By Wendy Elliott
Kings County Advertiser and Register
Andrew Fry and Monik Richard’s home on Middle St. in Port Williams has just become the first municipal heritage property in Kings County.
Fry believes the house is very special and is excited by the recent designation.
The home was built in 1935 by a man named McElvy, who worked for well-known entrepreneur and apple exporter George A. Chase. He used exotic wood obtained from ships docked at the nearby wharf.
Care and attention to detail is evident throughout the Arts and Crafts-style building. The house is viewed as somewhat unique: most Arts and Crafts style buildings in Canada were constructed much earlier, between 1890 and 1910.
Kings County Councillor Janet Newton, who lives in the village, says, “this is a very unique property on a very special street in Port Williams.”
She would be happy to see the whole street receive heritage designation.
“It is great that a house does not have to be a mansion in order to be a heritage property, that a home built by a labourer with materials available to him during the Great Depression and which has been lovingly cared for by subsequent owners can be worth this great honour.”
Hopefully, Newton says, thisfirst designation will encourage others to consider applying for heritage designation.
Kings County planning manager Chrystal Fuller told council the board of the Kings County Historical Society commended the applicants for their initiative in seeking designation for the property.
The Kings Hants Heritage Connection also intends to form a sub-committee to establish a formal procedure for responding to future applications for municipal heritage property status.
Twenty-two properties in Kings County have already been designated by the province’s heritage property program. Four of them are in the Port Williams area, including Prescott House, The Barracks, Fox Hill Cemetery and St. John’s Church.
