BY GORDON KENT, EDMONTONJOURNAL.COM JANUARY 12, 2012 7:09 PM
EDMONTON – The childhood home of acclaimed Edmonton-born philosopher Marshall McLuhan is being offered to the city to buy and preserve as an arts and writing centre.
McLuhan, a communications theorist and literary critic who coined such phrases as “the medium is the message,” lived in the Highlands house until
his family moved to Winnipeg in 1915 when he was four.
Cheryl Toshack, who, with husband Doug, has owned and lovingly maintained
the 1 1/2-storey structure for 37 years, said Thursday they plan to move
and want the city to purchase the property to ensure it isn’t destroyed.
“A lot of homes in Highlands get flattened. That’s our biggest fear,” she
said, explaining the 22-metre-wide lot would be attractive to someone who
wanted to build a much larger, single-family residence.
“Last year, with it being (McLuhan’s) 100th birthday, we had an
international group come through … they were just so delighted to get in
and see it.”
The house, assessed by the city at $450,000, still has such original
features as the oak fireplace, pocket doors and a chandelier.
Toshack is also concerned a new owner might keep the home standing, but
modernize it to the point that its century-old charm is lost.
While one option is to have it designated as a historic site so it can’t
legally be demolished or heavily altered, “we would prefer to have the city
buy it. They would use it in a positive manner,” she said.
However, the couple, which has been working on the idea since last year,
wants to complete a deal by March 1 or they’ll put their home on the open
market.
The Edmonton Arts Council says the main floor could be used for a writer’s
office, library and interpretive displays about McLuhan, a longtime
University of Toronto professor who died in 1980.
The rest of the building might be turned into studios, offices for such
groups as the University of Alberta’s Festival of Ideas and a suite for
visiting scholars and artists.
These revenues should cover the operating costs, arts council executive
director John Mahon said.
“The idea of a writer’s house, a place for professional writers to go to
work outside their home, has been there for a while, and also I think the
symbolism is important,” he said.
“The city needs to claim its intellectual past as much as its built
architectural heritage … The fact is that he was born here, that his family
roots were here, that he maintained contact with our community throughout
his life.”
The move is supported by the Highlands Community League, which is also
interested in having 112th Avenue renamed Marshall McLuhan Avenue.
Although Coun. Ben Henderson said he’s intrigued by the idea of buying the
house, he needs more details such as where the money would come from before
deciding whether to support the scheme.
“There is a strong connection to McLuhan, who was one of the really
formative thinkers of the last half of the last century, and there hasn’t
been a lot of recognition of that connection,” he said.
“I think it creates a kind of energy that would not be creatable in another
situation.”
http://www.edmontonjournal.com/news/City+considers+buying+philosopher+Marshall+McLuhan+boyhood+home/5988145/story.html
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