[Ladies Mile]

The last house is not in Dallas--it is in Des Moines and is still extant. Impressive, I suppose, but not really my thing.

The Cleveland houses are horrifically ugly--bristling battle-ax looking things. Ugh!

 

[thecharioteer]

The last house is not in Dallas--it is in Des Moines and is still extant. Impressive, I suppose, but not really my thing.

The Cleveland houses are horrifically ugly--bristling battle-ax looking things. Ugh!

Thanks for the correction on the Des Moines house. I had it mislabeled in my files. As for Cleveland, you really don't like them, eh?

 

[LowPolygon]

The Cleveland houses are horrifically ugly--bristling battle-ax looking things. Ugh!

oh come on, please air your "firey" and "gutsy" undergrad opinions elsewhere on the forum.

thanks

 

[Ladies Mile]

Thanks for the correction on the Des Moines house. I had it mislabeled in my files. As for Cleveland, you really don't like them, eh?

I think the Des Moines house is actually the Governor's residence.

The first and third pictures of Cleveland show the same house, which was torn down the day after its original owner died in accordance with his will.

The last house is, I suppose, inoffensive. The other two are curiously vertical for such relatively large lots and are wearing more spikes than a medieval platoon.

 

[Ladies Mile]

oh come on, please air your "firey" and "gutsy" undergrad opinions elsewhere on the forum.

thanks

Why thank you, I intend to.

 

[thecharioteer]

There is the other side of Rosedale, beyond the Romanesque Revival mansions of the late 19thC, namely the more modest homes of earlier settlers, starting with Castle Frank (built 1794, burnt down 1829), Drumsnab (1834) and something called the Jackson Estate (anyone know where this was?)

Castle Frank (built by the Simcoes):

Drumsnab 1834, still standing at 50 Drumsnab Rd, oldest contiually inhabited house in Toronto, photo by UT's Junctionist:

The Jackson Estate, also labelled Castle Frank Lodge (photo by William james 1912):

 

[Uncle Teddy]

Funny thing about Urban Shocker's posts is that he lives in Riverdale and, from what I can tell from his posts, he certainly does not live in a Peter Clewes designed house.

 

[Urban Shocker]

So? Neither does Peter Clewes.

 

[wwwebster]

...and something called the Jackson Estate (anyone know where this was?)

The images labelled "Jackson Estate" are in fact of the old gatekeeper's cottage at the top of Parliament Street, also known as 110 Howard. The land did at one point belong to Maunsell Bowers Jackson, but had been sold by the time those pictures were taken. I believe the old man is Thomas White, with his grandchildren Nellie and John William White, as per the 1911 Census:

http://automatedgenealogy.com/census11/View.jsp?id=81710&desc=1911+Census+of+Canada+page

The other 4 kids are probably random passersby that had to be included lest they pelt the photographer with snowballs.

 

[thecharioteer]

So? Neither does Peter Clewes.

I think that the only architect in Toronto who lives in a house designed from scratch by himself is Eb Zeidler on Beaumont Road.

 

[Urban Shocker]

Didn't he sell it recently?

 

[Tewder]

That said, I like Victorian styles (in houses). They can be compared to McMansions in the sense that they were disposable (and sometimes of poor quality), but I think many houses of that era had enough individuality that the term doesn't really fit.

Victoria had a long reign... and aren't all buildings disposable to one degree or another? They're not made out of tungsten carbide after all.

As a social phenomenon McMansions are vastly different from Rosedale mansions. One was attainable but built on illusion, the other was nigh on impossible to attain but represented truer wealth. Deepend is right, we know which ones will likely still be standing in 100 years.

 

[flar]

Victoria had a long reign... and aren't all buildings disposable to one degree or another? They're not made out of tungsten carbide after all.

As a social phenomenon McMansions are vastly different from Rosedale mansions. One was attainable but built on illusion, the other was nigh on impossible to attain but represented truer wealth. Deepend is right, we know which ones will likely still be standing in 100 years.

That makes me question the common assumption that McMansions are more disposable than any other buildings. Will we see neighbourhoods demolished in the name of "suburban renewal" in the coming decades on the same scale as urban renewal in the mid 20C?

Most people who currently live in McMansions probably consider a house an investment, and intend to sell at some point. I bet many of the largest 19th century mansions that got demolished were only ever occupied by one family. I guess we'll have to wait for the answer in the coming years when McMansions start to require expensive repairs. Will any actually be abandoned? What a kick in the pants if they become worthless before they're even paid for. I wonder how many will be divided into apartments?

 

[cdr108]

That makes me question the common assumption that McMansions are more disposable than any other buildings. Will we see neighbourhoods demolished in the name of "suburban renewal" in the coming decades on the same scale as urban renewal in the mid 20C?

Most people who currently live in McMansions probably consider a house an investment, and intend to sell at some point. I bet many of the largest 19th century mansions that got demolished were only ever occupied by one family. I guess we'll have to wait for the answer in the coming years when McMansions start to require expensive repairs. Will any actually be abandoned? What a kick in the pants if they become worthless before they're even paid for. I wonder how many will be divided into apartments?

currently, most McMansions are in the burbs from what i've seen.
the ironic thing i find is that some of them are on relatively small lots vs. the SF of the house itself.

if they become too expensive to repair, maybe a developer will buy a bunch of lots together, raze them and build a mid-high rise

 

[LowPolygon]

Just because:
Speaking of McMansions...here are a few images of some beauts i came across somewhere in the middle of Aurora last spring. They are not all in the "Big Gulp" size, but they are impressively ugly nonetheless. Note the use of "classy" copper. Oddly, there wasn't a soul around on a weekday. The houses were open to the elements, tools and construction waste laying around. It was actually kind of creepy. It was like the workers all went to Hooters for lunch, and. never. came. back <shiver>. More likely the downturn had put the brakes on the development, at least temporarily.