Toronto metropolis officers have reversed their earlier determination to take away Robert Stapleton Caldecott’s title from the heritage designation of his former house, following new info from his descendants.
In April, the Metropolis Council voted to strip Caldecott’s title from the heritage designation of 64 Woodlawn Avenue attributable to considerations that his early Twentieth-century views on immigration have been restrictive and probably racist. This determination was a part of a broader reassessment of historic figures whose legacies won’t align with present values.
The house, designated a heritage constructing in 2018, was acknowledged for its architectural significance and its affiliation with Caldecott, a businessman and philanthropist who handed away there in 1907. Designed by famend architect Eden Smith, the home was celebrated for its distinctive structural qualities.
The controversy gained traction in 2022 when the 9,000-square-foot home was bought by Dr. Arnold Mahesan, a fertility specialist of Sri Lankan descent, and his spouse, Roxanne Earle, a former Actual Housewives of Toronto star with Pakistani heritage. Once they sought to change the home’s steep stairway, they found Caldecott’s problematic views on immigration, which led them to request the removing of his title.
Mahesan expressed his misery at discovering that Caldecott, the unique proprietor, held views they discovered troubling. “Caldecott can be appalled by us residing in the home he commissioned,” Mahesan stated throughout a Toronto Preservation Board (TPB) assembly.
The TPB advisable retaining the heritage designation however eradicating references to Caldecott, primarily based on a report by Michael Akladios, a College of Toronto historical past lecturer employed by Earle and Mahesan. Akladios discovered Caldecott’s views restrictive however didn’t label him outright as a racist.
A 15-page report from Caldecott’s descendants, together with Lucelle Schmitz and her husband C. Michael Schmitz, challenged these conclusions. This report, supported by 19 descendants, included personal household letters and analysis not beforehand thought of. It argued that whereas Caldecott favored limiting immigration to British Empire residents, his views weren’t racially motivated. The British Empire at the moment included various areas such because the Caribbean, India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.
Following this new proof, metropolis officers determined to reinstate Caldecott’s title on the heritage designation. Akladios praised the choice, commenting that the extra materials supplied a extra nuanced view of Caldecott’s beliefs. “I don’t suppose [Caldecott’s name] ought to have been eliminated within the first place,” Akladios remarked.
Earle declined to touch upon the choice, citing considerations for her household’s safety. Each Akladios and Schmitz hope that future choices will contain extra thorough analysis to make sure correct historic illustration. Schmitz pressured the necessity for “thorough analysis” and “due diligence” in such issues.
Metropolis workers indicated that their actions have been in compliance with the Ontario Heritage Act, which specifies time frames for responding to heritage website requests.
