Mansard Mansion Updates

Front porches updated on two properties.  Positive changes occurring slowly but surely.
Brock Street:





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The Old Y

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The former YMCA building at George and Murray Streets has been sitting mostly empty since 2006.  I've been inside only a few times during the past decade to view Spark photo exhibits.  It has sat unchanged but empty, a keeper of endless memories for those of us who grew up here and enjoyed the many facilities it provided our community.  Talk of refurbishment had been going on for so long it was almost a shock to see the partial demolition that is now happening.
The original structure was built in 1896, officially opening in May of 1897.  Designed by Peterborough architect William Blackwell, the YMCA was built by funds bequeathed from Charlotte Nicholls, and further subsidized by George Cox.  Major additions occurred in 1930, and modern facilities continued to be added in the 1960s and 70s.


The original 1896 exterior is largely being left intact.  The Murray Street side of the 1930 addition has been completely demolished, while the George Street side has been entirely gutted.  The…
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Mansard Mansions on Brock Street

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There is a dumpster in front of 220 Brock Street.  The front porch (not the original) and steps have been removed, which hopefully means there are positive changes in store.  I was beginning to lose hope for this former beauty, as it seemed to be falling almost derelict.
The three Italianate style mansions on the north side of Brock, just east of Aylmer, were once part of a string of grand homes built along this block in the 1870s to the early 1880s.  Two more were located where the 1960s high rise Brock Towers now stands.  To the east, a large 1870s mansion is the only other survivor, and it now houses the Youth Emergency Shelter. The original roofs of these mansions were far more ornate, with wrought iron cresting, mansards, and faux turrets.  I imagine these features were high maintenance and only lasted a few decades.  Only 220 still has its faux turret look.
Sadly, both 220 and 226 Brock Street were crudely broken up into apartments during the years of the Great Depression.  220…
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