A couple is getting a warm welcome from the municipality after officially moving into a designated heritage house near downtown Chatham.
After living Toronto for over 10 years, Natalie Fitzgerald and Devin Schaffner purchased the “Haddington Villa”, located at 90 Park St., in April. On Monday morning they received their official house warming from the Municipal Heritage Committee.
The house was built by Helen Witherspoon Charteris in 1877-1878. Under the Ontario Heritage Act, owners of any properties designated of cultural heritage value or interest must get council approval before making any changes that will affect certain attributes of the property, including the original design or appearance. In April 2018, the former owner unsuccessfully attempted to repeal the building's heritage designation by-law.
However for Fitzgerald and Schaffner, while they weren't seeking out to buy a heritage house, the idea of having one was an "added bonus."
"We like the idea of keeping the history of a public place. We don't like tearing everything down and starting from scratch. Sometimes you need to, but we like that we can keep this building going," said Schaffner.
Fitzgerald echoed these statements adding that they enjoyed learning the significance of the property, which they referred to as one big heirloom.
"It took us a little while to understand what the heritage status meant and what those limitations were," explained Fitzgerald. "But when we worked with the municipal office they were great at helping us understand what the by-law meant and which aspects of the house are designated and which part of the house we would be able to make modifications as we needed for our family."
During the official housewarming on Monday, the couple was given a gift basket by Mayor Darrin Canniff. According to Fitzgerald, the event was just one of the many ways the people of Chatham-Kent have gone above and beyond to make them feel welcomed.
"Whenever we've had any problems people just really seem to be willing to help and support us," she said.
Schaffner is originally from Chatham-Kent while Fitzgerald originates from New Brunswick. After living in a bustling city like Toronto for a decade, besides being easier on the wallet, the couple couldn't stop raving about the hospitality and smaller town feel of CK. They said the neighbourhood is also a perfect fit for their two pets and their young daughter.
Photo by Allanah Wills
"It's great, [our daughter] can ride her bike to Tecumseh Park, which is close by. In Toronto we would have never had her ride her bike on the sidewalk, it just would have been far too dangerous," said Fitzgerald. "In Chatham, it feels safer, it's more of a community feel. It's great to be able to watch her ride her bike to school."
Susan Simpson, vice-chair of the Municipal Heritage Committee, said they were thrilled to find someone that wanted to continue the legacy of the house. For her, heritage properties like this one are vital to the history of Chatham-Kent.
"They give us a sense of community, a sense of place and they reveal a lot about our history which helps us to understand," Simpson said. "We preserve and protect homes and properties not just for the current generation but for future generations as well. It brings us all together and we can reflect on where we've been and where we're going."
The couple will make some minor repairs to the Italianate and Gothic Revival style house that they said they fell in love with the second they walked into it.
"I love that you can see the detail in everything," said Schaffner. "Everything from the hinges to all of the woodwork to the stained glass, the one-foot tall baseboards, things like that. The brick, when you look at the foundation and how it hasn't shifted at all it's just solid as a rock. It's not going anywhere -- you rarely find that now."
