Another historic Victorian home in Peel demolished

Sadly another striking example of Queen Anne Victorian architecture has been demolished in Peel Region. The house was just outside of Alloa off of Mississauga Road. When I saw the mountain of red brick, my jaw dropped in disbelief. Luckily, I had photographed the home in late 2009, and incorporated it into my Abandoned Ontario book.

UPDATE!!!! I was speaking with Glen Judge this morning, the nice man who owns the nearby Cheltenham General Store, and apparently the house BURNT down. Very suspicious.

This was a beautiful home, and was in near pristine condition. I drove past the house in late January, and noticed that they had torn down the large barn and various outbuildings at the back of the property. Although I was somewhat skeptical, part of me was sincerely hoping that they would leave the home to be.

What frustrates me, and many others I speak to, is what is so wrong with incorporating the existing landscape into new community designs? Why do builders exist on flattening every building, cutting down every tree, and filling in every wetland that lies in their path? If they are smart enough to create these master designs for new communities, they are certainly smart enough to incorporate the old in with the new.

A subdivision is a method of development popularized in the 1950's. Guess what, that was 50 years ago! Sprawls of homes that rely on the ever polluting automobile are a design of the past. At the very least, why not make use of this big, beautiful home? Turn it into a community hub. Incorporate a store, a meeting place, whatever. My feeling is that if people are aware of and respect the history of a local area, they are more likely to have pride and respect for where they live. If you're a resident of the area, and you would like to see less of these types of homes torn down, contact the city to get involved.