The rare “Ontario Cottage” style house at 505 Balliol St. was built about 1888. It appears on an 1890 map of the Davisville area. This house served as a neighbourhood grocery store and post office until the 1950s.
Local children would frequent the store for candy and Popsicles. A Coca-Cola sign remained in the front bay window until the 1970s.
Despite being one of the oldest existing houses in the Davisville area, it is under threat from an application for two large infill houses. The new proposal was on the Committee of Adjustment hearing list on October 25, 2017. A deferral of six months was requested by Heritage Preservation Services with support from Councillor Josh Matlow and SERRA. Because of strong opposition, the applicant/owner asked for a deferral and the Committee approved the deferral. This will allow Heritage staff six months to research the heritage potential of the existing house. It’s good to see city staff working to save our local history. Click here to read more in a news article (Feb 1, 2018) by Michael Smee, CBC News.
