To The Editor,
I wish to thank all the people who wrote in concerning heritage building Inventory. These magnificent structures are a testament to our past and all the tradespeople who made them. There’s a whole lot more than just the building; these monuments have a soul about them. Scattered across Vankleek Hill are bricks with a cat paw on the surface. Before the firing of the bricks in one of the foundries a cat ran across the still-soft bricks and left its mark. During the firing, certain bricks were scratched on a part of the face of the brick leaving a dark mark. Back in the day, the bricklayers took the time to place the bricks all on the same wall, usually the north wall, leaving the other three walls pristine, truly taking pride in what they built. On one house I discovered the sketch on a brick of a very busty woman with an extremely small waist, a character from the early 1900’s. I am grateful that council reconsidered its decision. Red brick Victorian homes have a warm, inviting, soothing kindness about them, welcoming people in a good way. I truly believe these buildings have a lot in common with trees. They just want to grow old and continue to exist. Let’s do all we can to make this happen. Please don’t allow our town to end up looking like Alexandria or Hawkesbury; it would be a real shame.
Andy Perreault,
Vankleek Hill
Editor’s Note: Champlain Township council reversed the decision rejecting the heritage inventory and approved the idea at its August 24, 2023 regular council meeting, partly in response to receiving a few dozen letters from residents, many of which were published as open letters to The Review.
You can find that story here
