The tale of a city in a single home

Posted by Magda
A council committee last week voted against designating 47 and 49 Alice St. as a heritage building. It's now up to council to decide what to do.

If they designate it, they'll anger the homeowner, who bought it assuming he could build a garage or driveway on the property, and didn't know the house was on a list of properties that could be designated.

If they don't, the homeowner will likely tear down an old shoe workshop heritage advocates argue is one of the few remaining such properties in the Ward.

The home embodies the story of Guelph's growth, and the current debate embodies the story of Guelph's future.

The Valeriote family started fixing shoes on Alice Street as a way to get by, the committee heard last week. It was a time when the Italians community was on the fringes of mainstream society. It was also a time when people were used to diverse communities. Small-scale industry was common in the Ward, and around the city.

But the Guelph of the future likely won't be that diverse. Selby Steeves doesn't want to live next door to a lot full of portable toilets. Neighbours of the old Forest Street school don't want to live beside doctor's offices. These are the problems that come with diverse-use communities. It seems people want neighbourhoods that are strictly residential.

Saving the shoe workshop on Alice Street seems like an attempt to save a Guelph those who live here say they don't want.

I'm working on a story about the many facets of this issue. If you have a take, or indeed any memories of Vincenzo Valeriote fixing shoes on Alice Street, let me know.

Comments

[D1&OnlyMichaelStevenWizardWisniewskiD1st]

The term "homeowner" should be the end of it.

He owns the property, he can do what he wants with it.

Period. End of discussion

[Leanne Piper]

Magda - I'm looking forward to your story examining the issue. It's a tough one, because the shoe shop is culturally significant, but not necessarily architecturally significant, which Heritage Guelph acknowledges in its report.

But then again, the same was once said about log cabins, and now there are only two left in the city. The same was said about blacksmiths shops, and now there are none. The same was said about passengers pigeons, now extinct.....

There used to be around 30-40 home-based "storefronts" in the Alice Street area of St. Patrick's Ward from the early 20th century - the butcher, the baker, etc. There are about 15 left and most have been converted to residential, storage, studio, garage or workshops ...so the pickings are getting slim.