Owner outlines restoration of her heritage home

This sandstone house, designed in 1897 by the well-known architect Edward Maxwell, still has beautiful leaded windows, a wonderful wooden stairwell, three skylights and all of the original wood paneling. Magnolia, cherry, oak and maple are among the woods featured in the built-in furniture and inlaid floors that are a highlight of the house. The architect’s father was a lumber merchant living nearby.

It is still there

The lovely features of the house were detailed by Zorychta with words and images. It had been neglected for about 50 years, and she showed the distressed state it was in when she and Richardson bought it in 2006, pointing out that while most original features such as the conservatory and window seats were still there, almost everything else had been painted over.

The gallery on the second floor had been invaded by squirrels, the frosted glass in doors was painted, some walls were covered with contact paper, and many wooden floors were coated with linoleum and other materials. She emphasized that although layers of paint obscured almost everything, they could see that the character of the house “was still intact."

People change things

Zorychta started her tour in the reception room, pointing out that when the house was owned by a physician the reception room had been made into a waiting room. A hole had been cut in the wall and a door put in so that patients could enter without going through the main part of the house.

Passing through the dining room into the hallway, she showed her audience an original, beautifully tiled floor — partially obscured but still there. The kitchen had four dropped ceilings!



Worked from the original Maxwell plans

Working from photocopies of the original drawings and plans stored in McGill's Blackader Library, Zorychta and Richardson restored the house as much as possible to the original design. They employed skilled craftsmen to rebuild exterior woodwork and reset windows. They installed new glass on the conservatory roof, which had been covered in tar paper. They removed the many layers of paint from the beautiful woodwork. As Zorychta continued in her detailed description of the restoration, her audience learned how to identify original features and preserve old houses.

In introducing Zorychta, WHA vice-president Caroline Breslaw set the scene by explaining the rural nature of this area of Westmount at the time the house was built, more than 100 years ago. The land was still being farmed. Today, the view through the newly installed windows provides clear views of the War Memorial in Garden Point and the Westmount City Hall across the green lawn.

The next talk organized by the WHA about an exemplary restoration of a Westmount home will be on Thursday, May 15 in the Westmount Library. Architect Rosanne Moss will explain how she carried out extensive renovation and restoration work since 1982 on her own house at 474 Mount Pleasant Avenue.

• Doreen Lindsay is president of the Westmount Historical Association