A newly reported Hartrick House heritage review has renewed questions about why Ajax allowed the 1852 property to be demolished after municipal records identified potential heritage value nearly a decade earlier.
DurhamRegion.com reported October 9 that a resident obtained records through a freedom-of-information request. The documents showed the Town of Ajax conducted what it described as a routine, high-level review in 2017.
According to the report, that review found Hartrick House met criteria that could support consideration for heritage designation. The building at 120 Roberson Drive was nevertheless sold after being declared surplus and was demolished on August 20, 2026.
Town says no designation recommendation was made
The Town of Ajax said the 2017 review was part of the public record in committee minutes. It also said no recommendation was made to designate the property after that review or before the town sold it in 2025.
Mayor Shaun Collier said the property went through the same surplus-land process as other municipal properties and that it had never been formally designated as a heritage building.
That distinction mattered legally. Hartrick House appeared on Ajax’s inventory of non-designated heritage properties, but that status did not provide the same protection from demolition as a designation under the Ontario Heritage Act.
Residents had sought a formal assessment
Before the demolition, residents asked council to pause the process and complete a cultural heritage evaluation. A petition seeking further review drew about 300 signatures, and community members also obtained advice supporting a more detailed assessment.
The home, built in 1852, had served as the Kinsmen Heritage Centre and as a municipal meeting and event space. Ajax had owned the property since 1995 before declaring it surplus in May 2025 and moving toward a sale for residential redevelopment.
Plans for the site have included approximately 11 single-detached homes. The town had also cited operating losses connected to the former community facility as part of the context for its decision.
FOI records add a new development
The demolition itself was previously reported. The new information is that municipal staff had reviewed the property in 2017 and documented heritage potential, even though that review did not lead to a formal designation recommendation.
A resident quoted by DurhamRegion.com said the discovery raised concerns about municipal research and governance. The resident called for a public apology, while acknowledging the house can no longer be saved.
The Hartrick House heritage review does not reverse the sale or demolition. It does, however, add evidence to the public debate over how Ajax identifies, evaluates and protects properties before redevelopment decisions become irreversible.
