After a Toronto Preservation Board meeting last month, the former Lawrence Park home and studio of Group of Seven artist A.J. Casson is on its way to becoming a heritage property. However, it could be years before anything happens, which —according to some — does not bode well in a neighbourhood losing many of its heritage properties.
“Nothing is stopping it from being demolished at the moment,” said Geoff Kettel of the North York Community Preservation Panel. Kettel and other panel members are pushing to have the home, located at 43 Rochester Ave., recognized by the city.
According to Scott Barrett, a co-ordinator with Toronto Heritage Preservation Services, the next step is for the department to produce a report evaluating the historical value of the home.
Currently, no date is set for when this will take place. “We have a backlog of properties, which represents many months’ or years’ worth of work,” he said.
According to Barrett, properties can be put through the process more quickly if there’s a threat of demolition. At print time, no threat to the Casson property had been reported.