The North Woods in London are now Selling!
A collection of contemporary townhomes, The North Woods is conveniently located near Hyde Park and Fanshawe in North-West London. Surrounded by woodlots and nearby trails, these towns bridge the demand for urban excitement and close-knit comforts.
The Carrol Creek Townhomes are now selling.
Enjoy life nestled in the rural township of Strathroy where the pace is calmer, streets are quieter, the sky is clearer and smiles are bigger. At Carrol Creek you can save up to $100,000 compared to London! Featuring 2 storey, 3 bedroom homes, the towns at Carrol Creek are designed to offer the best of both modern living and affordable home ownership.
The lots at this exciting new development are now being serviced and sales have begun.
Indeed, one reason the area has managed to cultivate such a reputation for community is its heavily residential landscape. In University Heights, there are a plethora of single-detached houses west of Western Road, dating back to the 1970s and 80s, as well as some high-rise apartment buildings. It’ll come as no surprise that there are also many Western University residences and housing geared towards students in the aptly named neighbourhood. In addition, residents can enjoy the many trails and forested areas found close to the Deshkan Ziibi / Antler River / Thames River.
In the 1860s, the area in and around Cherryhill was known, fittingly enough, for growing cherries. Throughout the late nineteenth century and well into the twentieth century, the area largely remained as farmland, with residences only sparsely dotting the landscape.
However, Cherryhill has now become known for its high density of apartment buildings; in fact, the Cherryhill Apartment Community in London, Ontario was one of the largest apartment complex sales in Canadian history. Designed as “a city within a city,” the neighbourhood boomed beginning in the 1950s, quickly moving from rural to urban. The area now has a high proportion of both older adults and students, thanks in part to its proximity to Western University and its accessible housing style.
Cherryhill’s neighbour to the south is Oxford Park, a small cottage-like neighbourhood north of the river. As detailed on the above map from 1867, aside from the cemetery, the area that is now Oxford Park was largely grassy fields and meadows prior to the 20th-century.
Now bordered by Oxford Street West, Mount Pleasant Cemetery, the Petersville ravine, and Riverside Drive, it is highly residential and filled with large mature trees. Their fierce sense of community has existed for decades and was tested on a fateful day in August 1973.
A natural gas valve was damaged during construction on Paul Street, causing a massive leak that led to a series of violent explosions and fires on August 7, 1973. Approximately 38 houses caught fire, explosions destroyed ten homes across several streets, and over three thousand homes were evacuated. Thankfully, largely due to the mid-day timing of the explosion, no one died, though 28 people had minor injuries.
Located next to Oxford Park lies a non-denominational cemetery — Mount Pleasant Cemetery and Oakland Cemetery. Oakland Cemetery was opened in 1855 by the United Presbyterian Church Congregation on the site’s west side. In 1864 the Wesleyan Methodist New Connections Church also instituted its own cemetery on the east side, and in 1882 the two groups decided to amalgamate their holdings into Oakland Cemetery. The cemetery was left unattended and largely neglected for many years, save for the efforts of a Reverend Elson in the early 1950s and Oakridge Secondary School students who undertook Project ‘75 with another cleanup.
Unfortunately, their efforts were never continued. Oakland was transferred by deed to Mount Pleasant Cemetery in 1982 on the basis that Mount Pleasant would “rebuild and redesign” the property. In a tragic twist of fate, all of the historical burial and lot records were destroyed in a house fire many years ago. While the exact number of interments remains unknown due to the practice of unmarked graves, the estimates range from 350-574 burials.
This area is also home to the Or Shalom Cemetery. Established in 1888, the institution’s history can likewise be linked back to 1940 with the incorporation of the first Conservative synagogue in London, the United Jewish League. In 1944, the United Jewish League joined with B’nai Israel, an Orthodox congregation in south London, and assumed this name. In 1960, B’nai Israel moved to a new building at Huron and Adelaide streets and, with its amalgamation with B’nai Moses ben Judah in 1966, Congregation Or Shalom was born. Today, London’s Jewish cemetery is located on Oxford Street West at Proudfoot Lane.
A historical fixture in University Heights is Grosvenor Lodge, a beautiful heritage property located at 1017 Western Road. Grosvenor Lodge was originally built by Samuel Peters and his wife, Ann Philips, immigrants from Devon, England. Leaving in 1835, it took the couple six weeks to cross the Atlantic. After landing in Quebec City, the pair travelled to London by riverboat, barge, and wagon.
Initially, the family resided on Ridout Street, where Peters built a house and a butchery. He worked as a surveyor in London and elsewhere for the Canada Company. Then, in 1850, Peters purchased a brewery west of Blackfriars Bridge, in an area he had surveyed and subdivided. It came to be known as Petersville. Peters was civically engaged, and an overall respected citizen. He was not only a founding member of London’s first Masonic lodge, but he also helped lay the cornerstone of St. Paul’s Cathedral in 1844.
In 1853, Peters enlisted the help of his architect-surveyor nephew, Samuel Peters, Jr., to prepare designs for his Victorian-style residence. The Peters’ bought 500 acres of land; work on the home began in 1853, and the family moved in a year later. Its Tudor Gothic style was inspired by a manor house in Merton, Devonshire, England, that Mrs. Peters was familiar with and was one of the first brick residences erected in the city. The lodge remained within the family for three generations over 120 years.
![A black and white photo of a large brick house](https://literagroup.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/GrosvenorLodge.jpg")
Some of the lodge’s more remarkable features include its locally crafted stained-glass windows, encasing “S.P.” for Samuel Peters, and “A.P.” for his wife Ann Philips, in the design of the sidelights as well as an entwined “S” (Samuel) and “A” (Ann) in the fanlight. Another noteworthy element of the property is the stonework of the gables and windows. Similarly, the plaques in the matching front elevation gables encase “S.P.” on one side and the construction date “1853” on the other. The interior of the home features wide-planked pine floors and individually carved marble fireplaces. As well, the Gothic Revival fireplace in the dining room is particularly unique.
The northeast corner of University Heights is, unsurprisingly, home to a section of Western University, including several student residences and the Faculty of Education.
Founded on March 7, 1878, the then-named “Western University of London Ontario” welcomed students to its campus for the first time in 1881. The first campus was located in Old North’s Bishop Hellmuth neighbourhood. In 1916, the university purchased the land for the current campus from the Kingsmill family.
Western University’s Faculty of Education, originally called the Ontario College of Education, opened in 1962 as the second secondary teacher training institution established in the province. In fact, the south-half of the building served as the Department of Education for Ontario. Over time, the Department of Education expanded and eventually moved out. On April 16, 1963, the building was renamed the Althouse College of Education. At this point, the College remained only affiliated with the nearby University of Western Ontario. In 1973, London Teacher’s College (Elborn) merged with Althouse College to form the Faculty of Education at Western.
The heart of the local Muslim community, the London Muslim Mosque is Ontario’s oldest mosque and Canada’s oldest operational mosque. Located prominently on Oxford St. West, the London Muslim Mosque was the first purpose-built mosque in Ontario, the second in Canada, and the third in North America. The Muslim community first took root in the city in 1901, when a small group of Lebanese immigrants came to London. To help each other adjust to their new home, the group started the Syrian-Lebanese Club. This club was neither political nor religious in nature; its aim was simply to foster a sense of community and belonging.
Throughout the 1940s and ‘50s, families would meet in each other’s homes every weekend to socialize and teach religion and culture to their children – who were the first generation of Muslims born in London. The community was small but vibrant. In 1955, London’s Muslim community consisted of only twelve families. In the 1950s, the Canadian Moslem Benevolent Society (CMBS) was created with a goal in mind: to locate and establish a commonplace of worship for London’s growing Muslim population to build a strong foundation for the Muslim community. The society was successful in this aim, for their work led to the creation of one of the most unified and active Muslim communities in the country.
In 1955, London hosted the fourth annual Muslim convention in North America. During the convention, CMBS shared that it was going to purchase property for a mosque. After much fundraising, the Society bought a house at 151 Oxford St. W — a huge milestone for the London Muslim Mosque. Tragedy struck a few years later, however, when a fire destroyed the building.
A new mosque was erected in 1964 on the same site thanks to generous donations from Muslims all over the continent; it is the one that still stands today. The London Muslim Mosque is a community hub that provides cultural, social, and charitable service to the community. Today, the city’s Muslim population consists of families who have lived here for generations as well as immigrants from many countries, and London is now home to more than five mosques.
The Westown Plaza, now known as Cherryhill Village Mall, opened in 1960. It was designed as a one-stop shopping destination to serve the growing neighbourhoods.
When it first opened, it featured twenty-two retail outlets, including a Steinberg supermarket, Young Canada, The Bank of Nova Scotia, Holt Powell Men’s Wear, Dewars Jewellery, Westown Pro Hardware, Wickhams, and Fleetway 40 bowling. Many West Londoners will remember frequenting The Bavarian Tavern and Restaurant. The Westown branch of the London Library, now known as the Cherryhill Branch, opened in 1963 and, in 1990, became the first full-service branch with six full-time staff.
The plaza was — and remains — the beating heart of “Cherryhill Village,” where bowling alleys, a health spa, library, medical centre, two pools, shopping facilities, and tennis courts are just a short walk from a dozen high-rise apartment buildings. One of the men responsible for this development was Sam Katz. Affectionately known as the “Mayor of Cherryhill,” Katz built on the idea of “a city within a city” by creating a well-planned apartment and shopping centre complex on Oxford Street West.
Katz was an influential entrepreneur and formidable figure in the London community with a heartbreaking past. Katz was born in 1917 in a small village in Austria-Hungary, now Slovakia. During the Second World War, he was held captive in Nazi concentration camps for five years. Witnessing and experiencing atrocities, Katz and one of his sisters were their family’s only survivors. His two brothers, his father, and one sister and her children were killed in Auschwitz.
In 1949, he came to Canada and met his future business partner Ewald Bierbaum a few years later in the unemployment line. Shortly after, they began building houses and duplexes as Katz & Bierbaum Construction. From 1957 to 1989, the pair built over four thousand apartment units, a commercial mall, a bowling centre, office buildings and acquired some undeveloped land. The apartment complex behind Westown Plaza was first known as Green Acres, later changing to Cherryhill.
Bierbaum chose to pursue his own interests in 1989, and so the Katz family and partnership group retained the branding and identity of ESAM (a merger of Ewald and Sam’s first names). In 1999, the father of high-rise living in London was named to the mayor’s first seniors’ honour list. The Cherryhill apartment community remained in the Katz family until 2011.
Feature Photo of Westown Plaza in 1967, courtesy of Western University Archives via historypin.org.
Source: https://londonfuse.ca/london-neighbourhood-histories-cherryhill-oxford-park-university-heights/
Given enough time, a lowly acorn will grow into a mighty oak.
And if given enough time, a lot dotted with scrub will similarly grow into a thicket of trees.
That’s exactly what’s happened to a property along Oxford Street in London while developer Howard Katz says he’s waited for city hall to give him the go-ahead to turn it into a residential plot of high- and low-rises.
What’s upset some residents in the Cherryhill area is how Katz went ahead recently and levelled that thicket of trees, between the Fleetway Fun Centre and Cherryhill Village Mall, a move the city calls “premature.”
Katz says he’s been waiting since 1999 to move forward with his draft plan of subdivision.
“It was a piece of property that was supposed to be developed at some point,” said Ward 6 Coun. Phil Squire, who’s received complaints from constituents who very likely thought — since it’s been more than 16 years — the trees would flourish on that spot forever.
“We’ve always had to try to have a good relationship with the city,” said Katz, who’s president of both ESAM Group and Sam Katz Developments, the developer in this case.
“All we were doing was within our rights.”
Katz says he would have happily obtained a permit from the city to deforest the land, but one isn’t required.
“There’s no permit for me to get,” he said. The area he cleared is only a small part of the total development.
A city official suggested the move jumped the gun.
“We have been talking to the developer about these tree removals, which we believe are premature as the planning process is not complete. The developer has co-operated in stopping the removals while we finalize the planning issues,” Andrew Macpherson, manager of environmental and parks planning, said in an email to The Free Press.
Asked if there’s a penalty for “prematurely” cutting down trees, Macpherson replied, “there may be issues with the tree removals that we will have to resolve through the approvals process.”
Another city official indicated the project’s time lag is unusual.
“A wait of 17 years is definitely not the norm. However, it should be noted that we do have another draft plan within the city which is still active since 1978,” said Allister MacLean, the city’s manager of development planning.
Katz points out most of the trees cut down had grown up while his company has been waiting to carry out its plans.
“This is not a forest that was there for 150 years,” he said. He hired a tree expert, who indicated which trees should be spared.
“We brought in an arborist,” Katz said, adding the city has been more amenable to listening in recent months, after years of the land left fallow.
Unlike current developments, Katz doesn’t have to extend his draft approval every three years, since it dates back to the 1990s.
Katz hopes to build 1,600 to 1,800 units on the site. He says area residents driving by on Oxford might see a lot of tree stumps, but what they won’t see is how much work is being done to preserve the property’s natural character.
“They don’t realize how much parkland we’re going to dedicate,” he said, including preserving a ravine that runs through the roughly 28-hectare property.
MacLean notes Katz has yet to register a site-specific site-plan application, a necessary preliminary step before creating the blocks of land on each individual site.
Source: https://lfpress.com/2016/04/20/developer-defends-right-to-deforest