A structural engineer says tearing down and replacing AW Campbell House with a replica of the building is the most “realistic and financially more viable long term option” for the historic structure.

Dejan Popovic, a senior structural engineer at VPN Engineering recently completed a report of the historic home of Archie Campbell, the man who donated 308 acres for the AW Campbell Conservation Area.

The St. Clair Region Conservation Authority owns the land and in Sept. 2021 voted to take down the house. Popovic, in his report to the authority, shared with Brooke-Alvinston Council, says the museum advisor found in 1968 that the house was already suffering from lack of maintenance. “The letter concludes that even though the house ‘is not beyond redemption, it will take a great deal of repair, paint and plaster to catch up on all the years of deterioration which may bring the cost of restoring to be almost prohibitive without some voluntary assistance, either financial or physical,’” writes Popovic.

The authority did open the Campbell House Museum in the early 1970s, furnished with items from the late 1800s – donated by local residents. It was open a few days of the week each summer with funding from the provincial government.

But in the 80s, the money ran out and the museum only opened during the annual Maple Syrup Festival. By 2001, thieves had broken in and stolen valuable artifacts. The museum was closed and never reopened.

Popovic went inside the building in September and found the roof appeared to be original. But there was a lot of damage.

“By the stains observed on the ceiling plaster, the roof on the main building has been leaking significantly on numerous locations. The biggest leak is located near the fireplace chimney resulting in disintegration of the plaster and a big hole on this area of the ceiling,” Popovic wrote.

And the engineer says the walls are not stable. Some of the door frames have separated from the walls as the walls shifted. “This can cause serious structural damage, even destruction of part of the building in right circumstances.

“Leaving the house in the current condition is not an option,” Popovic adds.
“It will inevitably lead to further gradual deterioration and eventual collapse of the structure. The collapse, partial or overall, will likely happen abruptly and without a warning once the remaining residual strength, or the integrity, or the stability of the system are exhausted.

“The fact that this house survived for over 150 years, more than twice as long as the life expectancy of any contemporary house of this period, with only sporadic maintenance and repairs/replacements over the years, speaks about the resiliency of these older houses and their structural systems.”
Popovic says the best option appears to be taking the house down and building a replica of the building, “That way the original condition of the AW (Archie) Campbell will, as described in the noted bylaw, that the house stays available to general public, will be preserved.”

Brooke-Alvinston council asked the municipality’s insurance agents to take a look at the structure and the liability problems it could cause.