HomeMy WebLinkAbout377"Article copied from the Pickering Post, Thursday. July 20,1978, page 1.
Illustration: The wide front porch, patterned brickwork and decorative trim were popular
features of houses built during the latter half of the nineteenth century. The Carter house near
Whitevale is a fine example of the architecture of that period.
Two historical houses in the hamlet of Whitevale within the North Pickering new community
site were offered for sale recently by the provincial Ministry of Housing.
Known locally as the Major and Griffin houses, they are distinctive examples of the traditional
century character of the hamlet of Whitevale.
Local residents and North Pickering Project planners have expressed interest in helping to
restore the charm of the original Whitevale community and preserve the more significant
elements of the past.
The North Pickering Resident's Committee, the Town of Pickering and the Land Acquistion
and Management Branch of the Ministry of Housing have been working together to ensure that
the purchasers of these properties restore them to a condition that reflects their architectual
and historical importance.
One of the two Whitevale homes for sale is the eight room Major house, a frame building with
attractive board and batten siding and a fine two storey bay window.
It was built in the late 1850's by Henry Major, a son of John Major, principal founder of the
Village of Major (later renamed Whitevale), who took advantage of the sources of power
provided by the West Duffin Creek by building and operating a saw mill on its banks.
A charming example of nineteenth century Upper Canadian architecture,
the house was passed down through generations of Majors until it was sold to the
Province in 1974.
Before offering the Major house for sale, the Land Acquisition and Management Branch
carried out some initial work to preserve and weather proof the structure.
The exterior was painted, the eavestroughing repaired or replaced, windows replaced,
and the roof was shingled.
The land on which the Griffin house sits was owned by Truman P. White, a member of the
family whose name was given to the hamlet of Whitevale.
In the late 1850's Joseph Vardon, a local carpenter, purchased the land and built the one and a
half storey north portion of the present house. The house was sold in the late 1870's to
Daniel Moody who subsequently added the one storey rear wing.
Although the history of the property's ownerships has proven difficult to trace-after that time,
architecturally the Griffin house represents a typical, modest nineteenth century residence.
Having been built in stages, the seven room house combines a number of different architectual
styles favoured in the area during the period of its construction. An L-shaped frame structure
of modest dimensions with a clapboard exterior, there is little ornamentation except around the
main entrance.
Although not architecturally outstanding, the Griffin house is considered a vital component of
the charming nineteenth century streetscape of Whitevale.
Prospective purchasers are required to submit plans for the restoration of the property,
along with their offer to purchase the Major or Griffin house. Selection of the purchaser for each
house will be decided by the Ministry with assistance from the North Pickering Resident's
Committee. The selection will be based, to a large extent, on the suitability of the restoration
proposal.
Preliminary proposals for the purchase and resoration of these houses were received on
June 12, 1978 and offers to purchase are currently being invited from those parties who
submitted proposals that met the objectives of the Ministry.
In addition to selling these houses in Whitevale, the Land Acquistion and Management Branch,
in conjunction with North Pickering Project planners, recently completed extensive renovations
to the Carter house, east of Whitevale on concession road 5.
Located within the future North Pickering urban community, the Carter house will remain in
provincial ownership until it is integrated into the new town design, at which time it may be
returned to private ownership.
The Carter House had been identified by a panel of architectural consultants and historians a
a ""Class 1"" building that ""must be save"" in light of its exceptional and individualistic
nineteenth century design.
The one and a half storey Victorian farmhouse appears to have been constructed in the 1970's
with decorative trimwork showing elements of earlier periods of architecture.
Brick patterning had become a popular feature of local building design in the Toronto area
about thirty or forty years earlier and continued to be fashionable over the next one or two
decades.
A feasibility study for the restoration of the house was carried out by a noted authority in the
field of architectural restoration and that study served as a basis for the renovations.
Throughout the restoration, as much as possible of the original character of the residence,
has been preserved and its outstanding architectural features, such as the front porch,
bay window and fretwork, have been restored to their original condition.
The construction work was carried out primarily by local contractors and carpenters.
The major work to the exterior of the house involved sandblasting, the brick, which restored the
orginal richness of the ornamental read and yellow brickwork. Deteriorated bricks were
replaced with similar handmade ones obtained locally from other areas of the community.
The wood was repaired and painted, and the original porch on the front of the house was
restored, complete with bower roof and fretwork ornament. A new roof of asphalt shingle was
added and the eavestroughing replaced.
In the interior, the pine floors were sanded and coated with protective urethane,
and a new pegged oak floor was laid in the dining room. The wainscotting in the dining room
was replaced and what had been the woodshed at the rear of the hose was rebuilt for the
kitchen area.
The kitchen cabinets were custom made by local carpenters and finished with wood grained
stain, in the style found in houses of this period.
Wainscotting, interior doors, window and door frames, and the wide base boards were
stripped and refinished in a similar manner.
The decorative plaster trimming and cornices in the rooms were restored and the walls
drywalled where necessary. Even the dumb waiter was preserved and locked into place to be
used as a cabinet.
second floor were altered and closets added to make the upstairs more suitable for modern
living arrangements.
Shortly after the major renovations were completed, the Carter house was leased to a couple
looking for a Victorian home to furnish with their antiques. The spacious rooms,
high ceiling and light floors create an attractive setting for the finely designed pieces they have
collected over the years.
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