Living in Aurora, Town of Aurora, Ontario » Petch Log House

Winter-y Evening Drive Near John West Way, Construction Site & Year 2012 In Review

Anna Lozyk Romeo — Sat, 29 Dec 2012 03:47:01 +0000

I enjoy photographing everything and to extract some of the things from everything are the night shots. However, it all depends what you take picture of. Note, I am still practicing. No tripod just using very high ISO.

The Ridgewood, John West Way, Town of Aurora

Few years ago I was following a fellow photographer from US and he took these amazing photos of the construction sites. I was hoping one day that I will have an opportunity to do so.

Well I have two here in the Town of Aurora and one of them is the condominium construction site (The Ridgewood) on the John West Way right across the Hollandview Trail Retirement Community.

The Ridgewood, John West Way, Town of Aurora

I went for a drive today and my first stop was behind the movie theater Cineplex. At this moment it is probably the biggest construction site in the Town of Aurora. I have been following progress mostly during the summer, and now from this view point you can hardly see the Hollandview Trail place.

It felt like it was moving slow at first, but once they started to stack up the floors and walls I was able to see changes at the construction site at much faster rate.

The Ridgewood, John West Way, Town of Aurora

This area on the John West Way, near the Aurora Town Hall, is definitely a high density area. I wonder how the traffic is going to be. It wasn’t so bad when I drove by around six o’clock. I actually was surprised to see two buses in the span of five minutes.

Hollandview Retirement Community, John West Way, Town of Aurora

Other High Density Buildings on John West Way, Town of Aurora

On the end of my journey tonight I dropped by the Town Hall and snap some pictures of the Christmas tree. I may be wrong but the tree seems much bigger this year, and it seems dressed more with lights. Well when I get some time I will check if I got some older photos to compare.

This brings interesting point, the landscapes don’t just change because buildings rise or fall, but in addition because trees grow and tress fall down and sometimes not by themselves.

Christmas Tree 2013, Town Hall, Town of Aurora, Ontario

Well this may be my last post for the year 2012, so let me summarize few things. I just checked statistics for this site and this site had about 17,300 visits and 35,800 page views in the year 2012. I think that this is not that bad for a local blog. About eighty percent of my visits are from Aurora and surroundings (York Region).

I published 110 posts, slightly less than last year, but this was because I launched community FOCUS (LivingInAurora.COM) site and spent some time writing some content there. I don’t know how many images were published on this blog in 2012 but all I can tell you that this blog has a library of over 1,400 images of the Town of Aurora or photos that were taken on the grounds of Aurora.

My list of subscribers is constantly growing and if they don’t subscribe to my mailing list I know I am being followed using RSS feeds. I do have a twitter account and interesting spread of followers. My site is mainly found via search engines because someone is looking for something specific. It is nice that some actually drop me emails and write me interesting things they know about Aurora.

This year I have engaged more in photographing changes happening in Aurora, and I will do that more in the following year. I have extensive library of photos of the former Wells Street Public School and there will be more as the main construction didn’t start yet. I also have extensive library of photos of the Petch Log House reconstruction which I have been photo shooting since October 2012.

To conclude this post, let me list few of many interesting keywords through which people found this photo journal blog: trees that cry, who lives on my road, aurora issues, environmental issues in aurora, is there water good for drinking in aurora ontario, aurora mystery solved, aurora ontario horror and brave naked. However, the most used keyword and variations were for wells street public school.

“Whether we want them or not, the New Year will bring new challenges; whether we seize them or not, the New Year will bring new opportunities.” a quote by Michael Josephson.

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2013.

GO Station, Wellington Street, Town of Aurora

The Petch Log House, Built To Last, Part II

Anna Lozyk Romeo — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 02:44:22 +0000

Going on the third month the Petch log house re-building continues. However, the major elements of the house are completed and of what I have seen so far, this house is going to be built to last for many generations to come.

I drove last weekend (December 16th, 2012) by the site and I noticed that they started to work on the siding, the face that is facing John West Way. I am sure by the time I get there tomorrow, all will be completed. If not me I hope someone else will take some pictures.

Inside, Petch Log House, Town of Aurora, November 20th, 2012.

In reference to the picture above – originally there was a second floor in the Petch Log House accessible via stairs. As you can see on the picture above only half is covered.

It was suggested to leave this opening so visitors can see the second level or the attic. Since the second floor, or attic floor is not strong enough – visitors will not be allowed to see the attic if full floor is installed.

So far the opening is still there.

Secondary Roof, Petch Log House, Town of Aurora, November 20th, 2012.

Well, this is a secondary roof – indestructible.

And here is something I did not see – how they built the overhang above the two windows, same on the other side.

Petch Log House, Town of Aurora, November 27th, 2012.

Petch Log House, Town of Aurora, November 29th, 2012.

On the 28th of November the roof was covered with ceder shingles. I arrived one day late to see it done. Well at least I got the footage of the big beam arrival and its installation which now hides under.

Petch Log House, Town of Aurora, November 29th, 2012.

Not to worry about the windows. The boards are temporary. The windows and doors are custom made – just have to wait for those.

Petch Log House, Town of Aurora, December 6th, 2012.

The above is one of my favorite photos. Note how the shadow from the overhang is almost aligned with the overhang, just slightly off because I was little late to shoot.

So what is so special about that photo? Well, the blue textured sky, the perfect light shining in the right direction, the symmetry and the ladder on the side. And the hint of the vapor barrier sheet that is going to cover the wood logs until uncovered again. Who knows when?

Petch Log House, Town of Aurora, December 6th, 2012.

What else can I say? Ouch, that wall paper (vapor barrier) is not my favorite one, but I am sure the siding will, its made of wood. Confession to make, I thought it was going to be aluminum or some kind of engineered material. I am so glad to be wrong sometimes.

The new siding looks very new and plain. It will not be painted just let to age.

Petch Log House, Town of Aurora, December 7th, 2012.

Petch Log House, Town of Aurora, December 12th, 2012.

The Petch Log House, Built To Last, Part I

Anna Lozyk Romeo — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 00:42:19 +0000

Last August 2011 Petch log house was taken apart – the restoration process began. In September 2012 preparation for re-building the Petch log house started on John West Way, near the Aurora Senior Centre and the entrance to the Community Arboretum.

Petch Log House, Foundation, October 04, 2012

First it was a pit filled with gravel, then foundation poured and then the assembly started. I have been following and photographing re-building of the Petch log house since October. My very first visit and real photo shoot took place on October 26th. When I was on the site the house was already three logs high in some places.

Petch Log House, Town of Aurora, October 26, 2012.

Since that day I was showing up every few days. Mainly on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and some Fridays, when Matthew was in school. Watching it changing radically was interesting experience, photographing it was a rewarding experience.

I did upgrade my equipment since last year, new camera and new lenses, hopefully getting better too, and I can’t complain about the overcast skies I had through most of the initial re-construction of the house – all was just perfect, not to mention the hospitality of all those who worked on the site.

Petch Log House, Town of Aurora, November 1st, 2012.

Petch Log House, Town of Aurora, November 6th, 2012.

The house is now very close to the completion. If am not mistaken the wood siding installation started on Thursday or Friday of last week (December 13th, 14th).

Petch Log House, Town of Aurora, November 6th, 2012.

The house is well reinforced with additional materials – two by fours wedged inside the window and door cutouts, solid wood wide window and door frames, square brackets on the corners where the logs are joined, and some new and modified logs that were heavily deteriorated.

The Petch log house is definitely built to last.

The Petch Log House, Town of Aurora, November 13th, 2012.

Petch Log House, Town of Aurora, November 13th, 2012.

Petch Log House, Town of Aurora, November 16th, 2012.

The roof rafters were built on the site. The roof was covered. So I thought they were done. Speaking of built to last, an engineered roof was added on top of the original roof to be shown in my next post. But it all started with the arrival of the big beam they put on top of the roof to start building secondary roof. I was told by Peter Van Nostrand that the big beam was coming at one o’clock, and right on the dot the beam came.

The story of the Petch log house will continue in the next post, however, let me leave you with a photo of the Petch house at sunset taken by my friend Peter Cameron. Click here to view.

The Big Beam, Petch Log House, Town of Aurora, November 16th, 2012.

Remebering Petch House, When In Bad Condition

Anna Lozyk Romeo — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 19:54:35 +0000

Looks like the Petch log house restoration will be soon done and the house will have a new look, different look, but then the Petch log house had few different looks over the years anyway.

Petch Log House Dis-assembly, July 28, 2011

Now build on the concrete foundation, new cedar roof, wood siding soon to be installed, new windows still in the making, electrical wiring just in time for Christmas – a complete makeover. After that some tedious work inside the log house is going to take place. On the inside the house, the logs surface will be exposed.

Petch Log House Dis-assembly, July 28, 2011

I got lots of pictures. Petch house is probably my first and biggest photo documenting portfolio. There are hundreds and hundreds of photos on my computer, and when I view them sometimes it still feels like I missed something. Well, I do have a missing link – what happened between last August, 2011, until October of this year, 2012.

Petch Log House Dis-assembly, July 28, 2011

So what happened? I really don’t know what happened. Probably mainly stuff like design work, engineering drawings were prepared, rework/treatment drawings, orders for new materials, planning – all the fun things you cannot photograph.

The logs on the other hand were given special trimming and a ‘steam spa’ treatment. Pictures don’t lie, there was a lot of deterioration on some of the logs, therefore, unfortunately not all the ends made to the new re-stored house.

Petch Log House Dis-assembly, July 28, 2011, Roof Down

So I thought that I had photos posted here from the last August (2011) when they took down the Petch log house for restoration, but I guess not. They were donated to Friends of the Petch House, and since the site does not exist anymore, there aren’t any photos online.

Therefore, before I publish photos of the house ‘from ground up’, I will share some photos ‘going down’.

Petch Log House Dis-assembly, July 28, 2011

It is interesting to see that lot of faces I photographed last year will appear on photos from 2012. Its been a long journey for the house and I am glad to see and hear that those who fought for this project for a long time were given this restoration assignment.

Not to mention it is so nice to hear how every person on the Petch log house restoration project is and continues to be proud of their work. I wish I could remember all I have been told, but then my camera did the ‘remembering job’ for me in pictures.

On the side note, today when I visited the site, I saw the last areas of the external wood surface covered with the vapor barrier. I guess it is going to be hidden for another 100 or 200 years, unless … needs to be uncovered.

Aurora 1945-1965 An Ontario Town at a Time of Great Change, Milner

Anna Lozyk Romeo — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 04:18:22 +0000

Aurora continues to change day by day. Continues to grow. We will never be a small town on the map and we will never be a population of four thousand of people.

Going about twelve months back, it all began with saving the Petch Log house. On my part that was great experience to explore the deteriorating log house before the restoration and to document my thoughts here.

Aurora 1945-1965 An Ontario Town at a Time of Great Change

Then search for more information about the town led me to Elizabeth Milner’s book, Aurora 1945-1965 An Ontario Town at a Time of Great Change. Being on the photo journey through the town in the past couple of years, the book is a jewel in my pocket.

So what that you were not born between those years. How can you relate? Of course you can relate. Milner’s detailed assembly of 20 years of town’s records will lead you to years before 1945 and beyond 1965. Her compelling book is actually very relative to the past and the future of the Aurora. On the end it is a book about the people of Aurora who made a difference.

Petch Log House

Last year about this time difference was made, Katherine Belrose came forward and Petch log house was saved, probably restored by now, yet future location unknown.

Nokiidaa Trail Link, St. John's sideroad, Aurora

‘The Anglican Sisters of St. John gave St. John’s Sideroad its name when their convent was built in 1931. In 1940s and early 1950s, the Convent was a busy place. The Sisters cared for girls with special needs such as: Downs Syndrome, autism and other problems. …

They came each Sunday to morning service at Trinity Anglican Church, bringing the young girls for whom they cared. They sat at the front, on the north side of the church, under the pulpit. The sisters sat erect, silent and still in their penguin outfits. Usually their wards were silent and still too, but occasionally there was a strange noise wiggle, or turning head that was quickly corrected.‘, 1958, Milner, page 94.

Nokiidaa Trail link boardwalk of St. John’s sideroad is now established and well visited trail.

Wells Street Public School Sold

Wells Street Public School got sold last year. Must mention that Elizabeth Milner was a grade nine student at this school for one year from September 1951 to April 1952.

Yonge Street, What Changed Here?

Next time you pass by Yonge Street and Tyler Street intersection you will notice change, the new commercial and residential complex. On the other hand one might say – the downtown traffic increased.

The Auroran, Sold

‘James Murray cut a ribbon at the old Post Office on Yonge Street in September of 1960 to mark the beginning of door-to-door mail delivery in Aurora.‘, 1960, Milner, page 167.

The old Post Office on Yonge Street is also home of our local newspaper The Auroran that was started by Ron Wallace and recently sold.

Once IGA Store, Now Nothing Yet

‘In 1961, the town’s IGA offered steak at seventy-nine cents a pound and prime rib roasts at sixty-five cents a pound. Oranges were fifty-nine cents a dozen and a cauliflower sold for twenty-nine cents.

Usually cakes were made from scratch, but if the housewife wanted to cheat with a newfangled cake mix, they were selling at two for thirty-three cents. That’s how it was in 1961 at the IGA Foodliner.‘, 1961, Milner, page 175.

Recent closing of the Foodland grocery store was total surprise and shock to the seniors living close by. It is very much unknown who will move in, but last week I read Banner and it was noted that the building was on the list for Youth centre. It may not happen, there were other competing locations.

George T. Browning House, Demolished

The proposed conversion of the Browning house to Montessori school didn’t go to well and it was decided to demolish the house. The Browning house was demolished couple of days before Easter.

Tree Trimming, Yonge Street from the Aurora Public Library

‘In the December third Banner, letters to the editor showed that Aurora people were upset about changes in Aurora. One citizen complained about the trees coming down and the land being stripped down to bare clay near one of the best streams in town.‘, 1959, Milner, page 152.

We continue to cut the trees. Some needs to be cut or trimmed, but some were not given any mercy.

Isaac Petch Farm House, Wellington Street, To Be Demolished

‘Highway 404, the Don Mills Parkway extension, was proceeding north and would pass three miles east of Aurora. John B. Wilkes, an engineer from the Department of Highways, spoke to the Board of Trade and assured them that Highway 404 would reduce traffic through the town by one third to one half. The first section of Highway 404 opened early in July.‘, 1961, Milner, page 170.

Highway 404 most likely will not change, but there is no future for the old and lonely Isaac Petch Farm house on Wellington Street – it will be demolished.

Aurora 1945-1965 An Ontario Town at a Time of Great Change, Milner

Elizabeth Milner in the book’s Afterward wrote: ‘I did not want to write a book about a “wonderful Aurora” of the past. This is often the kind of local history that results from reminiscences. The town was a good place to grow up. The people were good people. They helped one another, supported churches and social institutions as well as the needy in other provinces and countries; but everything was not perfect.

Disputes about having a liquor store in town, the use of open land, the building of a shopping centre, Town Council decisions and other incidences might seem trivial to the reader, but they were heated issues at the time.‘

Perhaps somethings just don’t change in our town – we continue with heated issues to make the difference.