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HomeMy WebLinkAbout433"Article copied from the News Advertiser, Friday, February 19, 1999, written by Marianne Takacs. 'No way to save' Pickering century building Piece of history is now history PICKERING — The community lost another piece of its history this week, but everybody seems to agree it couldn't be helped. The 150-year-old coach house next to Dunbar House on Dunbarton Road was demolished Monday to make way for new homes. The remaining old residence and the coach house, which is believed to also have been used as a blacksmith's shop at some point, once belonged to one of Pickering's founding families. ""We're very sorry that the coach house had to come down, but there wasn't any way to save it,"" says John Sabean, chairman of Heritage Pickering, the Town's Local Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee, and vice-president of the Pickering Township Historical Society. ""We did review the building. We would have tried to preserve it if there were any way of preserving it. It was in such bad shape."" According to Mr. Sabean, restoring the coach house would have cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and wouldn't have left much of the original structure. The property had belonged to the family of William Dunbar, who settled in the area in the 1830s. His descendants remained here for about 150 years, taking on prominent roles in the community. ""The Dunbars were both blacksmiths and wheelwrights,"" says Mr. Sabean, which explains the two uses for the building just demolished. William Dunbar was one of the founders of the village of Dunbarton, one of the originators of the Pickering Harbour Company, an elder in the Presbyterian church, and, together with his sons, apparently a participant in the Rebellion of 1837 as well. While the carriage house is gone, the developer of the property has left Dunbar House, which dates back to the early 1900s, in place. It's being renovated and used as a residence. Mr. Sabean says he's pleased the house is being kept and praised the developer, Gwillimbury Homes, for allowing it to remain. ""It's not that old a house, but it is a house that has been attached to the See Pickering Page 4 " "PAGE 4 NEWS ADVERTISER FRIDAY EDITION, February 19,1999. Pickering century building demolished, builder lauded for efforts PICKERING From page 1 Dunbar family,"" he notes. According to Tom Mohr, president of the Pickering Township Historical Society, the developer invited Pickering Museum Village representatives to visit the carriage house before it was demolished and take whatever they thought might be useful to the museum village. Mr. Mohr was also disappointed about the loss of the building, but agrees it was one of those situations where nothing could really be done. ""We really think the builder has gone a long way towards doing the right thing as far as our heritage is concerned,"" he notes. Also among those disappointed about the loss of the carriage house is area resident Kathy Bridges, who saw it being knocked down Monday. ""I just drove by there and my heart sort of sank,"" she says, noting she has taught local history to elementary students and the Dunbarton property was one of the few pieces of history still standing that could be shown. ""This is happening and there's not much left we can relate to."" "