Residents of Brampton's Wildfield community believe every effort should be made to save a 19th-century home on The Gore Road the Region of Peel has slated for demolition by spring 2020.

Thanks to the efforts of resident Dan O'Reilly, Peel Regional Council agreed on Dec. 12 to have staff report back in 2020 on further options to preserve the building, which must be removed in order to facilitate the widening of Mayfield and The Gore roads.

O'Reilly requested the Region of Peel assume the entire relocation costs as incentive for a buyer to conclude a lot purchase agreement with a developer in Wildfield's Vales of the Humber subdivision.

In 2018, Regional council agreed with staff's recommendation that if a third party couldn't be found to buy and move the property, which they purchased in 2010, it should be demolished. Signage was placed on the property for nine weeks, but no interested buyers came forward.

At the time, staff estimated the relocating and rebuilding the building to nearby market standards would cost at least $2.1 million.

"I hope that even if this building does end up getting demolished, maybe if there's another heritage home the region takes hold of ... they might think about it and not let it sit for 10 years," O'Reilly told The Guardian.

Peel staff have appeared before the Brampton Heritage Board four times since 2011 to explore different options for the structure, but it was approved for demolition in October.

Currently on the Brampton’s Municipal Register of Cultural Heritage Resources, the property forms part of the historical hamlet of Wildfield with St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church and cemetery.

Georgetown resident Davileen (Heffernan) Radigan was one of a dozen residents demonstrating in front of the house on Sunday, Dec. 21. She lived in Wildlfield for 10 years as a child in the 1950s, and returned later to teach for 15 years at St. Patrick's School.

"It was one of those places that felt like it was central to the hub of the community," she said of the house, which was once a blacksmith shop. "It's a precious place."