Councillors vote against de-designation of historic Simcoe building

Facing pressure from the public, Norfolk councillors voted against a request to remove the historical designation from a 116-year-old neoclassical Georgian building in downtown Simcoe.

Article content Facing pressure from the public, Norfolk councillors voted against a request to remove the historical designation from a 116-year-old neoclassical Georgian building in downtown Simcoe. It’s a reversal of council’s decision in April to start the process to de-designate the building at 45 Peel St. at the request of the owner. Recommended Videos The building, at the corner of Peel and Kent streets, once served as the town’s post office and custom offices.

It was also the long-time office of renowned architect Carlos Ventin. A report from county staff said the building is noted for its “solid and stable construction and features of significance,” including doorways, windows and roofline. Opened in January 1910, the interior was later altered to house Simcoe’s town hall offices and was temporarily used by the Bank of Montreal.

The building’s exterior was designated under the Ontario Heritage Act in 1981. There have been many alterations to the interior, which isn’t covered under the designation. The building’s owner, Harish Rajput, told councillors at a council-in-committee meeting on Tuesday, “we are burning cash on the building.”

“Nobody wants to buy it; nobody wants to lease it,” said Rajput, blaming the lack of interest on the high cost of repairs and difficulty getting insurance for a designated building. The property had been listed for sale for $889,000 but is now being marketed as a “superb classic structure” for rent at $5,000 a month. Rajput told councillors he was aware of the historic designation when he purchased the building a few years ago, “but came to learn more and more about the heritage issues.”

“Why does the owner have to bear all the cost of maintaining a 100-year-old building?” Rajput asked council. “If heritage is so important, then why (doesn’t)

the government chip in?” As part of the process for de-designation under the Ontario Heritage Act, the public had 30 days to voice their opinions. The county received 55 letters of objection to the de-designation and just two in support.

Paul Vehof, who worked with Ventin for more than 30 years, called the building “a well-preserved historic jewel in our community” and the birthplace of many local restoration projects. Vehof said the application for de-designation is “driven by an opportunity to increase profit at the expense of an important piece of our local heritage.” Karen Scott-Booth, a longtime member of Architectural Conservancy Ontario, told councillors the building “is more significant now that it was when it was designated in 1981 because of the reputation of Carlos Ventin.”

“It’s one of the most significant buildings in your region, if not in the province,” said Scott-Booth. “I’m hearing from branches across the province very concerned about this issue.” The Norfolk Historical Society said removing the designation “based on a hastily written email by a frustrated property owner” would be a “slippery slope” that could put other historic buildings at risk.

Scott-Booth said a building needs to meet at least two of nine criteria for historic designation. She said the Peel Street building meets six or seven. Coun.

Alan Duthie, who has been opposed to the de-designation from the outset, said the owner “knew what they were getting into” when they purchased the building. “To me, it’s no different than building a house next to a farm and later complaining it’s dusty when they’re harvesting,” said Duthie. But Coun.

Chris VanPaassen, who cast the lone vote supporting the de-designation, said that in the 1980s there were grants available to historic building owners to help pay for upkeep. “When something benefits society as a whole, it should be paid for by society as a whole, not the individual,” said VanPaassen, noting the “vast majority” of letters from the public were “in respect of Carlos Ventin himself, not the building.” “His company sold it, so obviously, it wasn’t that important to them,” said VanPaassen.

Ventin, who worked on projects such as the 19-century Oxford County Jail in Woodstock, the Ontario Legislature, and the Norfolk County administration building where Tuesday’s meeting was held, died in 2013. With files from J.P. Antonacci, a Local Journalism Reporter based at the Hamilton Spectator. The initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.