514 Wellington Crescent Approved for Condos

The above rendering from Prairie Architects was approved by city council in Winnipeg this week. The house was demolished a few years ago. It sat empty a few years before that. Known as the Gordon House, I only knew it through my entire lifetime as the house of Senator Doug Everett. It was a fine house, on a fine road in a fine neighbourhood. However, the story on Wellington Crescent over the decades has been apartments and condos stretching out from Osborne Village all the way down the Assiniboine River. Even when a house is demolished as in the case with Munson Park or converted like the Fortune House, there has been a lot of debate. In the case of the Richardson house that made way for the park, I think there is wide agreement that this was a wise idea. And Fortune House stands as an icon even though there was a lot of whinging happening at the time that it was turning into a rooming house.

It would have been amazing if Gordon House could have been purchased by a single family that could have afforded the upkeep. Unfortunately though, the size and the cost of upgrades is massive even for the fabulously rich. The structure of the houses in Crescentwood are not something that younger families look for as much. Large empty dining rooms, lack of family entertainment rooms, kitchens that are too small and rigid structural walls are among the problems not easily corrected. And parking. Some families want lots of parking.

Crescentwood continues to have many well maintained homes but all of them are aging rapidly. Wellington Crescent was fairly unchangeable till the last decade but the amount of houses being demolished and re-built is quite large. Someone visiting after ten years away might not recognize it. The protests to put historic status on a number of houses does not always translate them being sold and preserved. And even if a single house is re-built on a property, there is likely going to be complaints regardless that it doesn't fit the neighbourhood.

I'll admit when I watched the house get torn down, it felt it was the end of an era. I can't say I know that the rendering is attractive or not. It resembles a design you might see in St. Norbert or St. Boniface in that it has a French chateau look. Nothing wrong with that. Developers when they build a neighbourhood tend to make them cookie-cutter for cost reasons and also that no one wants to stick out.  Diversity in style tends to take years if not decades. City and neigbourhood pressures to conform run strong. Change your grass to a garden and someone will disagree with it.

This fight over one property has been going on since 2016. There are a few other properties that have been nearly as long. The age of the houses and the complex nature of their upkeep and restoration can often mean economically it is better to start over. But that will never mean an identical house to the one that was there before. A builder and a family would find that the costs to replicate prohibitive. And many don't want fireplaces or dining rooms.

The four storey, eight unit and near 50 feet high new building has been approved. It is doubtful that this fight will be remembered in ten years from now. Wellington Crescent, at least in this section, is a major commuter and active transportation route. The residence should attract professional in their first home and retired people looking to downsize, A frequent issue (of a few in the Crescentwood and River Heights) is that older residents have to move right out of the area because there is nothing suitable for owners who downsize.

A more pressing need for the area is that lack of pharmacy or grocery nearby. The neighbourhood is truly car dependent. But other amenities like parks, schools and proximity to work are standouts. It is no wonder that people want to live on Wellington Crescent. Expect a few more battles along the street in the area from Grosvenor to Kingsway.

With the expectation of 20,000 people a year moving to Manitoba for the next several years, here is a passing thought. If density cannot be changed in the area of places like River Heights or Crescentwood, it will result in more people racing through the neighbourhoods to get to further suburbs. It is already happening. Taking several years to decide on properties could result in them just being abandoned. Depending on rich people to rehabilitate and occupy old housing stock is just not in the cards.