GlobalTV News reports:

Tamara Baluja writes in the Globe & Mail on July 7th, 2011:

Maclean House, a Toronto heritage building, may just have found its saviour.

Read more…

On January 27th, Paul Moloney and Denise Balkissoon from The Toronto Star write:

Although its century-old sash window frames have already been ripped out, the John B. Maclean house will be added to Toronto’s inventory of heritage properties, city council decided Tuesday.

The unanimous vote is a move to force talks with the developer, who wants to tear down the 1910 Georgian Revival home and build eight townhouses and a rental building.

Designed by architect John Lyle, who was also behind Union Station and the Royal Alexandra Theatre, the building was already on a list of potential heritage properties when it was bought for $2.3 million in October 2008.

Two permit applications by owner 1626829 Ontario Ltd. to demolish it and rebuild were turned down.

Last December, contractors tore out the windows and the portal above the front door at 7 Austin Terrace, in what the residents’ association believes was a calculated move to circumvent the designation process.

“They knew which architectural elements would be the main focus of a heritage designation,” said Dyan Kirshenbaum, vice-president of the Casa Loma Residents Association. “It was ruthless, arrogant and ignorant.”

“We can’t just allow that building to be torn down,” said Councillor Joe Mihevc, who represents the area, adding he hopes council’s decision will stop any further abrupt renovations.

Ideally, a deal can be reached that preserves the heritage aspects of the property while allowing the owner to redevelop it, he said.

“We hope he comes to the table and understands that this is an important part of the Toronto story that needs to be preserved,” Mihevc said Tuesday after the council vote.

“The ideal scenario would be for the developer to sit down with the city, the planners, the local councillor and the heritage preservation people and develop a plan that meets the developer’s objectives but also meets the city’s objectives,” he said.

John Todd, president of 1626829 Ontario Ltd., said his company is “considering our options.”

Council has one more final vote on the designation, before which Todd has 30 days to appeal to the Conservation Review Board. The board then makes a recommendation to council, which can choose to follow or ignore it.

Todd wouldn’t say how likely it was that he would appeal.

“It just happened today,” he said. “We’ll shed light on all the issues very shortly.”

Built for the founder of Maclean’s magazine, the dove-grey building is now a sad sight, with its windows boarded up and a chain-link perimeter in place of its original 100-year-old wrought-iron fence.

“Every day I looked at it and enjoyed it,” said Kirshenbaum, who has lived across the street for 25 years.

“I was absolutely delighted to hear of council’s decision.”

Council also served notice Tuesday it will seek to designate the property under Ontario’s Heritage Act.

Even if the final vote to designate the property does pass at the city level, the developer can appeal to the OMB.

Read the full article here…

On January 26, Kenyon Wallace from the National Post writes:

Maclean House, a much-beloved Toronto landmark in the Casa Loma neighbourhood, will retain most of its historical architectural features after city council voted today to assign the property a heritage designation.

“I am so pleased that City Council made the right decision and stated its intention to designate Maclean House, following a unanimous recommendation by the Toronto Preservation Board,” said Councillor Joe Mihevc (Ward 21 – St. Paul’s West). “This would not have been possible without the great efforts of the local community group, the Casa Loma Residents Association, to preserve their neighbourhood’s and this city’s history.”

The house, at 7 Austin Terrace, was designed in 1910 by renowned architect John Lyle, who also designed the Royal Alexandra Theatre and Union Station. The home’s original owner, John Maclean, is the founder of Maclean’s magazine.

In mid December 2009, aware that Heritage Preservation Services (HPS) had undertaken a review of the property, the owner, an Ontario numbered company, began destroying architectural features on the building that many believed held heritage value. The owner had already made two applications to demolish the $2.3-million property, both of which were denied.

While HPS and city council examined the issue, the city asked for and was granted a stop order from the Provincial Ministry of Culture to prevent further alterations or demolitions on this property for a period of 60 days.

Today city council voted to state its intention to designate Maclean House, which can be objected to within 30 days. During this time, the property is protected under the Ontario Heritage Act and cannot be altered or demolished.
Read more: http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/toronto/archive/2010/01/26/toronto-s-maclean-house-designated-a-heritage-building.aspx#ixzz0dtIztHZw

Toronto City Council will vote this week on the unanimous recommendation from the Toronto Preservation Board to designate John B. Maclean House a historic site.

The province of Ontario issued a stop order in December 2009 to prevent a developer from further altering or damaging the 100-year old house while the City evaluates its cultural and historic significance. The developer began gutting the property while the City was conducting its review, specifically targeting important architectural details such as windows, doors and window trim…

News Release Maclean House (Jan 26 2010, PDF)

A report from the Toronto Heritage Preservation Services to the Toronto Preservation Board recommending Designation under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act.

Read the full report here…

Download the PDF here…

“Here and Now”, on CBC Radio Toronto, discusses the renovations:

John Lyle might well be spinning in his grave today, if he knew what was happening at MacLean House this week.

Lyle was one of the city’s great architects of the early 1900s. He designed Union Station and the Royal Alex theatre. Also among his creations was 7 Austin Terrace, near Castle Loma.

It’s better known as MacLean House today, and it’s closing in on its 100th birthday.

But some local residents are worried it might never see the century mark.

Earlier this week, the owner began altering the building’s unique architectural features.And some are worried that’s happening so the building can’t be designated a heritage site.

That designation would seriously limit any renovation work, or demolition that could be done.

Joining Here and Now to talk more about the MacLean House controversy was Councillor Joe Mihevc. He represents that neighborhood on city council.

The CBC Radio Show Program Log…

An email to the Minister of Heritage this morning from the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario president:

On behalf of the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario I want to thank the Minister for her prompt and, we hope effective action in saving 7 Austin Terrace. There are many such houses and buildings in Ontario that fall through the cracks and are lost, and most don’t have such active and effective citizens fighting to save them.

This is where the Ministry can be so effective and important. I look forward to working with you to protect Ontario’s heritage and to ensure that this kind of abuse doesn’t happen again.

Congratulations and thank you.

Regards,

Lloyd Alter B.Arch OAA
President, Architectural Conservancy of Ontario

Incorporated in 1933 to help communities save buildings and structures of architectural merit and places of natural beauty or interest.

Anna Mehler Paperny writes in The Globe and Mail on December 22nd:

Razing of Maclean home stopped

After a weekend of urgent wrangling, the province issued a stop-work order on a possible heritage building in danger of being demolished.

Ontario’s Culture Ministry announced the last-minute order to stop construction work on 7 Austin Terrace late yesterday afternoon. Built in 1922 by notable architect John Lyle, the now-vacant structure was the home of John Maclean, founder of Maclean’s Magazine. A numbered company planned to build townhouses on the site.

“Last week they took an axe to the building and started to demolish various pieces that were clearly of heritage value,” Councillor Joe Mihevc said. The city took the matter up with MPP Eric Hoskins and Culture Minister Aileen Carroll to obtain the stop-work order. Now the city’s heritage staff has until the end of January to determine whether the site should have a heritage designation, a decision that will be finalized in council. The developer can appeal to the province.

Read the article and comments here…

Brendan Kennedy writes in the Toronto Star on December 22nd:

Stop-work order for century home

One week after historic features hacked away, province gives city time to assess its heritage value

The Ontario government has stepped in to protect the home of Maclean’s magazine’s founder after the property’s owner was accused of attempting to destroy its architecturally significant elements to avoid heritage designation.

Provincial Culture Minister Aileen Carroll issued a stop-work order Monday to “prevent further alterations or damage” to 7 Austin Terrace, in the Casa Loma neighbourhood.

The house, which dates to 1922, according to the ministry, was designed by John Lyle – the architect behind Union Station and the Royal Alexandra Theatre – and was built for John Bayne Maclean, founder of Maclean’s.

There are few surviving Lyle structures in the city.

Mayor David Miller requested that the province intervene after the owner of the property “removed numerous windows and architectural elements” last week, the ministry said.

Last Tuesday, contract workers smashed out windows at the home in what area residents called “targeted destruction” to destroy the elements of the building that make it worthy of historical preservation.

City staffers are currently assessing the property’s heritage value.

However, the owner of the property said the workers were securing the vacant home for the winter and to prevent trespassing, which has been a problem in the past.

“Everything that was done today was in our rights as the property owner,” said John Todd, president of 1626829 Ontario Ltd., last week.

The company purchased the property for $2.3 million in October 2008.

Calls to Todd’s cellphone on Monday night were not immediately returned.

The 60-day stop order will give the city enough time to determine the property’s heritage value, Carroll said.

“We issued the stop order to ensure that no further damage to the building will occur.”

This is only the second time the province has intervened this way since the Ontario Heritage Act was enhanced in 2005 to give the province and municipalities the power to protect properties that may have heritage significance.

Councillor Joe Mihevc called Carroll’s decision “precedent-setting.”

“It tells the development community that you cannot short-circuit heritage concerns for expediency’s sake,” he said.

“You must allow city staff to do its work to determine the heritage merits of any property before you can proceed with a development application.”

But Mihevc said the city shouldn’t have to go to the province to stop a developer from altering a building while the building is being reviewed.

“Municipalities need authority to put stop orders on properties that may be deemed historically significant.”

The property owner has applied to demolish the building to build townhouses, but a preliminary community meeting in October was not supportive of the project, Mihevc said.

The Casa Loma Residents’ Association argues the building should be preserved.

Read the article here…