Landmark will live to see another century

“Restoration is when you try to recreate what you think was there (in the past), wile preservation is when you work with what you’ve got,� said Bydwell, speaking at the second in a series of lectures organized by the Westmount Historical Association on the restoration of homes in Westmount.

Bydwell was addressing members of the WHA at the Westmount Library last Thursday night about the preservation of the Wardleworth house at 168 Côte Saint Antoine Rd. Originally built around 1840, the house was one of four constructed by Moses Judah Hayes, former chief of police and engineer. The four homes were called Metcalfe Terrace, named after Lord Metcalfe, third Governor General of Canada, and were an early example of a speculative suburban real estate development.

The Wardleworths, an immigrant family originally from England, owned the home for over 90 years, until they handed it over to Canadian Heritage Quebec for restoration. Over the years, the home went through many renovations, additions and interior design changes. A large third floor was added to the house around the turn of the last century, and a greenhouse was later added to the rear of the home.

Calling the old house a “touchstone� for Westmount residents, Bydwell discussed the challenges of trying to preserve the home to the way it had matured and not interpret the way it might have originally looked. He gave the example of keeping the balusters of the upper level staircase. The original balusters of the ground level staircase had been moved to the second level stairs leading to the third floor, and replaced with something more ornate. Rather than replacing them all, to give the staircases consistency, Bydwell chose to preserve them as originally found.

Bydwell admits that he has “problems� with restoration. He believes the true historical value of an old home is the character of the condition when you originally find it. Restoration can be problematic he says, because often one can never really know what the house originally looked like and trying to force a rendition of the past can sometimes lead to a “cold, Disney-like feel�.

The Wardleworth house was in need of serious work to preserve and restore it to its former self. Decades of water damage had eroded much of the stonework behind its exterior stucco walls. Bydwell said the house was,� basically being held up by its plaster�. The home required an extensive gutting and complete rebuilding, and as more and more of the home was exposed, the extent of the damage became more apparent. The challenge was to save as much of the interior trimming, fireplaces, cabinets, doors and flooring as possible.

Most of the major work was completed in 2001, including the addition of a steel beam to support the additional weight of the third floor, which had caused the foundation to dramatically sink over the years, warping the floors. Ever the purist, Bydwell even had issue with the addition of the steel, admitting that he had a few sleepless nights deciding if it was the right thing to do. In the end, he realized that without the beam, the house would ultimately collapse.

The house, which had begun restoration in 1993 under the supervision of Canadian Heritage Quebec, was ultimately sold in order to pay for the substantial cost of repair. It is now privately owed and serves as a reminder of the past, and through its preservation, an important part of Montreal’s history will hopefully survive for another 170 years.