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Leidra Lodge – A new conservation easement

Photo: Leidra Lodge

By

Ontario Heritage Trust

Buildings and architecture

Published Date: May 19, 2005

June Ardiel has been a patron and leader in Ontario's arts community all her life.

She has authored a book on the public art of Toronto and is an accomplished artist in her own right. June is also the daughter of Lorne Ardiel, who was a lieutenant-colonel with the Middlesex Militia in the First World War, senior executive for General Motors (Oshawa), renowned sportsman and leader in the development of Canada's marketing industry.

Lorne Ardiel built a family retreat on Clear Lake in the Kawarthas in 1926. It has remained virtually unaltered since it was constructed and remains an important part of our cultural heritage as a representative example of the cottage lifestyle that became not only possible but widespread in Ontario with the advent of mass-produced, affordable automobiles.

In December 2004, the Ontario Heritage Foundation finalized a heritage conservation easement agreement to protect Leidra Lodge – the Ardiel family cottage at Young's Point. The lodge is a charming 1920s Craftsman-style lakefront dwelling with accompanying garage and two picturesque boathouses set amid a peaceful, contemplative, designed landscape.

Leidra Lodge is surrounded by approximately an acre (0.4 hectares) of landscaped grounds and is also buffered by 75 acres (30.4 hectares) of farm and forested lands that are adjacent to the Young’s Point Conservation Area – a regionally significant Life Science Area of Natural and Scientific Interest (ANSI).

Ms. Ardiel has donated the house, its surrounding cultural heritage landscape and the farm tract to the Otonabee Region Conservation Foundation. This donation – further protected by an Ontario Heritage Foundation conservation easement – will guarantee the long-term protection of the property’s heritage features and will ensure that the ambience of this special place is preserved.

Through her thoughtful and farsighted donation of both the lands and the easement agreement, Ms. Ardiel has ensured that her family legacy will be preserved and enjoyed for generations to come.

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