2025 was the 50th anniversary of the Markham Historical Society.
History Lives Here was part of the city’s celebration at a special evening held on November 13th. Company president Peter Lockyer was the keynote speaker providing a presentation about his own experiences in heritage restoration and educational projects within his own community of historic Prince Edward County, Ontario.
The evening was an opportunity to share best practices as Markham has a strong heritage sector that has developed innovative policies and practices to embrace both development and conservation – a delicate balance many communities are seeking to address.
Over the decades, the original town of Markham has grown dramatically encompassing several communities like Unionville, Buttonville, and Thornhill. Today the city has a dynamic economy with many large corporations headquartered in the community. But this development has meant surrounding farmland has been transformed into high rise buildings and offices. To address the loss of historic farmhouses, the city created a program to encourage developers to move heritage homes to fully serviced municipal lots offered at reduced rates. Today the Markham Heritage Estates are a unique 42-lot sub-division of historic homes saved from demolition. It is Canada’s first heritage sub-division.
The estates are the centrepiece of a strategic set of programs, policies, grants, tax incentives, and recognition awards aimed at balancing development with heritage preservation.
