HomeMy WebLinkAbout334"Article taken from the Pickering News Advertiser, Feb 21, 1999.
History lost, history saved.
One heritage building gone, but another preserved as past and progress meet
Sometimes, even the best of efforts aren't enough.
So it was this week with the demolition of the 150-year-old coach house next to Dunbar
House in Pickering after every option to preserve or rebuild the dilapidated structure had been
explored.
It is true an important piece of Pickering's architectural heritage disappeared with a few swipes
of the back-hoe on the property this week, but even the guardians of local history agreed there
""wasn't any way to save it"", in the words of Heritage Pickering's John Sabean.
The coach house, which is also believed to have been used as a blacksmith's shop in its
150-year existence, served one of the founding families of the village of Dunbarton in west
Pickering for generations. William Dunbar, the record shows, settled in the area in the 1830s.
His descendants remained here for more than 150 years, taking on prominent roles in the
community.
But progress and heritage, crashing headlong into one another as they sometimes do,
were once again the focal point of hand-wringing and negotiations between town historians and
development firm Gwillimbury Homes.
For their part, Gwillimbury Homes representatives have agreed to preserve and renovate the
main Dunbar House, which dates back to the early 1900s. That building will be used as a
residence, but remains on site and will serve for many years as an example of that period of
architecture. In that sense, then, a major architectural piece of the period will always represent
that era in Pickering's history.
It's not often that kind words can be said when progress pushes history out of the way.
In this case, it appears every effort was made to ensure that these two natural enemies —
progress and heritage — could find common ground and a common solution.
So, while we lament the loss of the coach house, let's also remember that another important
piece of history has been forever preserved in the process.
William Dunbar may not have been able to foresee the lasting presence he and his descendants
would have in the town of Pickering, but thanks to these community-based efforts in saving at
least a piece of that history, the family's presence and impact on the community will endure.
It's not a perfect solution, but one which can make Pickering residents and historians proud.
"