"White House"

Location

Stratford, Ontario

Why it matters

Built in 1866, this grand, landmark home is one of the best known houses in Stratford and has housed many prominent families. Its towering Southern-styled portico supported by 18 two-storey concrete columns (added in the 1920s) and its large, block-wide grounds are key features contributing to its civic renown.

Why it’s endangered

For more than a decade, uncertainty around maintenance, reuse, and subdivision (including OMB hearings), and tensions between various owners, neighbours, and municipal officials, have hung over this high-profile property. The current owner is on track to further subdivide the property and is seeking to demolish the portico in response to an engineering report that the concrete columns are unsound and would require over $300,000 to repair. With the current unwillingness of the City to designate the White House, and the lack of incentives that could stimulate creative solutions, the White House is at risk of losing the extraordinary portico and spacious grounds that has made the house a civic landmark.