Another Samuel Maclure heritage house protected

The heritage house at 960 Foul Bay Road will be restored and protected after a public meeting saw general community support for the project which includes subdividing the land into four parcels. The municipality and the property owner entered into a Heritage Revitalization Agreement after a unanimous vote on Feb. 26. This is the second Maclure house in the month to be protected.

The Lawson Residence, a surviving work by prolific local architect, Samuel Maclure, was built in 1914. It is in the Tudor Revival style that Maclure used for many of his residential designs, however this house was notable as it had rough cast stucco as the main exterior. The house was built for Henry Graham Lawson, a lawyer and a member of The Union Club of British Columbia.

The current owner and the district both agree that the property has heritage value and wish to preserve the heritage building, providing for its preservation, rehabilitation, restoration and maintenance. The agreement sets out that the heritage building with continue to be used as a single family residence with the addition of two secondary suites. The three new lots will have a single family residence built on each.

Donald Luxton and Associates, experts in heritage planning, created a Conservation Plan to guide the process.

A local government can, by bylaw, enter into a heritage revitalization agreement with the owner of a heritage property, setting out the terms and conditions of continuing protection for the heritage value and heritage character of the property.