(Photo: Boyd House, Fall 2013. Photo by Glen Gower.)
City planners are recommending that Boyd House, the old stone home at 173 Huntmar Drive, be designated as a heritage building. The city’s Built Heritage Sub-Committee will vote on a motion to designated it on Monday, November 9.
The property is slated for development and heritage designation is included as one of the conditions in the plan of subdivision.
In 2013, the owner of the property, Bob Karam, applied to demolish the home. The application went in front of the city’s heritage committee, at which point the owner agreed to stave off demolition and maintain and secure the property.
The stone house will now be incorporated into the new subdivison and used as an office, restaurant, or similar commercial use.
The house was built in 1887 by James and Jane Boyd, just a few years after the Great Fire destroyed most of the landscape in this area. They raised seven children and the house remained in the family until the 1970s.
The city’s heritage staff say that architecturally, it’s a good example of a late 19th century Gothic Revival farmhouse.
“Typical of the style, the house is constructed of stone with a steeply pitched gable roof, decorative bargeboard and stone quoins. These houses were frequently built to replace earlier log houses that were built upon settlement,” says the report.
“The house has associative or historical value because it expresses the theme of early settlement of Huntley Township by Irish Protestants in the mid 19th century. These new immigrants cleared the land and farmed, and this house is representative of the early successes of prosperous farmers such as the Boyd family. As development occurs in the area, the historic context of the Boyd House is being lost. The house has contextual value as a visual reminder of the agricultural history of Huntley Township.”
Councillor Shad Qadri is quoted in the report as well:
“As Councillor for the area I feel it is very important that we retain the heritage of our community and the designation of the Boyd house provides an excellent opportunity to do so. With Stittsville as a growing community I feel it is important that we maintain our historical connection going forward to reflect the importance of the descendants of our community.”
Over the past few years the condition of the home has deteriorated and vandals have caused extensive cosmetic damage to the home. A barn on the site built in 1901 was torn down in the fall of 2013.
A couple years ago I did quite a bit of research into the home and the Boyd family. There’s a remarkable number of photos and stories that have been passed down through generations of the family. You can read about it here…
I am curious to know the reason why this heritage designation is being put off until December. Is it at the request of the developer? Is it a ploy by the developer to hold off doing nothing as long as he can in hope that the impending winter weather will further cause destruction rendering the building too far into disrepair to be fixed? I have read the City’s report about why this home is significant; they did a good job. So why the deferral?