A historic house in eastern Chatham-Kent, dubbed “Canada’s most photographed house”, has been demolished.
Exactly two months ago, the Municipality of Chatham-Kent's Bylaw Appeal Committee told Guyitt House owner Peter Anderson to tear down the abandoned house at 14793 Talbot Trail in Orford Township and clean up the property by October 20, 2023.
Anderson told CK News Today on Wednesday that he is paying for the entire demolition himself, but wouldn't elaborate on how much it's costing him. He also said he wants it cleaned up today [June 21].
The committee heard an appeal from Anderson on April 19, 2023 and issued a decision two days later confirming the demolition order and issuing the new compliance date of October to demolish and remove the house. The committee also "strongly" recommended additional protections to keep people off the property and out of the house until it is demolished.
According to a letter by the appeal committee rendering the decision, Anderson told the committee during the hearing that the matter should have been a trespassing issue and not a property standards issue. He also said the complaint of August 2022 that started the process was invalid because it was in the form of an email and was not a signed document. Further, he felt the enforcement against his house is unfair when there are other properties across Chatham-Kent that don't meet the property standards bylaw.
The appeal committee said the property was inspected by a bylaw inspection officer and an order was issued, rendering the original email complaint in August 2022 not relevant. The committee threw out the other arguments made by Anderson saying the property standards bylaw exists to keep all properties in compliance and for public safety. They also told Anderson trespassing is outside their purview and should be directed elsewhere.
Anderson also told the committee during the April hearing that he was considering a heritage designation for the property, but hadn't pursued it yet.
The municipality sent Anderson a letter in September 2022 notifying him under the property standards bylaw that he had 14 days to either fix the house or tear it down because of public safety concerns due to the unstable structural condition of the building.
Anderson previously told CK News Today that he didn't want to get stuck with a huge demolition bill and would prefer to let it come down itself, adding he only kept the place because it was his grandfather’s.
The Guyitt House was built in 1845 and has been vacant since 1985. It was previously owned by Anderson’s grandparents, Roy and Ethel Guyitt, who bought the home in 1908.
Jen Clark of Orford took the photo of the demolished house and said the municipality should have just let the house die gracefully.
Clark told CK News Today the owner should auction off some of the salvageable pieces, such as the floor boards, to recoup some money.