‘It’s a beautiful landmark’: Canada’s most photographed home could soon be gone
“Canada’s most photographed abandoned house” in Chatham-Kent is at risk of demolition after municipal inspectors deemed it unsafe.
Built in 1845, The Guyitt House is an old abandoned farmhouse near Palmyra on the Talbot Trail along the north shore of Lake Erie.
“It is a beautiful landmark and it's well known throughout Canada,” said local photographer Ken Bell.
“Nothing fantastically, historically relevant but it's aged well, like some people,” Bell explained. “May we all age so gracefully, and that's the beauty. It's changed to a different kind of beauty than its original intent.”
Bell said the historic Ontario cottage-style farmhouse brings tourists and photographers through all seasons to the region to safely admire and take photos from the road.
He continued, “I think there's a sense of maybe the nostalgia. Certainly, a longing for the beauty of the past and it reflects that.”
Bell launched an online petition to save the house this week that garnered hundreds of signatures within its first day.
“This isn't talking about all old places or old barns,” he said. “This is talking about this particular place at this particular time.”
The Guyitt House is an old abandoned farmhouse near Palmyra on the Talbot Trail along the north shore of Lake Erie in Chatham, Ont. on Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022. (Chris Campbell/CTV News Windsor)“People here care about heritage and natural heritage and they care about their cultural heritage too.”
Chatham-Kent chief building official Paul Lacina said a municipal enforcement officer inspected the building earlier this month after a complaint was made. Lacina said the house was determined to be in contravention of the property standards bylaw, which resulted in the order to either repair or demolish within 14 days.
“I can tell you that the property owner has appealed this order,” Lacina told CTV News. “Which we expect will be heard sometime early 2023.”
Lacina noted, “the appeal then stops any enforcement from my team and we will not take any action until such time as the appeal is heard or if the owner decides between now and then to demolish the structure.”
A temporary reprieve according to Bell who hopes the end result will allow the house to stay.
“When it's ready to come down, it'll come down and people will keep taking photographs until that time,” he said.
Current owner Peter Anderson, whose grandparents purchased the property in the early 1900s, declined an interview with CTV News.
The Guyitt House is an old abandoned farmhouse near Palmyra on the Talbot Trail along the north shore of Lake Erie in Chatham, Ont. on Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022. (Chris Campbell/CTV News Windsor)
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.
What a urologist wants you to know about male infertility
When opposite sex couples are trying and failing to get pregnant, the attention often focuses on the woman. That’s not always the case.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Made-in-Newfoundland vodka claims top prize at worldwide competition
A Newfoundland-made vodka has been named one of the world’s best by judges at this year’s World Vodka Awards.