Work is underway to dismantle a 19th-century stone tower in Hespeler and move it to a nearby riverfront park, but some surrounding residents are raising concerns over privacy and parking. Crews are disassembling the historic Forbes Tower stone by stone at its original site on the former Forbes Estate at 155 Guelph Ave. The stones will be transported less than half a kilometre away to Jacob’s Landing Park along the Speed River, where the structure will be rebuilt as a public lookout tower overlooking the water. However, residents living in neighboring apartment buildings near the park say they are worried about the tower’s new placement and what park visitors will be able to see. “Its scope is now going to be into these people’s bedrooms and living rooms that live here,” said Laura Thompson, a local resident concerned about the relocation. “Where are these people going to park? Where is this lookout going to actually look into our building or upstream or downstream? We’ve gone to the meetings with the city and we’re asked basically, why did they even move it off site?” Thompson added: “And now we’re going to have a tower to look at and obviously a tower to look back on us.” The relocation follows a tense 2022 decision at Cambridge City Hall after Fusion Homes sought to build a new residential subdivision on the Forbes Estate property. The site originally belonged to Jacob Hespeler, the namesake of the community, before it was purchased by the Forbes family. A heritage assessment conducted before the move found that while experts could not confirm if the building functioned as a dovecote to house pigeons, it held significant local heritage value due to its association with Hespeler and 19th-century agricultural history. “On it are some important heritage assets, including what is known today as the Forbes Tower,” said Brynn Nheiley, director of planning for the City of Cambridge. “And the Forbes Tower was an agricultural building used likely to house farm animals. That property owner is disassembling the tower in its current location with the help of heritage experts.” Under a decision by the Ontario Land Tribunal, the developer is covering the majority of the relocation costs, while the city is responsible for a portion of the move alongside ongoing operation and maintenance costs. Once reconstructed at Jacob’s Landing Park, the stone tower will be built around an internal staircase, steel roof structure, and an observation platform providing elevated views of the Speed River and dam. The city plans to rebuild the structure in its “ruin” state to minimize the need for new material, alongside park enhancements such as new pathways, benches, and a sloped walkway. City officials say the project will enhance the community’s connection to the river while taking steps to protect neighboring residents’ privacy. “Certainly throughout Cambridge, the river systems are such a critical piece of our identity and our cultural heritage,” Nheiley said. The city noted that the foundation for the tower at Jacob’s Landing has already been dug and that the tower’s positioning and elevation are designed to direct visitors’ views downriver rather than toward nearby residential windows. Municipal staff hope to have the tower fully rebuilt at its new location by the end of the year.
