Jay Goldman

Today is the day that homeowners across Ontario dread and anticipate: the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation sent out their property assessments. Will your tax go down next year? Will you need a new mortgage to support their crazy overvalued decision? You’ll soon know!

Thankfully, this year’s assessment didn’t contain any nasty surprises. We did learn, however, that MPAC thinks our house was built in 1870. We knew it was pre-1920s because the basement is brick and basements apparently stopped being brick in the early 20s when cinder blocks took over as the darling of the foundation world. But 1870! That’s a whole 50 years older! Why, this house was already 106 years old when I was born!

What else happened in 1870, you might not ask? Well, I’ll tell you anyway. Turns out it was a big year, and not just in the Toronto Home Construction industry! In 1870:

• Plans for the Brooklyn Bridge were completed and construction began
• Mississippi, Virginia, Texas, and Georgia joined the Union
• Speaking of Americans, the 15th Amendment to the Constitution was passed giving African Americans the right to vote
• The Beach Pneumatic demonstration line opened in New York City, the city’s first and only pneumatic subway (built in secrecy — try that today!)
• Fraternity brothers everywhere rejoiced as Kappa Alpha Theta, the first sorority, was created
• The Bulgarian Exarchate was established by decree of Sultan Abd-ul-Aziz of the Ottoman Empire (for real!)
• The Canadian province of Manitoba was created, eventually leading to my friends John and Megan getting married in Winnipeg a mere 136 years later (house still standing!)
• The United States Department of Justice was created
• Christmas was declared a national holiday in the US, only one thousand, eight hundred and seventy years after the fact
• I turned -108 years old
• Napoleon was deposed in France and the Third Republic was declared, eventually leading to the publication of my Dad’s first novel, Napoleon’s Gambit
• Rome became the capital of Italy and annexed the Vatican
• Vladamir Lenin was born and Charles Dickens died: a sad year for politics and literature

And there you have it! A busy year indeed. Our little house has solidly stood since that day, lasting through some six and a half generations and who knows how many residents. Kind of exciting (and a little freaky!) to know that so many people have passed through its doors. No ghosts to report yet, but I’ll keep you posted!