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A unique oasis in 905 sprawl
Residents fought big development
Main Street attracts a million visitors
Aug. 10, 2006. 03:01 PM
THULASI SRIKANTHAN
STAFF REPORTER
Main Street Unionville might be York Region's best-kept secret, a historic hideout in the middle of modern suburban sprawl.
Home to several late 19th- and early 20th-century buildings, it's also a place that has successfully fought the furious pace of development that has consumed much of Markham.
"This is an escape — it's like the eye of a hurricane," said Greg McCormick, who lives and works in Old Unionville. "You get out of all the traffic on Highway 7 and the 407, the fast moving pace and the development, you come here and you can slow down."
At night, the white Christmas lights circling up the towering trees glow, illuminating the former hotel, blacksmith shops, mills and residences that surround the street. Tables reach out from restaurants and spill out near the curb, where pink and purple flowers, overflowing from hanging baskets, sway in the wind.
In this village, not too far away from the loud traffic-clogged roads and highways, the world seems to have come to a pause.
At one edge of the street, families emerge from a long bridge stretching over a man-made pond. They walk slowly, as if time doesn't matter. In the distance, a man sings about love.
Once filled with pioneers and horse-drawn buggies, Main Street Unionville, located just off Highway 7 and Kennedy Rd., is now home to more than 70 specialty stores, art galleries, coffee shops and restaurants, tucked away up stairs or around corners.
Over the years, the street's restaurants have become more upscale and the street's popularity has grown, drawing more than a million visitors a year, from Kitchener to Europe. Not bad for a street once filled with numerous empty storefronts.
But the region's success in preserving Unionville's heritage and thriving Main St. didn't come without a fight, said Reagan Hutcheson, manager of Markham's Heritage Planning.
In 1965, the street faced its toughest challenge in fighting development. York County Council approved a plan to widen Kennedy Rd., which would have forced the destruction of heritage buildings in order to straighten out the winding street.
"It never went through because a citizens' group got together and started the first Unionville festival to fight the plans," Hutcheson said.
`Heritage is something we have that the malls don't have'
Greg McCormick, Markham resident
With musical performances, races, contests and street dances, the group succeeded in preventing old Unionville from being destroyed by alerting others to Unionville's unique nature. In 1998, after more challenges, Unionville was declared a historic district.
McCormick, who heads up the Business Improvement Association in the area, said the challenge of fending off development remains constant.
"The pressure around here is incredible," he said. "You've got a jewel here. ... People love coming here but that also means people love to live in this area so there's a pressure to build closer and closer."
The challenge is to "balance that" with preserving the historical character of the neighbourhood, said McCormick, who has lived in Markham all his life.
"You could drop a skyscraper and make lots of money but it would affect the character of the street," he said. "You can always develop but you can't recreate this area."
"Heritage is something we have that the malls don't have."
For Karen Chadwick, who has been working on Main Street for nearly 25 years, it's the history and small village feel that she loves.
The building, where she operates her business — the Queen's Pantry — used to be a hotel in the 1870s. It was the history of the place that drew Chadwick in. While she first sold gourmet foods, her business evolved into a bedding and drapery store.
This is one of the street's better times, she said. "In the past, we have had vacant spaces, but not so much now."
When Markham resident Savita Bhimsen first saw Main Street in Unionville seven years ago, she fell in love.
In a city filled with so many new homes, barely 20 to 30 years old, Bhimsen said the area's heritage is a powerful pull.
"In Markham, we have so little that is ours," she said. "What do we say is our pride — our high tech industry?" she asked. "That's not what draws the tourists or a person in."
"It's the culture and history that brings them in."
_______________________
A unique oasis in 905 sprawl
Residents fought big development
Main Street attracts a million visitors
Aug. 10, 2006. 03:01 PM
THULASI SRIKANTHAN
STAFF REPORTER
Main Street Unionville might be York Region's best-kept secret, a historic hideout in the middle of modern suburban sprawl.
Home to several late 19th- and early 20th-century buildings, it's also a place that has successfully fought the furious pace of development that has consumed much of Markham.
"This is an escape — it's like the eye of a hurricane," said Greg McCormick, who lives and works in Old Unionville. "You get out of all the traffic on Highway 7 and the 407, the fast moving pace and the development, you come here and you can slow down."
At night, the white Christmas lights circling up the towering trees glow, illuminating the former hotel, blacksmith shops, mills and residences that surround the street. Tables reach out from restaurants and spill out near the curb, where pink and purple flowers, overflowing from hanging baskets, sway in the wind.
In this village, not too far away from the loud traffic-clogged roads and highways, the world seems to have come to a pause.
At one edge of the street, families emerge from a long bridge stretching over a man-made pond. They walk slowly, as if time doesn't matter. In the distance, a man sings about love.
Once filled with pioneers and horse-drawn buggies, Main Street Unionville, located just off Highway 7 and Kennedy Rd., is now home to more than 70 specialty stores, art galleries, coffee shops and restaurants, tucked away up stairs or around corners.
Over the years, the street's restaurants have become more upscale and the street's popularity has grown, drawing more than a million visitors a year, from Kitchener to Europe. Not bad for a street once filled with numerous empty storefronts.
But the region's success in preserving Unionville's heritage and thriving Main St. didn't come without a fight, said Reagan Hutcheson, manager of Markham's Heritage Planning.
In 1965, the street faced its toughest challenge in fighting development. York County Council approved a plan to widen Kennedy Rd., which would have forced the destruction of heritage buildings in order to straighten out the winding street.
"It never went through because a citizens' group got together and started the first Unionville festival to fight the plans," Hutcheson said.
`Heritage is something we have that the malls don't have'
Greg McCormick, Markham resident
With musical performances, races, contests and street dances, the group succeeded in preventing old Unionville from being destroyed by alerting others to Unionville's unique nature. In 1998, after more challenges, Unionville was declared a historic district.
McCormick, who heads up the Business Improvement Association in the area, said the challenge of fending off development remains constant.
"The pressure around here is incredible," he said. "You've got a jewel here. ... People love coming here but that also means people love to live in this area so there's a pressure to build closer and closer."
The challenge is to "balance that" with preserving the historical character of the neighbourhood, said McCormick, who has lived in Markham all his life.
"You could drop a skyscraper and make lots of money but it would affect the character of the street," he said. "You can always develop but you can't recreate this area."
"Heritage is something we have that the malls don't have."
For Karen Chadwick, who has been working on Main Street for nearly 25 years, it's the history and small village feel that she loves.
The building, where she operates her business — the Queen's Pantry — used to be a hotel in the 1870s. It was the history of the place that drew Chadwick in. While she first sold gourmet foods, her business evolved into a bedding and drapery store.
This is one of the street's better times, she said. "In the past, we have had vacant spaces, but not so much now."
When Markham resident Savita Bhimsen first saw Main Street in Unionville seven years ago, she fell in love.
In a city filled with so many new homes, barely 20 to 30 years old, Bhimsen said the area's heritage is a powerful pull.
"In Markham, we have so little that is ours," she said. "What do we say is our pride — our high tech industry?" she asked. "That's not what draws the tourists or a person in."
"It's the culture and history that brings them in."