Most photographed abandoned house in Canada demolished

The demolition of Guyitt house, the most-photographed abandoned home in Canada, has made many photographers sad.

“The face of it commanded attention,” said photographer Monica Swance.

The 1845 farm house was near Palmyra on the Talbot Trail along the north shore of Lake Erie.

Guyitt House in Chatham-Kent, Ont. (Courtesy: Monica Swance)

Guyitt House in Chatham-Kent, Ont. (Courtesy: Monica Swance)

However, municipal inspectors deemed the house unsafe in September and gave a deadline of October to either repair or demolish the structure.

The owner recently leveled the building, leaving only a field behind.

The disappearance had some locals, like Swance, lamenting the past.

“If that house could’ve talked, it would’ve had a ton of stories,” she said.

Framed photo of the Guyitt house in its glory days hangs in the gallery at the Mary Webb Centre in Highgate. (Courtesy: Monica Swance)

Guyitt House in Chatham-Kent, Ont. (Courtesy: Monica Swance)

While the house is gone, it won’t be forgotten as many images of it still exist online.

A community Facebook site for photographers welcomed people to snap a picture and post the image.

“It went on for two weeks and there so much participation,” Swance said.

What Swance said she will miss the most was the shared enthusiasm for the house and how each person experienced the house through a different lens.