The Town of Innisfil has decided to list another heritage property to the chagrin of the owner.
Council approved a recommendation at its May 25 meeting from the Innisfil Heritage Committee to add 5633 County Road 27 as a listed, non-designated property under the Ontario Heritage Act. This move will give the town 60 days to re-evaluate the property and its heritage value should a demolition permit be requested.
Owner Wayne Draper - whose family has owned the property since 1956 - voiced his objection to the listing first to the heritage committee and formally to council via a written Open Forum submission. As each councillor received a copy of Draper’s letter, it was not read into the record during the meeting.
Coun. Ken Eisses pulled the item for discussion in committee-of-the-whole rather than merely rubber-stamping the recommendation. While he commended the heritage committee for always making “well thought out” recommendations, he wanted to make sure that Draper’s concerns could at least be addressed.
“The comment that Mr. Drapper made (was) that he was concerned that his house and barn are in generally poor condition and that they do not wish to participate,” Eisses said. The owner’s comments contradicted the observation of the heritage committee, who indicated the “160+-year-old frame house appears solid and structurally sound,” calling it “a testament to the craftsmanship of the early builders.”
Only the house would be impacted by the listing, Assistant Clerk Kevin Jacobs clarified, not the barn. That would be the case for a designation as well. Regardless, the current condition of the home isn’t as important as the home in general.
“The state of a property that is brought forward for either a listing or a designation… is not a huge criterion,” Jacobs said. “There are older ruins and whatnot that have been added to the list.”
Under the Heritage Act, properties are evaluated under three main criteria - having design or physical value, historical or associated value or contextual value that adds to the character of the community or neighbourhood - and need to meet at least one of those, Jacobs continued. The property at 5633 County Road 27 has been selected because it is one of the first permanent settlement homes in Cookstown.
Maple Lodge Farm, as so-called by the Kell family when they owned it throughout part of the early 20th century, was first built more than 160 years ago, around 1855, and is one of the few remaining homes from this era still standing in all of Innisfil.
John Perry was first awarded 200 acres of Lot 1, Concession 1 in 1844, with his brother George taking over the north 100 acres the following year. The village that sprung at the crossroads that made up their southern property line was called Perry’s Corners prior to being renamed Cookstown.
“Maple Lodge Farm, as it was called by the Kell family has been a prominent structure on the east side of Highway 27 for over 160 years,” the heritage committee wrote in its recommendation to list the property. “This original frame house, a settler's first permanent house, is one of few similar structures still standing in Innisfil today. The long-term owners, beginning with the John and George Perry, followed by the Fishers, then the Kells and finally the Drapers all contributed to the cultural fabric of the village of Cookstown.”
The recommendation passed unanimously.
