Historical Houses lost to Fire - More than just an old building to me

[RetroToday]

Just thought I'd share a personal experience that has left me a little unsettled... Too many historical houses in my area are being lost to fire lately, this was one of them.

What a sad state this house turned to in ten years since I first visited in 1997. That year I was 20 years old and had recently joined the Scarborough Historical Society of Ontario, Canada.
I was very "gung-ho" about taking photos of all the known buildings that were from the 19th century in Scarborough, when I discovered the beautiful Rittenhouse property.

I knocked on the door of the pretty yellow and white and green farmhouse there and spoke with the elderly gentleman who still resided there, Joe Rittenhouse.
I told him I was from the Historical Society and he invited me in to chat about the long history of the house and farm. To my amazement, nothing had changed in the house since the 1930s!

Joe explained that his direct ancestors had not built the house, but they had owned and farmed the land since the 1870s. He described living in the house when his parents were there, his first trip to the City of Toronto as a kid (around 1919) and many other tidbits of very interesting history. He also said that the film crews based in Toronto loved to use this property for movie and video shoots. So, after I learned this information I kept my eye peeled for the house and barns when I watched movies and television - I was very surprised and happy that I found it a few times!

A couple of the films that used his property:
Men With Brooms (movie) 2002
Kids in the Hall (TV) - various comedy skits
Road to Avonlea (TV)
Bobcaygeon - song (Music Video by The Tragically Hip)
The list goes on...

I kept in touch with Joe from time to time after that visit, dropping in to see that he was doing well. During one visit I happily bought a couple of ornately printed wooden shipping crates that dated from the early 1900s from him.

Joe, in his late 80s, passed away in 2005. Having no children, the contents of the house were auctioned off and the house sat derelict.
Unfortunately In early November of 2007 some people looking for a place to party one Saturday night discovered the Rittenhouse home and for some reason started a fire. The house soon burned to the ground.

I almost wish that I hadn't gone to see the remains of the house shortly after the fire was put out. We salvaged a few historical remnants that weren't melted.
I'll fondly remember chatting with Joe on the porch about the ways of the past and will try to not remember the wonderful smell of the burnt wood of his house on that cold November day in 2007. I do my best to be a Steward of the Past, but in the last couple of years I feel like an undertaker, saving bits of importance rather than the whole buildings.

The demolition permit was issued in December and now one of my personal favourite trips back in time no longer exists. That's life I guess?
Well, at least I wrote down all he told me and I plan to write and publish an article about those interviews in a Scarborough Historical Society periodical. All is not lost after all.

I posted a few images here in this thread, but you can see more images and news articles in this Flickr image album I set up:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremyhopkin/sets/72157602995122928/

The Rittenhouse farmhouse in 1997 - my photo.

The Rittenhouse farmhouse in 2007 - my photo.

Joe Rittenhouse on the north side porch of his farmhouse - 1997, my photo.

Joe has now passed and so too has the farmhouse - 2007, my photo.

A frame from the 1998 music video for "Bobcaygeon", a song by band "The Tragically Hip" - The Rittenhouse farmhouse is featured prominently in the video. You can easily find the video on Youtube.

One of the several articles published about the fire

 

[Mike in Seattle]

How truly sad! I'd read something a couple months ago about kids breaking into and starting a fire and/or doing other damage to Walt Whitman's home at Walden Pond (I think it was). It's sad when there's an electrical short and a historic home suffers damage or burns down, but it's just maddening when it's caused by some jerks. I hope they get prosecuted and have to make restitution, and they're reminded of it every day for years to come.

 

[LocktownDog]

I heard about this. Its an underappreciated tragedy. So sad to think that so few people care anymore.


Richard

 

[Decodence]

That type of senseless vandalism should be carry greater penalties.

 

[RetroToday]

How truly sad! I'd read something a couple months ago about kids breaking into and starting a fire and/or doing other damage to Walt Whitman's home at Walden Pond (I think it was). It's sad when there's an electrical short and a historic home suffers damage or burns down, but it's just maddening when it's caused by some jerks. I hope they get prosecuted and have to make restitution, and they're reminded of it every day for years to come.

Thanks everyone, for reading what I wrote above, felt good to get it off my chest and share it here with some like minded people.

What Mike in Seattle said about the Whitman house is also sad, I also wish something could be done to prosecute the vandals there.
Usually it is very hard to track these vandals down, especially if the property is somewhat isolated. That was the case with the Rittenhouse farm; by the time the fire was discovered, the vandals were probably miles away...

Another reason this fire also bothers me is that not many of our heritage homes are left, urban sprawl is taking over all the farm based countryside that once dominated this once picturesque land. I admit, the Rittenhouse home is a typical nineteenth century farmhouse (some might say unimportant) but as the years creep by, they will not be so common.

The public generally doesn't appreciate the value of this type of architecture because nobody "famous" lived there, no grand event ever took place on its grounds, it was a typical farm.
But I feel each typical 19th century house or property we lose brings us a little further away from the connection to that type of rural life and the great qualities it gave to those simple yet grand people who contributed to the community. Just stepping onto that property and talking with a person so connected to the land and its history gave me such an appreciation for that way of life and that "typical" house.

There is also many cases where developers or landowners have paid shady individuals to set these fires, that's a whole other story in itself.

Seems like the only way we can preserve any heritage up here in Canada these days is if its "Commercially Viable". If the building can be easily adapted to fit a Starbucks or Real Estate office, only then it will be saved. Not many new museums are opening, they cost too much money for the Government to run - well, that opinion is due to the fact that our heritage is not as valued as other cultural endeavours.

One day things just have to change for the better, before we lose all of what is still there to save.

 

[jake_fink]

Here's another from Southern Ontario and the GTA:

Neglected Shuter Townhouses Collapse

Around here you have to learn to live with the demise by neglect of local history, coz if you shed a tear everytime something fell to bits you'd dehydrate and die.

 

[PrettySquareGal]

Seems like the only way we can preserve any heritage up here in Canada these days is if its "Commercially Viable". If the building can be easily adapted to fit a Starbucks or Real Estate office, only then it will be saved. Not many new museums are opening, they cost too much money for the Government to run - well, that opinion is due to the fact that our heritage is not as valued as other cultural endeavours.

One day things just have to change for the better, before we lose all of what is still there to save.

Here in Maine I've read of at least two historical societies/sites having to close down recently. I've lost count of how many Starbucks have opened.

(Hi. )

 

[RetroToday]

Here's another from Southern Ontario and the GTA:...

...Around here you have to learn to live with the demise by neglect of local history, coz if you shed a tear everytime something fell to bits you'd dehydrate and die.

Hi jake, cool that you also found that old townhome,

It was a shame about Walnut Hall (the townhome building jake showed).
They were Toronto's oldest remaining townhomes (built 1856). That style of townhome was also a VERY common sight in the city, like the farmhouses in the countryside, now very few good examples remain.

Walnut Hall was a case of forced demolition by owner neglect. The city sure was quick to tear it down when it became a hazard.

I was close to dehydrating and dying like you said - instead I developed a thicker skin about loss. Although, with that I also acquired an even thicker skin when it comes to people who want to destroy history with no friendly compromise at all.

Even though that compromise usually ends with only a building's facade being saved (interiors gutted) that would at least be something...

 

[LindyTap]

Just down the street from where I live and go to college a man decided to kill himself... by burning down his apartment building. Not only did many young students lose everything they had, but a building that was over 100 years old burned down. It's so sad that people do stupid things like this. I have to walk past there every day, and I can't help but feel angry.

 

[RetroToday]

Here in Maine I've read of at least two historical societies/sites having to close down recently. I've lost count of how many Starbucks have opened.

(Hi. )

Hello PSG!
Sorry for the loss of your Societies. Was it due to dwindling memberships?

As our Scarborough Historical Society membership base gets on in years that is an issue we face as well, and we are. We do a lot of public outreach programs to show people we exist and it draws in more support that way.
But, I'm still the youngest person actively involved in the SHS committees and I'm 31 years old.

It's tough because younger people don't have the fond memories that the older people do of this place when it was farms and countryside.
Much of Scarborough today has the appearance of worn out "1950s boom" urban landscape which a lot of younger people do not have great memories of growing up in.

There aren't many Starbucks here yet - Tim Horton (the man) actually lived here for a number of years, so that coffee franchise with his name is putting up a big fight. lol

 

[JustDave]

Hello, everyone first post here. Here in Charlotte where I live its like we hate our history, almost all of the old neighborhoods built after WWII are being bought up and replaced with plastic cookie cutter houses. And just recently a diner that was one of if not the first integrated restaurants in the south was closed to make way for condos. I have to agree it seems like were eager to discard our past for no reason at all.

 

[RetroToday]

Here's another from Southern Ontario and the GTA:

Hi again jake,

Here's an image of Walnut Hall in 1934. The great depression was in full swing, but the building was still in good shape.

 

[PrettySquareGal]

Hello PSG!
Sorry for the loss of your Societies. Was it due to dwindling memberships?

Lack of funds.

http://news.mainetoday.com/updates/022113.html

http://news.mainetoday.com/updates/021861.html

 

[ohairas]

Oy, what a tear jerker! These poor lost buildings and homes get me every time.

I'm so glad you were able to visit Joe and get such wonderful stories, and that you plan to do a write up. :eusa_clap

Just a dog-gone shame. shakeshead
Nikki

 

[Mr. K.L.Bowers]

In our county there was a stone farm house and barn located on a major highway. The home was built in the mid 1700’s had been maintained and was still in good condition. During Lee’s retreat from Gettysburg, General Longstreet established his headquarters in this home and Confederate sharpshooters used the barn as cover during a small battle which took place there. A developer purchased the property and wanted to place a gas station / convenience store on the site. (you can’t have too many convenience stores) Local historians were attempting to have the property declared a historic site to preserve it. The developer actually had a crew start bulldozing the home in the middle of the night to prevent any interference. Chalk up another one for progress.

 

[retrogirl1941]

In Frederiscksburg,VA a few years back there was a house that as named Idlewild and it played an important part of the battle of Fredericksburg but a developer wanted the land. He came up with all kinds of "we will preserve the house blah blah blah...." but in the middle of the fight to save the house; someone went and set fire to the house. Coincidence? I think not! When the fire burned the house down it looked like the developer was gong to lose too! :rage: Now There is a Home depot in front front it and the land is now home to a housing developement.Thats the last thing that area needs!shakeshead

Samantha

 

[Baron Kurtz]

One New Change

Directly across from St Paul's Cathedral. Not an old building, by any means (early 1950s), but one of the most perfect pieces of subtle "complimentary" architecture you're going to find . . . or you would, a few years ago. Dragged to the ground as part of London's current obsession with replacing lovely old buildings with glass monstrosities. Now Cheapside and St Paul's will be overlooked by yet another of modern architecture's masturbations.

http://www.ludgatecircus.com/1_new_change.htm

bk