Last vestiges of Victorian-era village set to vanish to widen a pair of roads in Peel Region
150-year-old house is only remaining dwelling of historic Wildfield community, but planners say it has to go
Peel Region is expected to decide early next month whether to save one of the last vestiges of a Victorian-era village.
The one-and-a-half storey house, built in the 1870s, is the only remaining dwelling left from a community known as Wildfield. The problem: It sits on The Gore Road, near Mayfield Road — both of which are scheduled to be widened next year.
Regional planners say the house will have to go. It's "the low-cost, low-risk option," according to a 2018 report to Peel council.
The only alternative is to move the house, which Peel Region staff say would cost at least $1.4 million.
If it goes, it's one more nail in the coffin of trying to preserve the history of Wildfield.- Dan O'Reilly
But that's the option that local heritage enthusiast Dan O'Reilly prefers. And he believes there's still time to save the house.
O'Reilly, who traces his family roots back to early 19th-century Wildfield, insists it's more than just one old house at stake.
"If it goes, it's one more nail in the coffin of trying to preserve the history of Wildfield," O'Reilly said. "Somebody's got to make a stand. And that's me."
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O'Reilly says he appeared before Peel council on Dec. 12 and asked the region to work with a consultant to see if it was possible to find an affordable new site for the house.
In a December letter to councillors, O'Reilly wrote: "It's very difficult to come up with the right words to describe the indignation and heartbreak current and former Wildfield residents are experiencing over the Region of Peel decision to demolish a heritage house at 11962 Gore Road.
"Surely, there must be a developer or private citizen who would be interested in this house."
House's history may be adding to woes
Peel, which has owned the property for about a decade, offered the house for sale last summer to anyone who would be willing to pay to have it moved. It was on the market from June to September.
There were no takers.
Ironically, the area's history may actually be contributing to the house's demise.
The building sits on the west side of The Gore Road, directly across from the only other surviving relic of Wildfield: St. Patrick's Church and its accompanying cemetery. Both are provincially designated heritage sites.
The construction crews widening the Gore Road must swing well to the west as they approach Mayfield Road in order to stay clear of St. Patrick's Church. That re-alignment puts the Wildfield house squarely in the path of the construction crews.
The Wildfield house is listed as a heritage site by the City of Brampton. But since it's a municipal listing, the owner — Peel Region — can demolish it on 60 days' notice, according to an Oct. 3 report to the Brampton heritage board.
Peel Region told Brampton's council on September 25 of its intention to pull down the house.
"Why don't we knock Old City Hall down in Toronto? We don't need that old building. Redevelop, have condos there," he said. "There have been so many heritage buildings that have been lost, not just in Brampton but in the whole Greater Toronto Area."
Staff expected to report back in January
Peel Councillor Paul Vicente, who sits on Brampton's heritage board, told CBC Toronto he sees both sides of the issue.
"Wherever possible, we should save heritage buildings," he said. "The costs can sometimes present a serious challenge."
He said staff have looked into several scenarios aimed at saving the house, "and in every single instance staff advised they had attempted to save the house and it wasn't feasible."
Even so, he drafted the motion at the Dec. 12 council meeting that asks staff to look into O'Reilly's possible solution.
Staff is expected to return with a report by Jan. 9.
"The house certainly seems to be in good condition; it has a connection to a blacksmith who operated in the area, and Wildfield has lost many heritage assets," Vicente said. "For me, if it could be moved I would support moving it."
O'Reilly said he's hoping that between the developer and the region, enough money and resources can be found to move the house to a new site.
"It's like that old saying: If you don't know where you've come from, you don't know where you're going."
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