to demolish when it’s a listed non-designated property, council has 60 days to oppose the demolition permit and do a designation,” said Munro.
In February of 2019, Munro said the property owner went to the committee of adjustment and received approvals to redevelop the house into an apartment building but two months after that a massive fire significantly damaged the property.
A man suspected of a stabbing barricaded himself in the house and threatened to set it aflame. As police negotiated with him, the fire broke out. Firefighters had to wait until the man was apprehended by police to fight the fire.
At the time the house was officially vacant, but regularly used by squatters.
Munro said after the fire, the property -- which caused massive damage and left a large hole in the roof covered by a tarp -- was subject to property standards complaints and Chhangur was ordered to commission an engineer’s assessment on the site.
The city received the assessment in January 2020 and it stated that the house had excessive water damage as well as fire damage and it outlined two options: demolish or repair it with a recommendation to demolish.
“We reached out to (the owner) in April 2020 and said what is your intention? We kept following up in May and in May he got a property standards order that said we order you to do one of two things: demolish or repair,” explains Munro. “He hasn’t done it and it got referred to our legal team and it’s currently before the courts.”
This month, the city received a letter from Chhangur stating his intent to demolish the house.
Council will consider the issue on Feb. 22. If council doesn’t take any action, after 60 days the city can issue a demolition permit.
Local heritage advocate Jane Clark, who is a member of Heritage Oshawa but spoke on her own behalf, said she believes the home can still be saved and there are examples of homes in Durham that have been significantly damaged by fire that have been restored.
Cathy Clarke, a former Oshawa councillor and former chair of Heritage Oshawa, has created a Change.org petition called “Save the Robert McLaughlin House from Demolition by Neglect ”which has garnered over 1,800 signatures over the weekend.
Clark said a decision that allows the demolition of 195 Simcoe St. N. to move forward “affirms that demolition by neglect is an effective and welcome strategy for developers and owners of Oshawa’s heritage properties, and sets a dangerous precedent for the city’s remaining heritage resources.”
Here's a link to the Petition chng.it/NHZ7mZvb
