LINKS

1. insideToronto: Historic Downsview hangars demolished
2. The Record: Grandview school's history likely won't be enough to save it from the wrecking ball
3. The Community Press: Inventory of properties having heritage value now a register
4. Cambridge Record: Grandview School Threatened
5. Globe and Mail: Architecture - The Public Safety Building - enter at your own risk
6. Toronto Star: Province refuses to offer more protection for Dunlap Observatory
7. Owen Sound Sun Times: oldest active public school building in Owen Sound is slated to be demolished
8. The Record: Cambridge School to be Demolished
9. Owen Sound Sun Times; Paisley Inn the news again
10. Brantford Expositor: Brantford Expositor
11. CTV: Brantford Protest
12. TheRecord.com - Waterloo Record: Demolition politics and Wilfrid Laurier University
13. Hamilton Spectator : Crawling for Attention
14. Globe and Mail: Downsview Hangars to go Down
15. Spacing Wire: Brantford
16. Brantford Expositor: Reaction to Letter from Ministry seeking Heritage Evaluation
17. Alma Fire on Google Maps!
18. Heritage Canada: Career Opportunity: Heritage Specialist
19. Canadian Architect: George Baird Wins RAIC Gold Medal
20. Canadian Architect: Bing Thom 2010 Architectural Firm Award
21. Yahoo.com: Cuba struggles to preserve past
22. Globe and Mail: Heritage to some, eyesore to others
23. Globe and Mail: Brantford heritage buildings to be demolished
24. Montreal Gazette: Cuba struggles to preserve past in hard times
25. Silicon Valley / San Jose Business Journal: Serious Materials to retrofit Empire State Building windows
26. Montreal Gazette: Minaret collapse highlights decay of Moroccan medinas
27. Brantford Expositor: Province Intervenes in Brantford-Requests Assessment of Heritage Resources
28. Globe and Mail: Maple Leaf Gardens-The Future
29. blogTO
30. Inside Toronto: Congrats to Geoff and Edith Geduld
31. Owen Sound Sun Times: Board awaits city's ideas
32. Northern News Services: Heritage plaque crowns post office
33. Waterloo Record: Brantford's heritage buildings at centre of debate
34. Owen Sound Sun Times: Province recognizes woman's work to research, preserve and celebrate local history - City must protect heritage: Niall
35. Waterloo Record: Brantford's move to tear down historic structures is pitiful
36. Hamilton Spectator: Old train station stokes arguments
37. thelondoner.ca: Adding shine to the downtown smile - The city's move into the former Capitol Theatre could lead to great opportunities for heritage buildings
38. insideTORONTO.com:Children's hospice to reclaim Governor's House - New site to serve kids with life-limiting illnesses
39. Edmonton Journal: City sues Gem Theatre owner
40. The Kitchener/Waterloo Record: Failing Grade for Heritage Protection
41. Owen Sound Sun Times: city's desire to adequately commemorate the original wing of St. Mary's High School
42. Globe and Mail: Queen's Park Viewshed
43. Moncton Times and Transcript: Aberdeen centre will need more money
44. Moncton Times and Transcript: Historic buildings get $6M for renos
45. Ottawa Citizen: Rewarding acts of citizenry
46. London Free Press: Restoration projects give city"s built heritage brighter future
47. raisethehammer.org: Urban Destruction in the Heart of Brantford, Ontario
48. CKNX 101.7: Palmerston Landmark Protection
49. Owen Sound Sun Times: City must protect heritage: Niall
50. VOCM.com [St. John's, NL] : Historic Trust Releases Report on Buildings at Risk
51. Ottawa Citizen: Les Soeurs de la Visitation Convent at Risk
52. Kitchener Waterloo Record: Book Review New Book on Brantford Renewal
53. Toronto Star: Union Station Renovations
54. The Hill Times.ca: Mall next to Rideau Canal in Lansdowne Park
55. Subscribe to CCA Podcasts
56. Globe and Mail: Loss of China's Heritage
57. Blogto.com: Leaside Train Repair Shop
58. Canadian Press / Winnipeg Free Press: Masons battle harsh climate, massive stones in northern Manitoba fort restoration
59. Globe and Mail: Obituary Arthur Erickson
60. Los Angeles Times: Century Plaza Hotel on Most Endangered List
61. A Digital Archive of American Architecture
62. Hamilton Spectator: Marble removal begins, Hamilton City Hall
63. Heritage Canada Foundation's Annual Conference - Call for Abstracts and Proposals
64. Archinnovations: Architectural Magazine Online

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1. insideToronto: Historic Downsview hangars demolished
Lisa Queen

Historic Downsview hangars demolished. Two historic hangars at Downsview Park were recently demolished. Photo/ROB COHEN

A campaign to save two historic hangars at Downsview Airport has failed, leaving resident Robert Cohen dismayed the buildings have been demolished over the last few days.
"The hangars are down. They started (demolishing them last) Thursday, Friday and (Monday). It's toast. As a passionate Canadian, there was no reason for this," said Cohen, a member of the Canadian Air and Space Museum.

"Unfortunately, a deal couldn't be had between (Downsview) Park and DND (Department of National Defence, which owns the hangars). Why these guys didn't broker a deal is beyond me. Why two heritage buildings were destroyed needlessly needs an investigation. It is a sad story."

Cohen said the Second World War-era hangars are a significant part of Canada's aviation history.

http://www.insidetoronto.com/news/local/article/648307--historic-downsview-hangars-demolished

2. The Record: Grandview school's history likely won't be enough to save it from the wrecking ball
Kevin Swayze

CAMBRIDGE  City heritage officials are scrambling after hearing of demolition plans for Grandview Public School on Hamilton Street. Monday, public school board trustees approved, in principle, plans to raze the 77-year-old building. Until last week, talk was about $4.5 million in renovations and additions to double its size to handle upwards of 200 students bused in from the Deer Ridge area of south Kitchener. Now, the talk is of spending $7 million to raze and replace it, after more and more problems were found with the existing building as the renovation plans were drawn up. Heritage boosters were blindsided by the change of plans for Grandview. This has just exploded into the community, said Kathy McGarry, president of Heritage Cambridge. I was horrified when I heard Tuesday. The original Preston Public School was saved from demolition and converted into apartments in the late 1970s. When Central Public in Galt was demolished and replaced with a modern school, the public anger led to creation of the watchdog group Heritage Cambridge in 1971, McGarry said. At City Hall, the citys heritage planner is busy collecting whatever documentation she can find, trying to arrange a tour of the building by the citys heritage advisory committee and asking school officials for more copies of engineering reports supporting demolition.

http://news.therecord.com/News/Local/article/682462

3. The Community Press: Inventory of properties having heritage value now a register
Sue Dickens

Campbellford – Listing properties of cultural heritage value is one of the mandates of the Trent Hills Heritage Committee and now the creation of a register will move it closer to achieving that goal.

"We only decided last year we would change the name of our inventory to that of a register. We always had the beginnings of one," heritage committee chair Des Conacher.

The decision to create a register, in keeping with provincial guidelines, was made at a recent meeting of the committee where members discussed how exactly to promote the register for the municipality.

It was decided a letter from the heritage committee will be sent to property owners whose homes qualify to be added to the register of heritage properties.

"This is a way to recognize the legacy of Trent Hills' architecture and to create a bank of information about the properties that represent that heritage," states the draft letter approved by the committee.

The register also serves as a source of information to Trent Hills' council, staff and the heritage committee "when considering the impact of new development in the municipality."

The committee also makes clear in its letter that placing a property in the register is not a designation but an act of recognition.

"If a property is on the register it is a stepping stone if down the road we want to consider designation," Conacher said after the meeting.

The register, as mandated by the Ministry of Culture, will include key information on all the buildings, structures, landscapes and districts that have been designated under the Ontario Heritage Act.

As Conacher explained, information about non-designated properties that have cultural heritage value or interest provides interim protection for sites undergoing change by requiring owners to provide the municipality with at least 60 days' notice of their intention to demolish or remove a building or structure.
 

http://www.communitypress.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2485187

4. Cambridge Record: Grandview School Threatened
Kevin Swayze

Grandview school's history likely won't be enough to save it from the wrecking ball

photo from Google maps,

CAMBRIDGE - City heritage officials are scrambling after hearing of demolition plans for Grandview Public School on Hamilton Street. Monday, public school board trustees approved, in principle, plans to raze the 77-year-old building. Until last week, talk was about $4.5 million in renovations and additions to double its size to handle upwards of 200 students bused in from the Deer Ridge area of south Kitchener. Now, the talk is of spending $7 million to raze and replace it, after more and more problems were found with the existing building as the renovation plans were drawn up. Heritage boosters were blindsided by the change of plans for Grandview. This has just exploded into the community, said Kathy McGarry, president of Heritage Cambridge. I was horrified when I heard Tuesday. The original Preston Public School was saved from demolition and converted into apartments in the late 1970s. When Central Public in Galt was demolished and replaced with a modern school, the public anger led to creation of the watchdog group Heritage Cambridge in 1971, McGarry said.

http://news.therecord.com/news/local/article/682462

5. Globe and Mail: Architecture - The Public Safety Building - enter at your own risk
PATRICK WHITE

To some, the crumbling structure that houses the Winnipeg police force is a blight on the cityscape, to others it's a jewel worth saving

Winnipegs Public Safety Building, headquarters for the citys police services, is part of a modernist cluster of buildings in the citys historic Exchange District. John Woods/The Globe And Mail

WINNIPEG — It tries hard to be a serious building, all hard edges and concrete, a drill sergeant in limestone. But for all its glowering posture, the Public Safety Building is the city's architectural laughingstock.

Last Friday, for the second time in three days, police officers took refuge inside Red River College and stared across Princess Street to the PSB, the sorry workplace of several hundred Winnipeg Police Service employees.

In three years, police will evacuate the building for good, moving to a former Canada Post headquarters. While Red River College has expressed interest in the PSB, it joins a number of modernist buildings in the city with an uncertain fate. Chief among them is the Winnipeg airport, which will move into a new terminal by year's end, deserting the modernist showpiece it now occupies.

"These buildings are important," said Serena Keshavjee, an art history professor at the University of Winnipeg and author of Winnipeg Modern, a book that details the city's rich catalogue of designs from the 60s and 70s. "Most cities are trying to preserve them, but in Winnipeg there isn't even a debate and I'm not sure why."

Winnipeg’s Public Safety Building, headquarters for the city’s police services, is part of a modernist cluster of buildings in the city’s historic Exchange District. John Woods/The Globe And Mail

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/prairies/the-public-safety-building---enter-at-your-own-risk/article1495733/

6. Toronto Star: Province refuses to offer more protection for Dunlap Observatory
Noor Javed

The David Dunlap Observatory lands in Richmond Hill have the protection it needs and the province has no plans to step in to further protect the property through a provincial heritage designation, the minister of tourism and culture said this week.

Michael Chan's comments shattered the hopes of Richmond Hill's mayor and community activists who had been counting on a provincial designation to keep the property from being redeveloped completely.

"We have reviewed the situation, and we feel that at the moment the property is protected," Chan said.

"As far as we are concerned, the property is protected by the municipality, and that designation carries the same protection as a provincial designation."

Activists say an intervention might have kept alive the dream of retaining the extensive wooded property around the observatory as parkland.

The fate of the prime piece of real estate has been in dispute for two years, since the University of Toronto sold it to developer Metrus, which has suggested it will preserve the observatory buildings but develop most of the rest of the site.

Preservationists hoped an endorsement by the Ontario Heritage Trust and a recommendation from the Conservation Review Board Hearing that the 77-hectare property get a provincial designation would persuade the minister to intervene.

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/777564--province-refuses-to-offer-more-protection-for-dunlap-observatory

7. Owen Sound Sun Times: oldest active public school building in Owen Sound is slated to be demolished
Denis Langlois

Alexandras days numbered

The oldest active public school building in Owen Sound is slated to be demolished next year.

Alexandra Community School, at 15th St. and 7th Ave. E., was built in 1924. There have been three additions over the years.

The Bluewater District School Board has secured funding to replace it with a $5.2-million single-storey school.


The board has applied to city hall for a zoning change for a strip of land that abuts the northern section of the Alexandra property to permit construction of the new school and a parking lot.

A public meeting on the application is set for March 29 at 7 p.m.

Unlike with St. Mary's High School, the city has not requested a heritage impact evaluation of Alexandra to determine its historical significance.

Coun. Jim McManaman asked city staff Monday to explain why.

"I just think we need to ensure the two school boards are treated in the same manner," he said in an interview.

The city has moved to protect the original wing of St. Mary's High School under the Ontario Heritage Act. The Bruce-Grey Catholic District School Board is fighting the designation.

City staff say Alexandra is not on the city's list of important heritage properties. St. Mary's 1891 annex is on the list.

The original St. Mary's wing is 33 years older than Alexandra. It represents early Catholic education in Owen Sound and its prominent hilltop location makes it a well-known heritage landmark in the city.
Two other old schools are now in private hands: the former Victoria Public School, built in 1913, and Strathcona, built in 1936.

Pam Coulter, Owen Sound's community services director, said the school board's plan to demolish Alexandra will be circulated to the province and a final staff report on the rezoning request will address the heritage aspect of the school.

A 2008 accommodation review of Bluewater schools in the Owen Sound area recommended that Alexandra, Bayview and Sydenham schools be expanded to junior kindergarten to Grade 8 facilities and Strathcona Senior Public School be closed.

The committee also recommended that Alexandra be replaced.

The board plans to build a 257-student school to replace Alexandra, according to a Bluewater District School Board news release. The cost is funded by the Ministry of Education, proceeds from the sale of Strathcona and board reserves.

Construction of the 26,300-square-foot building is projected to begin this spring 2010, the board says, and the new school is expected to be opened in autumn 2011.

Council must approve a site plan for the project, contingent upon rezoning approval. The board's current plan, as submitted to city hall, is to build the school in the northern section of the property, with entrances off 8th Ave. E.

A horseshoe-shaped bus drop-off area is also proposed to be built off 8th Ave. E., with parking lots to the north and south.

http://www.owensoundsuntimes.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2483741#

8. The Record: Cambridge School to be Demolished
Luisa DAmato

Parents learn school is to be demolished

CAMBRIDGE  Surprise! Theyre tearing down your school and building a new one. Thats how it is for families at Grand View Public School in Cambridge, where parents and children will soon find out that the historic school, which was due for major renovations and expansion this year, will be demolished instead. A new school will be built on the same site, opening in September 2011. Public school trustees voted unanimously Monday night to spend $7 million on a brand-new building, rather than $4.6 million on expanding the old school and fixing things like the uneven floors, tired gym and old boiler. School principal Rob Rebellato said parents will have their first official news at Wednesdays school council meeting.

http://news.therecord.com/news/local/article/681288

9. Owen Sound Sun Times; Paisley Inn the news again
Mary Golem

Paisley Inn gets another reprieve

The fate of the historic Paisley Inn might be known at the end of March.

That's when a deadline extension given to owner Burke Maidl

ow by Arran-Elderslie chief building official Stephen Walmsley is up.

After more than three-and-a-half years of court battles between former chief building official Craig Johnston and Maidlow, a Superior Court justice ruled last November that a demolition permit issued by Johnston was invalid.


At the time, Maidlow vowed to apply for another building permit to make repairs, first to the most problematic west wing roof, which his own engineers agree could collapse.

Maidlow met with Walmsley, Dec. 2, when Walmsley outlined what he needed to do to get a new permit. The requirements include a completed application outlining the use of the building, engineer-approved drawings for the work and adequate insurance.

"I gave him 90 days, until the end of February, to come up with what was needed," Walmsley told members of Arran-Elderslie council at a meeting in Chesley Monday. "At the end of February, he did not have a completed application ready for me, and so I could not issue a permit."

"I gave him three months to come in with the proper paperwork and now I've given him an extra month," Walmsley said.

Although the Building Code Act gives the chief building official authority to act without council's permission, Walmsley said he chose to bring the issue back before council "to bring you up to date with what's happening because there's been so much history with this building."

"The judge has ordered that all that history be forgotten. It's gone and we're starting from Square 1," Walmsley said, adding his primary concern, as chief building officer and an officer of the Crown, is public safety.

"The inn is an unsafe structure," Walmsley said. "I've tried working with Mr. Maidlow, but we're running out of time. What he has come back to me with is not adequate enough for me to issue a permit."
Walmsley invited Owen Sound chief building official Brian Green, who has been involved in the process needed to demolish buildings, to the meeting to help him explain to council what is involved.

"Once it is declared an unsafe structure details of the reasons why must be stated, and the remedial steps needed to make it safe," Green told council. "If that is not done, the building can be ordered demolished" and costs for the demolition added to the property's tax bill.

Walmsley told council he doesn't believe Maidlow understands the seriousness of the building's condition and admits whatever plans he has for the building "will require a lot of time, money and work."

"If it is going to be open to the public, it needs to be safe," he added. "And right now, it is not."

"At some point, decisions have to be made," Mayor Ron Oswald commented. "He knows the deadlines -- first it was Feb. 28 and now it is the end of the March. Something has to be done. This has dragged on long enough. I'd hate to leave this for some other council to deal with."

"I'm not saying the building will come down," Walmsley stressed. "But a decision about its future has to be made by the end of March."

Elderslie ward Coun. Mark Davis expressed concerns about the building's safety, saying restoring the Inn "to its original glory just isn't going to happen."

Davis also expressed concern about what he called the "out of control costs" and money spent by the municipality on the Inn.

"At what point will the public be satisfied we've done our best to work with Burke?"

Paisley resident Bob Cottrill asked council and Walmsley about the Inn's heritage designation, however both Green and Walmsley said the safety factor "overrides any heritage status."

"Paisley is a heritage village. If you take a wrecking ball to that building you'll be tearing the heart out of the village," Cottrill said. "I agree with the safety issues, but I also care about the heritage."

"I'm not saying the building is coming down," Walmsley stressed again to council. "I'm letting council know what the options are and the code is very concise on what needs to be done."

http://www.owensoundsuntimes.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2482604

10. Brantford Expositor: Brantford Expositor
Richard Beales

Marchers want city to halt demolition

A group of about 50 protesters rallied around a stretch of condemned buildings on Colborne Street Monday, urging the city to reconsider its plan to start tearing them down this month. The protestors, drawn together by the Save the South Side of Colborne Street Facebook page, met outside the Royal Bank building and carried their placards east along Colborne to Market Street, before heading north to city hall. All the while they shouted, "We want the truth" in reference to comments by speaker David Bornstein, who alleged the city has been systematically misleading to its citizens about the viability of the 41 buildings, many of which date back to pre-Confederation years.

http://www.brantfordexpositor.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2482171

11. CTV: Brantford Protest

Push to save buildings in downtown Brantford

Protesters turned out in Brantford on Monday hoping to save 41 buildings slated for demolition. The city is tearing them down to make way for development on Colborne Street. The heritage committee was hoping to speak to council. It wants council to designate the buildings as heritage sites. However, in a 6-5 vote council has decided not to reopen the issue. The city says the paper work for the demolition should be done by the end of the week

http://www.southwesternontario.ctv.ca/news.php?id=6941

Editor’s Note: Nice quote from ACO Prez Lloyd Alter

12. TheRecord.com - Waterloo Record: Demolition politics and Wilfrid Laurier University
Terry Pender

BRANTFORD — An English professor who opposes demolition of some old buildings in Brantford has found herself at the centre of an academic rights and freedom dispute with Wilfrid Laurier University.

The City of Brantford’s expropriation of 41 old buildings along the south side of Colborne Street sparked an emotional debate pitting heritage preservation against redevelopment.

The buildings sit on land Wilfrid Laurier University has recently eyed for redevelopment and construction of a new recreation facility for students and the community.

After sending an email to the demolition company warning of potential controversy, Lisa Wood, an associate professor of English and Contemporary Studies, says she was rebuked by university officials.

“We are in a sense obliged to speak out on issues of importance and significance, and I happen to believe that the demolition of those 41 heritage buildings is an issue of significance,” Wood said.

Laurier spokesperson Kevin Crowley said Wilfrid Laurier University absolutely respects the right of professors to speak out on controversial issues, but the professors cannot be seen to be speaking on behalf of the university.

“They have to make it clear when they speak out they are speaking for themselves,” Crowley said. “That was the real nut of the issue.”

Heritage preservationists say the buildings in question include the longest stretch of pre-Confederation architecture in Canada. They say the buildings must be saved, rehabilitated and reused.

Those who support demolition say nobody has come forward in 30 years with a proposal to redevelop the rundown properties. The $13.2 million budgeted for purchase and demolition is money well spent because the cleared land will be more attractive to developers, they say.

On Jan. 23, Wood started a Facebook group called Save the South Side of Colborne Street. It now has 1,635 members. Wood has spoken out at public meetings, started petitions and helped organize opposition to the demolition.

http://news.therecord.com/News/Local/article/680642

13. Hamilton Spectator : Crawling for Attention
Ken Peters

Heritage protectors highlight decaying buildings

historic hotel

Hamilton's grand old lady, the Royal Connaught Hotel, is a vulnerable mess.

It didn't take Matt Jelly and his posse of Hamilton downtown property protectors too long to come to that conclusion.

Jelly, a Hamilton artist and community activist, brought 75 citizens together Saturday for the city's first Bylaw Crawl.

The event was arranged so Hamilton heritage protectors could search out and report on city core properties in violation of the City of Hamilton's property standards bylaw.

Jelly's group hopes by making complaints to the city it can stop other buildings from falling into the kind of decay that forced the tearing down of the 97-year-old Century Theatre just last month.

Jelly's first stop was the vacant Royal Connaught on King Street East.

"One of our team members found the door with no lock. No impediment to trespassers. It was wide open and anyone can walk in there," he said of the east side door to the former crown jewel of the core.

"I can't imagine owning a building like that and not being excited about, not caring about it. Not wanting to protect it at all costs. It is crazy.

"The point of the bylaw crawl was illustrated right away," he added.

Jelly said the vulnerability of the Connaught reveals the building is at risk of suffering the same plight as the Century.

He said taking a peek inside reveals extensive water damage.

"The outside of the building looks great. People really love the building.

"If they were to see the water damage happening inside ... I think that is the shocking thing. It's such a great old building."

Hamilton Councillor Bob Bratina, who represents downtown, said he has been working with city staff to try and protect the Connaught from further decay.

"The true fact is the Connaught is not in good shape," said Bratina.

"It has not been well-kept and I'm not sure it has a future unless there is drastic renovation done. There are holes in the floor.

"I have been told by people who have been in the building that it is a dangerous building to go into."

Bratina said he has pushed to have signs on vacant buildings with the name and phone number of the responsible party.

Jelly is hoping to organize a March 6 bylaw crawl along with a cleanup event for the core.

http://www.thespec.com/article/718060

14. Globe and Mail: Downsview Hangars to go Down

Preservationists fail to save historic hangars

It's the end of the line for a pair of heritage-worthy hangars: The two structures, built in 1943 as part of Toronto's Second World War effort, are being demolished by the Department of National Defence after a last-ditch attempt to save them was kyboshed this week.

Major James DeBruin, the site's base commander, says National Defence did its best to work with those trying to save the 67-year-old structures, which are high-windowed and cavernous, but the proposals brought forward just didn't suit the military's security and financial priorities.

Meanwhile, heritage proponents are pointing to the hangars' doomed fate as yet another sign that Canada needs to re-evaluate its priorities when it comes to preserving the country's vanishing and deteriorating architectural history.

A 2007 auditor-general's report said Canada's policies surrounding heritage structures mean they risk being lost to future generations.

"The protection afforded to federally owned heritage buildings ... is not robust enough," said Natalie Bell, with Heritage Canada. "These are viable buildings with a potential use and a developer interested in recycling them."

National Defence put out a notice in 2007 announcing its intention to raze the site and asking for proposals to cart the two de Havilland hangars off the property entirely. The federal government had identified both as having historical significance in 1992.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/preservationists-fail-to-save-historic-hangars/article1492193/

15. Spacing Wire: Brantford
Nigel Terpstra

Brantfords downtown destruction

Recently, the city of Brantford, Ontario announced its plans to demolish and remove forty-one structures from the south side of Colborne Street, in the heart of its historic downtown. The structures themselves date from 1850 to 1915 with the section stretching from 115 to 139 Colborne comprising one of the longest surviving collections of pre-confederation buildings in Canada. They represent a wide variety of architectural styles from the Beaux Arts of The Right House (1870), to the Georgian of The Shannon Building (1867), to the Edwardian of the Dominion House Furnishings Company (1915). Within that range are also included a number of Renaissance Revival, Second Empire and even Art Deco structures, all of which were created at different times, for different clients with different needs. They could very soon all be reduced to rubble. Urbanites and heritage buffs recoil in horror at this prospect – surely in 2010 we don’t do these sorts of things - but the unfortunate reality is that we do and we are. It does not take a great knowledge of history to understand that it was exactly this sort of ‘bulldoze and rebuild’ attitude which claimed the downtowns of countless North American cities in the 1950s, 60s and 70s. Instead of the glassy, modern towers which were supposed to replace the heavy, masonry structures of the past, economies changed, money went elsewhere, and cities were left with gaping holes, both physical and psychological, from which many have yet to recover.

http://spacing.ca/wire/?x=25&y=15&s=brantford

Editor’s Note: Comments below are interesting, the writer clearly understands the value of the small property in reinvigorating community and business creation. The key is when property values drop to a level to allow investment by new entrepreneurs.

16. Brantford Expositor: Reaction to Letter from Ministry seeking Heritage Evaluation
Michael-Allan Marion

City still seeking answers on provincial letter

City officials are still working to get to the bottom of a letter from the Ministry of Tourism and Culture requesting a thorough heritage and archeological evaluation of a controversial stretch of 40 expropriated buildings on the south side of downtown Colborne Street before they are demolished.

They have been trying to speak with senior ministry people to get clarification on the intent of a letter from a mid-level official last Thursday that calls on the city to conduct the two-pronged evaluation of the buildings, many of which were erected before Confederation.

They believe the official may have been acting out of turn.

Coun. Mark Littell, chairman of the South Side of Colborne Task Force that has been overseeing the expropriation and demolition, said the city is sticking to the position that, since none of the buildings has a heritage designation, the municipality only had to complete a level of assessment required as a condition in an agreement for a $1.38-million federal grant toward the demolition.

"The city has met all the conditions required under the environmental assessment and I am confident that we will be receiving the $1.38 million from the federal government," Littell said this week.

"I am also confident that we will sort out this letter from the ministry."

http://www.brantfordexpositor.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2477814

17. Alma Fire on Google Maps!
forwarded by Suzanne Van Bommel

Check out Google Earth or Google Maps (Satellite) for 96 Moore Street, St. Thomas. They happened to take their aerial photographs when Alma was in full flame. Amazing and bizarre.

Suzanne Van Bommel

http://maps.google.ca/maps?hl=en&tab=wl&q=google

Editor’s Note: Unbelievable...but there it is in full flame, which only lasted an hour or so.

18. Heritage Canada: Career Opportunity: Heritage Specialist

Salary Range: $75,000-$80,000

SNC-Lavalin O&M is recognized as one of Canada’s leading outsourced operations and maintenance solutions experts, a division of SNC-Lavalin Group Inc., the largest engineering and construction firm in Canada, and one of the five largest in the world we continue to grow our business globally. Our team members across the country and the globe deliver superior service to every one of our clients. Our people are vital to our success, and we build teams that are second to none. Our team embraces challenges and is engaged in working together to contribute to our business objectives.

http://www.heritagecanada.org/eng/jobs.html

19. Canadian Architect: George Baird Wins RAIC Gold Medal

George Baird announced as recipient of the 2010 RAIC Gold Medal

The Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) has announced George Baird, FRAIC, as the recipient of the 2010 RAIC Gold Medal. Baird is the former Dean of the Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design and Professor of Architecture at the University of Toronto, and partner in the Toronto-based architecture and urban design firm Baird Sampson Neuert Architects.

http://www.canadianarchitect.com/issues/isarticle.asp?aid=1000360095&link_source=aypr_CA&link_targ=DailyNews

20. Canadian Architect: Bing Thom 2010 Architectural Firm Award

RAIC announces Bing Thom Architects Inc. as 2010 Architectural Firm Award recipient

Founded in 1982 in Vancouver, BC, Bing Thom Architects (BTA) has executed a wide spectrum of projects in North America and overseas, from single-family residences to the design of entire cities.

Principals Bing Thom, FRAIC, and Michael Heeney, MRAIC, share a fundamental belief in the transformative power of architecture to improve, not only the physical, but also the economic and social conditions of a community.

 

The firm’s belief in this power, and with it the social responsibility of architecture, has become the grounding philosophy for the office, and has resulted in architecture that consistently taps into something beyond aesthetics. BTA’s buildings are not just beautiful, they also add to the health of the communities in which they reside.

 

The firm is a collective of people from 18 countries, who speak 15 different languages and whose energy and cultural diversity adds richness to the firm’s work. Most staff have areas of expertise and interest that extend well beyond architecture and many have worked for the firm for over a decade.

http://www.canadianarchitect.com/issues/isarticle.asp?aid=1000361558&link_source=aypr_CA&link_targ=DailyNews

21. Yahoo.com: Cuba struggles to preserve past
Jeff Franks

http://asia.news.yahoo.com/rtrs/20100226/twl-oukwd-uk-cuba-havana-bd5ae06.html

22. Globe and Mail: Heritage to some, eyesore to others
SARAH BOESVELD

Activists say federal stimulus money being used to destroy Confederation-era buildings

They're not cute and they're not being used.

Even Lloyd Alter admits the strip of 41 old buildings in Brantford, Ont. that his organization - the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario - and others have pledged to save is a bit of an eyesore.

But even uglier, activists say, is the fact that federal stimulus cash is earmarked to demolish the buildings, some of which predate Confederation.

"We're in the middle of a [game of] political football," said Mr. Alter, president of the ACO, which opened a branch in the Southern Ontario city last weekend to protect the buildings.

The City of Brantford is to get $1.38-million of stimulus money through the Southern Ontario Development Program, which is meant to drive local economies in that part of the province.

The city doesn't have the funds just yet, says Mark Littell, the Brantford city councillor heading the demolition. Officials had to rush to complete an environmental assessment that considers archeological, environmental and heritage impacts.

That process is now complete, says Sandra Lawson, general manager of engineering and operational services, and will be submitted to the government. If the report is approved, she says, the city will get the cash and swing the wrecking ball as soon as next week.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/ontario/heritage-to-some-eyesore-to-others/article1490598/

23. Globe and Mail: Brantford heritage buildings to be demolished
Sarah Boesveld

Heritage to some, eyesore to others

Last updated on Friday, Mar. 05, 2010, 5:18 a.m. EST.

They're not cute and they're not being used.

Even Lloyd Alter admits the strip of 41 old buildings in Brantford, Ont. that his organization - the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario - and others have pledged to save is a bit of an eyesore.

But even uglier, activists say, is the fact that federal stimulus cash is earmarked to demolish the buildings, some of which predate Confederation.

"We're in the middle of a [game of] political football," said Mr. Alter, president of the ACO, which opened a branch in the Southern Ontario city last weekend to protect the buildings.

The City of Brantford is to get $1.38-million of stimulus money through the Southern Ontario Development Program, which is meant to drive local economies in that part of the province.

The city doesn't have the funds just yet, says Mark Littell, the Brantford city councillor heading the demolition. Officials had to rush to complete an environmental assessment that considers archeological, environmental and heritage impacts.

That process is now complete, says Sandra Lawson, general manager of engineering and operational services, and will be submitted to the government. If the report is approved, she says, the city will get the cash and swing the wrecking ball as soon as next week.

The $1.38-million more than covers the demolition, to be completed by local contractor AIM Environmental, which bid $1.254-million for the project, says Mr. Littell.

But despite the assessment, activists say heritage aspects are being ignored. The case also highlights how stimulus money can be used in negative ways, says Natalie Bull, executive director of the Heritage Canada Foundation.

"Brantford is a big wakeup call about the downside of stimulus money," she said. "If we are not vigilant, it can fund crimes against heritage and the environment - like sending landmarks to the landfill."

The Ontario Ministry of Culture and Tourism has tried to intervene, asking for a full heritage evaluation under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, and that the evaluation be reviewed by the ministry before demolition.

The city answered, wondering whether it was in the province's jurisdiction to ask for a review.

Even federal parties have expressed concern. NDP Heritage and Culture critic Charlie Angus wrote to Minister of the Environment Jim Prentice last Friday saying it is "questionable as to whether this mandate is being met if federal tax dollars are being used to send a historically significant neighbourhood to the landfill site."

But the site is only historically significant to some. The buildings, built before 1870, are not designated heritage sites. Last October, the city's heritage committee asked for a designation, but the request was declined, says Mr. Littell. Around the same time, council unanimously decided to apply for the federal funds.

Mr. Littell wonders why interest in the buildings' heritage has come "at the 11th hour and 59th minute."

They have sat derelict for three decades and have become a fire hazard. Crews are removing asbestos and old paint to prepare for demolition, he says. "We had 30 years for anybody to come forward with that aspect."

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/ontario/heritage-to-some-eyesore-to-others/article1490598/

24. Montreal Gazette: Cuba struggles to preserve past in hard times
By Jeff Franks, Reuters

Thousands of historic buildings in bad condition

HAVANA - Every winter, tourists from frozen homelands in the north fill the sunny streets of Old Havana admiring its picturesque colonial buildings and centuries-old squares.

They sip mojitos in the Bodeguita del Medio where Ernest Hemingway supposedly hung out, eat in atmospheric restaurants along Calle Obispo and stay in lovely old hotels restored to their former glory as part of a massive remake of Havana’s historic center by the Cuban government.

But if they walk a few blocks on, they leave the manicured surroundings and emerge into a different Old Havana, where broken, unpainted buildings line pothole-filled streets and history is not recreated, but lived in a continuum of decay.

There, people live in rundown apartments, get their monthly food ration at spartan government stores and buy their drink at state-run shops where wine and rum are served in old water bottles.

With its two very different faces, Old Havana is both the centerpiece of Cuban tourism and a symbol of the city’s larger problems.

Cuba’s capital, founded beside Havana Bay by the Spaniards in 1519, is a place where the past is remarkably intact, but thousands of its historic buildings are threatened by neglect and the government’s inability to preserve them.

In a race against time, time is winning, except in part of Old Havana where more than 350 buildings have been restored in a widely praised operation led by city historian Eusebio Leal.

http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Cuba+struggles+preserve+past+hard+times/2616715/story.html

25. Silicon Valley / San Jose Business Journal: Serious Materials to retrofit Empire State Building windows
Mary Duan

Serious Materials CEO Kevin Surace has won a tall order: to retrofit the Empire State Building's windows.

Serious Materials Inc. has been chosen to super-insulate more than 6,500 windows for the Empire State Building’s energy efficiency retrofit project.

The Sunnyvale company will provide its SeriousGlass technology through a sustainable production process that will directly reduce energy costs by more than $400,000 per year.

In a first-of-its-kind process, Serious Materials will reuse all existing glass and create super-insulating glass units (IGUs) in a dedicated processing space located in the Empire State Building.

http://sanjose.bizjournals.com/sanjose/stories/2010/03/01/daily72.html?ed=2010-03-03&ana=e_du_pub

26. Montreal Gazette: Minaret collapse highlights decay of Moroccan medinas
Tom Pfeiffer, Reuters

Record property investment has overlooked ancient cities

Moroccan rescue and residents remove rubble after the Lalla Khenata mosque minaret collapsed in the old Bab el Bardiyine neighbourhood of Meknes February 19, 2010. The four centuries-old mosque minaret collapsed in Morocco on Friday, killing at least 38 p

MEKNES, Morocco - People living near the Lalla Khenata mosque in Morocco's old imperial city of Meknes say they warned for years that its minaret was in danger of collapse.

The centuries-old tower finally gave way when its muezzin called the faithful to Friday prayers on Feb. 19, crushing or smothering over 40 worshippers to death under sand and clay.

"As the search went on we realized that nearly all those trapped in the debris were dead," said 29-year-old Red Crescent volunteer Hicham Dahhou. "Most suffocated in the sand."

Mosques are usually well tended in Morocco but the neglect and collapse of the minaret in Meknes — which the authorities blamed on damage from heavy rains — reflects the long decline of its medinas, or historic cities.

Swathes of the kingdom's ancient walled towns — symbols of the ephemeral might and wealth of past empires — are crumbling.

The medinas of Meknes and Fez, founded in the 11th and 9th centuries, have deteriorated as the wealthy middle class abandoned sumptuous town houses for less cramped and better organized new neighbourhoods.

http://www.montrealgazette.com/life/DECAY+MOROCCAN+MEDINAS/2637923/story.html

27. Brantford Expositor: Province Intervenes in Brantford-Requests Assessment of Heritage Resources
Michael-Allan Marion

City seeks clarification on surprise letter from province

City seeks clarification on surprise letter from province SOUTH SIDE OF COLBORNE Posted By MICHAEL-ALLAN MARION Posted 1 hour ago City officials are trying to get to the bottom of a surprise letter from the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, hoping it won't present another unexpected "bump" in plans to demolish 40 buildings on the south side of downtown Colborne Street. The letter, from Chris Schiller, manager of culture of the ministry's culture services unit, informed the city that the ministry has taken an interest in the city's demolition plans and requests that it conduct a full assessment under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act of the stretch of properties slated for imminent demolition. According to the letter, obtained by The Expositor, the assessment is to include a "thorough heritage evaluation ... prior to any demolition of the properties noted to satisfy that there is no provincial interest in these properties." The letter also requests that the city carry out an archaeological assessment "required" under the province's regulations for determining archaeological potential -"prior to any ground disturbances and/or site alterations." The licensed archaeologist must carry out the assessment, it insists. The letter also refers to the activism of the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario and the Heritage Canada Foundation in delaying demolition. "We are aware that these two groups, along with local community groups, have expressed their willingness to work with the city to explore alternative solutions, including the rehabilitation and preservation of built heritage resources and their integration into future site redevelopment," the letter states. The letter is a surprise, because it seems to be a duplication of what the city had to do quickly to be eligible for a federal $1.38-million stimulus grant toward the cost of a demolition tender issued to AIM Waste Management Inc. worth $1.24 million. That requirement was overlooked during the application and discovered while the grant agreement was being written. UEM Consulting is finishing a report that contains required heritage, cultural and archeological studies of the properties, which the city hopes will overcome the problem. The problem is that while about half of the buildings were built before Confederation, none has been designated heritage -a fact the city keeps pointing out. Advertisement Click here to find out more! Mayor Mike Hancock and other city officials have been on the phone to the provincial ministry attempting to clarify the statements in its letter. "We're hoping there is just some misunderstanding somewhere that we can sort out," said Hancock. But Coun. Dan McCreary was quick to say Monday the city should take the matter seriously because he believes officials will find they have to take the time to carry out the requested assessments, and not just the more cursory report needed for the federal grant. "This is bigger than city council now," McCreary said Monday. "If there is a delay of the demolition is that not partly due to the six (on council) who are intent on pushing everything ahead. We really need to get on with this and do the right thing." Meanwhile, city solicitor Larry Tansley has been trying to clarify precisely what is wanted, and the identities of those who are supposed to have approached the ministry about ideas that would avoid having some buildings demolished. "I would therefore appear that you have received formal submissions from one or more such groups on the subject," Tansley wrote in a letter to the ministry, also obtained by The Expositor. The pointed request notes that the information was not passed along in an informal request. "(City manager) John Brown has already made a quite appropriate request for disclosure of the information your ministry has received from these groups, and that request for transparency was summarily refused on the basis that he was seeking protected ministerial communications." Tansley said the city believes its request should be granted as a "simple matter of procedural fairness" as it works to clarify the requests in the ministry letter. City officials said no further correspondence or verbal information was received from the ministry as of Monday afternoon.

http://www.brantfordexpositor.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2472096

28. Globe and Mail: Maple Leaf Gardens-The Future
Elizabeth Church

Massive reno holding on to bits of Gardens' glory

When the puck drops at Maple Leaf Gardens' new centre ice, fans will find plenty to remind them of the rink's past glories, say the two men chosen to refurbish part of the landmark arena. The huge lights that lit the Leafs' way to 11 Stanley Cups will be back in place, fitted with energy-saving technology. The rafters they hang from will be the same. Even the colours of the seats will likely hearken back to the time when they could fetch double their ticket-price from the scalpers who lingered at Yonge and Carleton streets on Saturday nights. There will be lots of subtle hints, says Chris O'Reilly, a partner at Toronto-based BBB Architects, the firm chosen by Ryerson University to design its new $60-million athletic centre and rink that will fit into the upper levels of the famous building.

The firm's selection will be announced by the university today and follows a space-sharing deal reached in December between Ryerson and Loblaw Co. Ltd., owner of the property. The reconfigured Gardens will include underground parking, a 70,000-square-foot supermarket at street level and a Joe Fresh clothing store, as well as gym facilities for Ryerson students. The unique deal will give the landlocked downtown campus badly needed new facilities and provides Loblaw with a partner for the massive redevelopment of the site that has sat mostly unused since it was bought in 2004.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/toronto/massive-reno-holding-on-to-bits-of-gardens-glory/article1484962/

29. blogTO
Jonathan Castellino

The Last Days of the Downsview Hangars

http://www.blogto.com/city/2010/02/the_last_days_of_the_downsview_hangars/

30. Inside Toronto: Congrats to Geoff and Edith Geduld

Couple's commitment to heritage honoured

 Lifetime achievement award presented to Edith and Geoff Geduld Couple's commitment to heritage honoured. Ontario Heritage Trust chair, the Honourable Lincoln M. Alexander, left, and Lt.-Gov. of Ontario David C. Onley, right, present Edith and Geoff Geduld with the Lieutenant Governor's Ontario Heritage Award for Lifetime Achievement during a ceremony held Friday at Queen's Park.

Edith Geduld was "somewhat embarrassed and overwhelmed" when it was announced she and husband Geoff were two of 19 recipients of the Lieutenant Governor's Ontario Heritage Award for Lifetime Achievement for 2009. The annual awards recognize volunteers and communities for outstanding contributions to the preservation, protection and promotion of Ontario's heritage. "I think my husband felt that way, too," Edith said with a laugh. "We have written up nominations over the years for other people so it's quite something to receive one for yourself."

http://www.insidetoronto.com/news/local/article/624223--couple-s-commitment-to-heritage-honoured

31. Owen Sound Sun Times: Board awaits city's ideas
Denis Langlois

The Bruce-Grey Catholic District School Board doesn't have the money to play a guessing game with Owen Sound council, the board's top administrator says.

Education director Bruce MacPherson said the board wants clear direction from council on a compromise that would meet the city's desire to adequately commemorate the original wing of St. Mary's High School and allow the board to demolish the 1891 annex.

"It just doesn't make any financial sense for us to keep saying: what about this and what about that? Because each time, with architects, etc., it's costing us money. So now we're just waiting to hear from city council on what it is that they would like to see," MacPherson said in an interview.

The original St. Mary's schoolhouse, now part of a much larger Catholic high school, was boarded up last November.

Sixteen months earlier council voted to block the school board's plan to demolish the structure by moving to protect it under Ontario Heritage Act legislation.

The school board objected, saying the building is cost prohibitive to repair. The Ministry of Education paid for a $3.7-million addition at the opposite end of the school, but provided no money to fix the original annex.

http://www.markdalestandard.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2465052

32. Northern News Services: Heritage plaque crowns post office
Tim Edwards

SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - The first federal building built in Yellowknife's "new town" back in 1956 was finally given the heritage plaque that many Yellowknifers feel it deserves on Feb. 12.

"It's great that it's finally designated as a heritage site. It's the first one in the new town," said former city councillor Kevin O'Reilly.

The heritage designation flags the property for development requests to ensure the building is preserved.

"The heritage committee assesses the development and the request comes through council," said Coun. Mark Heyck.

"On the flip side, there are incentives for people who are doing sympathetic renovations to heritage buildings. If they do it in such a way that it doesn't (take away) from the heritage value, those improvements are not taxed," said Heyck, adding that there are also city grants available to restore official heritage buildings.

City council designated the building as a heritage site in 2007, but Public Works Canada, the former owner, steadfastly denied them the pleasure of having a plaque put on the building.

A Public Works letter sent to city council in 2007 stated: "Because it's a federal facility, a third-party plaque should not be affixed to the building."

http://nnsl.com/northern-news-services/stories/papers/feb17_10hc.html

33. Waterloo Record: Brantford's heritage buildings at centre of debate
Terry Pender

Brantford mayor says school sees recreation facility on land now with pre-Confederation architecture

BRANTFORD — Wilfrid Laurier University plans to redevelop part of the south side of Colborne Street after this city demolishes what is touted as one of the largest collections of pre-Confederation architecture in Canada.

That word from Brantford Mayor Mike Hancock, who sits on the board of governors for Wilfrid Laurier University.

The 41 old buildings along Colborne Street, half of which were built before 1870, have become a national cause célèbre among heritage preservationists and urbanists.

The City of Brantford has expropriated the properties and intends to demolish every one.

The Architectural Conservancy of Ontario, the Heritage Canada Foundation and the head of the University of Waterloo school of architecture have all called for a halt to the bulldozers.

“With the south side of Colborne we've got the YMCA and Laurier both talking about a major recreation facility,” Hancock said.

The Y and Laurier were not successful in obtaining government funds for the project, but Hancock said they are actively seeking other money and plan to go ahead.

“I met with them just to the other day,” he said, “and I asked them directly where they were standing and they said: ‘We need this for our growing student population.'”

When asked if the university and the Y have said they want to build on the site after the buildings are demolished, Hancock said: “Yes sir. They have already done a preliminary design, which they have taken to council to show the visioning of what will go there, yes. I think it's about 100,000 square-feet. It will take about one third of that street.”

The university is trying to distance itself from the controversial move by the City of Brantford.

Leslie Cooper, the vice-president/principal at Laurier Brantford, said the university has “no firm plans.”

“We are not out there pushing the council to demolish south Colborne Street,” Cooper said.

The university is taking no position in the increasingly heated debate.

“They have political processes that they go through in terms of the acquisition of buildings, demolition of buildings, consultation around buildings. They have a democratic process,” Cooper said. “Laurier Brantford respects that process.”

The City of Brantford received a $1.38- million grant from the federal government to help pay for the demolition, but must first complete an environmental assessment.

http://news.therecord.com/printArticle/673283

34. Owen Sound Sun Times: Province recognizes woman's work to research, preserve and celebrate local history - City must protect heritage: Niall
DENIS LANGLOIS

Paula Niall will recieve the lieutenant govenors award for heritage achievement for her volunteer work with the Billy Bishop Home and Museum in Owen Sound.-The Sun Times--JAMES MASTERS

Local history researcher Paula Niall says Owen Sound must quickly identify and protect the city's architectural "gems" before they fall into disrepair and risk being lost.

"And before the developers come in and decide they want the land under the house. Then it becomes a fight between money and the love of heritage," she said in an interview Thursday afternoon.

The call for better heritage protection comes from a woman who has dedicated much of the last 30 years to researching, writing, preserving and celebrating Owen Sound and area history.

Today Niall will be formally recognized for her contributions to heritage preservation, protection and promotion at a ceremony at Queen's Park. Lt.-Gov. David Onley will present her with a lieutenant-governor's Ontario heritage award for lifetime achievement.

http://www.markdalestandard.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2456745

35. Waterloo Record: Brantford's move to tear down historic structures is pitiful
Martin DeGroot

At first glance, the prospect seems almost unimaginable: Harkening back to the long discredited urban renewal practices of the 1960s and ’70s, the City of Brantford is poised to demolish more than 40 historic structures almost four entire city blocks, including what is reputed to be the largest remaining concentration of pre-confederation commercial buildings in the province.

It could all be over and done with very soon, perhaps as early as next month.

There is no big, bad developer behind the plan. The city itself has been the prime mover from the outset. Almost $10 million of public money has been spent on buying up all the buildings that remained in private hands, in some cases by expropriation, just to be able to tear them down.

Ironically, the city is counting on a $1.38-million grant from the Southern Ontario Development Program, a federal initiative charged with revitalizing communities by building on their assets and strengths, to pay for bulldozing the structures and carrying the rubble to the landfill.

There is no plan for what to do with the expanse once it is cleared.

The primary justification is getting rid of what is generally perceived as an eyesore, a safety hazard and an embarrassment, along with some high hopes that developers of one kind or another will rush in to take advantage of the opportunity to build on the empty lots — a kind of bulldoze-it-and-they-will-come mentality.

There has been no effort to determine whether or not the buildings are structurally sound.

The powers that be have shown little interest in what value these structures may have as part of the collective heritage of the city.

http://news.therecord.com/arts/article/673124

36. Hamilton Spectator: Old train station stokes arguments
Ken Peters

Finally has a home, but as a washroom

1906 Freeman Station / Burlington West Station. Barry Gray, the Hamilton Spectator

BURLINGTON - City politicians are on track with a $1-million plan to turn a historic train station into a Spencer Smith Park public washroom.

The relocation of the city-owned 1906 Freeman Station to the Lakeshore Road park is already controversial, admits Mayor Cam Jackson.

An earlier plan to lug the 20-metre by nine-metre train station from its temporary home beside the Fairview Street fire station to the west end of the park was scuttled over residents' concerns the building would block views of the lake.

So a Burlington subcommittee will consider a proposal Monday to lug the substantial station and set it up near the park's current gazebo in the east end.

http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/726651

37. thelondoner.ca: Adding shine to the downtown smile - The city's move into the former Capitol Theatre could lead to great opportunities for heritage buildings
Sean Meyer

 

 

If you think of downtown London like a smile, then two of its teeth are shining particularly bright these days.

The teeth in question are the former Capitol Theatre and Bowles Lunch buildings at 204 and 206 Dundas St. that have been combined and reopened as the new home of the city's planning division.

The renovation of the buildings was done by the owner, Farhi Holdings Corporation, at a cost of $4 million after the city agreed to a 20-year lease of the space.

John Fleming, director of land use planning, says the new space not only gives city planners a great place to work, but it also shows the city's commitment to making sure the downtown has a healthy smile.

"We're not the owners of the building; we have signed a lease. But we feel like we have adopted the building. In the sense I think we have had a major influence on the way it was restored on the pieces that were retained. We have worked with Farhi; it has been a real collaborative effort," Mr. Fleming says. "We knew certainly preserving a heritage building gives it a chance to revitalize whereas demolishing a heritage building is the end of the story. There is a finite supply of great heritage buildings and we can't afford to lose them, particularly when they are on our downtown's main street. We also know a continuous commercial streetscape is a very important thing. A lot like a smile, when you are missing a tooth, a gap in your streetscape in favour of parking really does hurt a commercial streetscape."

Charles Howard Crane – who designed 250 theatres across North America such as the Fox Theatre in Detroit – was the architect of the building that began its life as the Allen Theatre in 1920. It was renamed the Capital theatre in 1924 and remained open until finally closing in 2002.

The planning division's move to downtown could almost be seen as destiny as it was city staff who first approached council about doing what it could to stave off the proposed demolition of the location.

"This building was – at one point – slated to be demolished. We as a planning group did present a presentation and a report to council saying we shouldn't be demolishing the building. We had no recommendation, at the time, for the city acquiring or leasing the building. We were there standing up for the preservation of the building. The owner at the time wanted to demolish it in favour of parking and we knew that was not the proper thing," Mr. Fleming says. "We played a role in the preservation of the building and now we are playing a more tangible role in occupying it and breathing economic life into the building by locating our offices here. The collaboration has brought out the best elements of the building, both the exterior and the interior. I give council a lot of credit for not just requiring the building be maintained, but being actively involved in breathing economic life back into the building."

The cost of the city's lease for the space amounts to about $5.8 million over 20 years, including things such as improvements and operations, with the base rent being approximately $190,000 a year.

The decision to move the planning division is one Mr. Fleming says shows the city's commitment to preserving its heritage buildings.

 

http://www.thelondoner.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2464314

38. insideTORONTO.com:Children's hospice to reclaim Governor's House - New site to serve kids with life-limiting illnesses
JOANNA LAVOIE

Children's hospice to reclaim Governor's House. A rendering of The Children's Hospice, which will repurpose the circa 1888 Governor's House near Gerrard St. E. and Broadview Ave. The disused building once housed the head of the Old Don Jail and his family

A disused and derelict heritage building near Gerrard Street East and Broadview Avenue will soon be repurposed into an innovative facility for children with life-limiting illnesses.

The circa 1888 Governor's House, which once housed the head of the Old Don Jail and his family, has sat vacant for more than six months as Bridgepoint Health embarks on a major redevelopment of its south Riverdale site.

The large two-and-a-half storey building at 558 Gerrard St. E. was used until recently as a clubhouse for guards from the neighbouring Don Jail.

The Philip Aziz Centre, an 80-volunteer strong organization that provides in-home practical, emotional and spiritual support to Toronto residents of all ages living with HIV/AIDS and other life-threatening illnesses, has big plans to completely gut the 5,000-square-foot building and double its size with a rear addition to meet standards set out by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care.

The organization shared its $6.5 million plan with community members at a Feb. 18 open house at the Riverdale Library.

"There's nothing like this in Toronto. This is an expansion of what we've been doing in the community already, serving people with life-limiting illnesses," said Rauni Salminen, Philip Aziz Centre's executive director, at the recent open house.

She also noted the site's proximity to the Hospital for Sick Children is an additional bonus as many patients would likely also be patients of the University Avenue hospital.

"This is another alternative to end-of-life hospital care or being in the home."

Gretchen Van Riesen, chair of the board at the Philip Aziz Centre, said the site is ideal because it's already zoned to be used for health-care purposes, not to mention the access to the neighbouring library as well as park land.

http://www.insidetoronto.com/news/local/article/623477--children-s-hospice-to-reclaim-governor-s-house

39. Edmonton Journal: City sues Gem Theatre owner
Gordon Kent

Countersuit claims theatre's true condition not disclosed before sale

As seen on Feb. 23, the historic Gem Theatre on Jasper Avenue was demolished just east of 97th Street in Jasper East.Photograph by: Ryan Jackson, edmontonjournal.com

EDMONTON — The city filed a lawsuit against the owner of the Gem Theatre a year after selling him the historic building, claiming he wasn't doing the repairs he had promised.

 

The empty Jasper Avenue landmark was demolished last weekend after a building inspector ruled holes in the roof and mould made Edmonton's oldest surviving movie house a public hazard. But court documents suggest the city had feared neglect would put the future of the protected municipal historic site in jeopardy.

When it sold the theatre to Oliver O'Connor Realty Inc. for $77,500 in 1999, the company agreed to fix the roof, restore the facade and the ornate plaster relief in the lobby by June 2002, the documents indicate.

The contract also allegedly required him to provide an engineer's assessment of the roof condition and a $75,000 letter of credit to ensure the work was completed.

But a 2001-02 statement of claim contends the letter of credit hadn't been provided and the repairs either weren't done or weren't expected to be finished in time.

http://www.edmontonjournal.com/news/City+sues+Theatre+owner/2607776/story.html

40. The Kitchener/Waterloo Record: Failing Grade for Heritage Protection
John Arndt

An attack on heritage?

 In the last few weeks there have been several comments in the press concerning the issue of property rights. This criticism and the recent decision of Kitchener city council to exclude properties from the Municipal Heritage Register appear to undermine the efforts of Heritage Kitchener, and the citys heritage planning staff. Whether a property has heritage value is something that is neither optional nor dependent on the whims of the owner. A property either has heritage value or it doesnt, depending on the criteria outlined by the Ontario Heritage Act, which municipal councils apply on the advice of their heritage committees. Property may be sold and change ownership, but its value remains.

Recent case law in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice (Tremblay vs. Lakeshore) clearly states that municipal councils have the responsibility to protect heritage property even without consent of the owner. Although the issue of the infringement of property rights is complex, a property owner does not have complete control over what he can and cannot do with his property. There are many controls, such as zoning and building codes, property standards and the like, which are in place to protect the stability of neighbourhoods. The protection of built heritage for the good of all is another component.

http://news.therecord.com/opinions/lettertotheeditor/article/675558

41. Owen Sound Sun Times: city's desire to adequately commemorate the original wing of St. Mary's High School
Denis Langlois

Board awaits city

The Bruce-Grey Catholic District School Board doesn't have the money to play a guessing game with Owen Sound council, the board's top administrator says.

Education director Bruce MacPherson said the board wants clear direction from council on a compromise that would meet the city's desire to adequately commemorate the original wing of St. Mary's High School and allow the board to demolish the 1891 annex.


"It just doesn't make any financial sense for us to keep saying: what about this and what about that? Because each time, with architects, etc., it's costing us money. So now we're just waiting to hear from city council on what it is that they would like to see," MacPherson said in an interview.

The original St. Mary's schoolhouse, now part of a much larger Catholic high school, was boarded up last November.

Sixteen months earlier council voted to block the school board's plan to demolish the structure by moving to protect it under Ontario Heritage Act legislation.

The school board objected, saying the building is cost prohibitive to repair. The Ministry of Education paid for a $3.7-million addition at the opposite end of the school, but provided no money to fix the original annex.

The objection sent the matter to Ontario's Conservation Review Board, which makes non-binding recommendations on heritage preservation.

But before proceeding to a full-blown hearing, the city agreed to give the school board a chance to entice council to withdraw its intention to designate with a plan to commemorate its historical significance.

The board failed to impress council last October with its proposal to preserve bricks and a stone name plate from the annex for use in a replica entranceway.

Board officials were sent away with the direction to improve the plan.

MacPherson said the school board has not been working on another plan. They have been waiting the last four months for clear direction from council.

"We were making presentations on things we were saying we would do and finally we said, 'You tell us what you're looking for.' So that's what we're waiting for," he said.

City manager Jim Harrold said both sides are "still talking." A second Conservation Review Board pre-hearing is scheduled for March 29.

"We don't have a problem with a hearing, but I think we'd all rather resolve the problem amongst ourselves without the need for a third party," he said.

Coun. Jim McManaman, an outspoken critic of the demolition plan, said the board's last proposal was "unacceptable."

"In my mind, just speaking for myself, I'd like to see them come up with a plan to save the old 1891 portion of the school," he said.

While the school's expansion is great news, he said the city must work to preserve its heritage.

He said public buildings should be held to a "higher standard" than private properties.

Ideally, McManaman said the board and city should partner together to "make a case" to save the school. The two sides could search for funding opportunities and possible uses, he said.

He questioned whether the board tried to secure Ministry of Education funding to repair the original wing.

Ministry spokeswoman Patricia MacNeil said the Catholic board applied for "prohibitive to repair" funding to build an addition. It did not apply for renovation funding.

http://www.owensoundsuntimes.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2465052

42. Globe and Mail: Queen's Park Viewshed
John Lorinc

New MPP joins fight to preserve view of Queen's Park

Post Card View--even this won't be spared

from further south even the reduced tower will be far higher than the centre block of Q.P.

Toronto's newest MPP Glen Murray is vowing to wade into a contentious battle over a proposed condominium development on Avenue Road that could undermine what he calls the "postcard" vista of the Ontario Legislature and cast lengthy shadows over residential streets in Yorkville.

At issue is a 143-metre-high point tower, one of two planned for the current Four Seasons Hotel site. It will appear to protrude from the roofline of the 117-year-old assembly building as you look north along University Avenue from south of College Street.

Local heritage advocates, former lieutenant-governor Lincoln Alexander and even Speaker of the Ontario Legislature Steve Peters have all criticized the project because of its potential impact on one of the city's most historic view corridors.

Mr. Murray, elected for the provincial Liberals this month in Toronto Centre Rosedale, said in an interview that he intends to meet with area councillor Kyle Rae and the builder, Menkes Developments, with an eye to working out a "reasonable compromise" to protect Queen's Park.

Menkes' lawyer Adam Brown did not reply to a request for an interview.

At this stage, the fight has come down to a matter of metres.

Last month, city planners proposed a revision to the development that would cap the south tower at 118 metres - a height that conceals it entirely behind the legislature when seen from College Street.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/toronto/new-mpp-joins-fight-to-preserve-view-of-queens-park/article1476670/

43. Moncton Times and Transcript: Aberdeen centre will need more money
Alan Cochrane

Future still unclear for Moncton High School, Notre-Dame de l'Assomption Cathedral and plan for downtown events centre

 The hardwood floors and stairs at the Aberdeen Cultural Centre are splintered and worn from many years of foot traffic, the furnace is shot, the plaster on the walls is chipping away and the wiring is outdated to the point of being dangerous.

And even though the historic building is about to get a $2.3-million facelift, it will still need a lot of work.

"This project is all about security and safety," centre director René Légerè said in an interview following yesterday's announcement of $1 million in federal funding, $750,000 from the province, $170,000 from the city and $375,000 from the centre itself for much-needed renovations. The work will include new wiring, a new natural gas furnace, sprinklers and security system, an elevator and improvements to the artist studios and upstairs theatre. But Légerè said the centre will still need another $500,000 to fix up the exterior and entrances.

"In the winter, if somebody plugs in a heater it will blow the system. It's at that point. It's really dangerous," Légerè said. "The heating system alone will cost $600,000. The furnace downstairs is in such bad shape that last winter it stopped working 13 times and every time that happens it is dangerous for the people using this building. Energy wise, it will be much more efficient. We will use natural gas and solar panels so we will save a lot of money on the operation. Also, we are re-doing a lot of space. The ceilings and floors are in bad shape. But this is only the first part, we still need $500,000 to do the outside masonry and the entrances. So there is a lot of work there and we are not going to be able to do it with this part of the money and we will have another proposal for government to get the rest done. This will take care of 80 to 90 per cent of what we need done. Every day we have more than 140 kids coming into this building. It's like a school and we need security."

The Aberdeen Cultural Centre is home to working artists, a day care, three art galleries, a theatre and a cafe.
 

http://timestranscript.canadaeast.com/news/article/960651

44. Moncton Times and Transcript: Historic buildings get $6M for renos
Alan Cochrane

Central United Church to become Moncton Peace Centre; Aberdeen Cultural Centre gets good start on much-needed upgrades

Revenue Minister Keith Ashfield called it a "two for one deal" and Moncton Mayor George LeBlanc called it a "double-double," but it all adds up to funding of more than $6 million in taxpayer dollars to bring new purpose to a couple of historic downtown buildings.

Enlarge Photo GREG AGNEW/TIMES & TRANSCRIPTKeith Ashfield, minister of National Revenue and for ACOA, is stunned by the beauty of the Central United Church sanctuary as Rev. Jim MacDonald shows him around yesterday. Hundreds of politicians, artists and community activists crowded into the Aberdeen Cultural Centre yesterday for the announcement that the Moncton Peace Centre Project would go ahead with combined funding of more than $4.4 million from three levels of government. The second part of the announcement is that the Aberdeen Cultural Centre would will receive about $2.3 million for much-needed renovations.

The Peace Centre project has been in the works for seven years. It will bring six non-profit organizations -- Family Service Moncton, Early Childhood Stimulation, the Multicultural Association of the Greater Moncton Area (MAGMA), the United Way and the Volunteer Centre and Central United Church -- together under one roof. The church is already undergoing renovations but the funding of $4.4 million will allow construction of a large addition onto the historic church to create office space. The church itself will be converted into a multi-use theatre with space for 750 people. It was used earlier this week for a benefit concert for Haitian earthquake relief. The basement of the church is already used by agencies who aid Moncton's homeless and needy.

The federal and provincial governments are each contributing $2.2 million to the project while the city is giving up land next to the church to allow construction, and LeBlanc said more funding from the city will be coming later.

Peace Centre spokesman Maurice LeBlanc said the funding will allow the project to move ahead quickly with an eye on completion about a year from now. The building is being designed as a model of energy efficiency.

http://timestranscript.canadaeast.com/front/article/960624

45. Ottawa Citizen: Rewarding acts of citizenry
Phil Jenkins

So, there I was at the Architectural Conservation Awards and Heritage Recognition Ceremony, in the council chamber at City Hall. I don't remember seeing you there, except if you were getting an award or were related or good buddies with someone who was. I expect you had a previous engagement. Maybe next year.

Truth to tell, as award ceremonies go, it was a paint-by-numbers affair; no-one grabbed their crotch upon acceptance, thanked their God, or stole the microphone and complained that their current squeeze should have won. In fact there were no speeches from the award recipients at all. Likewise, there was no thunderous music, or an opening song and dance number with a title like Heritage Is What It Used To Be. Aaron Copland's Quiet City, would have been suitable, but we moved down the order of events at a speed that precluded anything but the basics; come on down, photo opportunity with award, gradually diminishing applause, next.

The mayor, who lives in a concrete keep that sits on the site of a demolished heritage building, was slated to be the M.C. but was a no-show.

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/Rewarding+acts+citizenry/2595683/story.html

46. London Free Press: Restoration projects give city"s built heritage brighter future
Joe Belanger

There were dozens of smiling faces, lots of glad-handing, pats on the back, words and more words of encouragement, congratulations and optimism.

Yes, Wednesday was a good day for London’s built heritage enthusiasts. And there’s good reason to expect those smiles to become permanent, a prospect no one could have forecast a decade ago.

The 2010 Heritage Awards sponsored by the Heritage London Foundation and the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario’s London branch were held Wednesday at the Elsie Perrin Williams Estate on Windermere Rd. The awards are given to people who make a difference in education and advocacy of built heritage, as well as restoration projects.

In the people category, activist Maggie Whalley, who long battled to save the city’s heritage buildings and is now working on a doctoral degree, and John Lutman, historian, author, librarian and archivist, were given awards for their tireless work. The London Free Press was also honoured for its ongoing efforts to inform and educate the public about the city’s built heritage and related issues.

But the real stories, the ones that give heritage enthusiasts hope, lie in the awards in the projects category.

The largest landowner in downtown London, Shmuel Farhi of Farhi Holdings Corp., and city planners received an award for the stunning restoration of the Capitol Theatre and Bowles buildings on Dundas St., which now house the city’s planning department; Manuel and Dani Cardoso were feted for the impressive restoration of the former Wallace Block, now reverted to its original name, the Burridge Building, at Talbot and King streets; and accolades were heaped on Gene Lamont, long-time owner of the Westland Bros. building in Wortley Village, restored in partnership with gallery owner Al Stewart.

http://www.lfpress.com/comment/letters/2010/02/19/12950241.html

47. raisethehammer.org: Urban Destruction in the Heart of Brantford, Ontario
Michael Cumming

This decision to demolish buildings along Colborne St takes a marginalized city and further marginalizes it. It is such a complete reversal of things I value that I remain stunned and saddened.

Two days ago, on a whim, I took my first visit to downtown Brantford, Ontario. I wanted to walk around, take some photographs and get a feel for the place. South-western Ontario tends to reward such impromptu exploration.

I drove to the densest part of old downtown Brantford, the place where the buildings are closest together and the streets the narrowest. This I usually find to be the most interesting and historic part of any town. There in Brantford, I found to my horror that a large chuck of the historic core was under threat of imminent demolition! Workers were preparing to dismantle one of the most interesting and historic street scapes in town. The hammer-swinging may have already begun.

After doing a few Google searches once I got home, the full reality of the situation dawned on me: I happened to stumble upon what might be one the most flagrant instances of urban vandalism in the province. I confidently categorize it as vandalism because it doesn't appear, from what I have read, to make any sense whatsoever. They are taking down something of great value and replacing it with nothing at all.

This is not the demolition of a single building that has fallen into disrepair, or an urban redevelopment proposal that lacks architectural style. No, this is far worse. This is the wanton destruction of an entire downtown street scape, parts of which date from Victorian times.

The site appears to be dripping in urban and historical significance. It literally anchors one corner of the historical district of Brantford. Its buildings, street scape and composition speak deeply of a social history that stretches back to the founding of the city of Brantford.

It is a puzzling situation to see something of such great apparent value about to be eliminated.

What is there
The block to be demolished is located in the central historical core of Brantford, along the south side of Colborne St. It is a long block that includes, apparently, 41 separate buildings, some of which date from the mid to late 19th century. Colborne St lies on top of a small bluff rising above the meandering Grand River.

Buildings on the south side of Colborne St are built with sub-structures that go down several stories. Elaborate steel and masonry structures prevent the buildings from tumbling down the bluff. These buildings are a bit run-down at this point but are definitely picturesque. The age of the buildings vary and the overall design of the block was incremental and unplanned. This is what gives it its charm.

http://www.raisethehammer.org/article/1019/urban_destruction_in_the_heart_of_brantford_ontario

48. CKNX 101.7: Palmerston Landmark Protection

Palmerston Railroad Walking Bridge and Old 81

Minto councillor Wayne Martin wants to make sure two historical landmarks in Palmerston are protected for future generations.

Martin has been working to gain a heritage designation for the Palmerston Railroad Walking Bridge and Old 81, the steam locomotive which is on display in the downtown.

Old 81 will be 100 years old this year and is a feature in the Lions park.
Martin says the walking bridge is so unusual that it may qualify to be designated in the national registry as historically significant.
But he wants to start by gaining the local designation.

http://www.1017theone.ca/news.php?area=details&art_id=9124

49. Owen Sound Sun Times: City must protect heritage: Niall
Denis Langlois

Province recognizes woman's work to research, preserve and celebrate local history

Local history researcher Paula Niall says Owen Sound must quickly identify and protect the city's architectural "gems" before they fall into disrepair and risk being lost.

"And before the developers come in and decide they want the land under the house. Then it becomes a fight between money and the love of heritage," she said in an interview Thursday afternoon.

The call for better heritage protection comes from a woman who has dedicated much of the last 30 years to researching, writing, preserving and celebrating Owen Sound and area history.

Today Niall will be formally recognized for her contributions to heritage preservation, protection and promotion at a ceremony at Queen's Park. Lt.-Gov. David Onley will present her with a lieutenant-governor's Ontario heritage award for lifetime achievement.

Nineteen Ontario residents will receive the award, which recognizes people with more than 25 years of community heritage conservation work, as part of Heritage Week.

Niall said Owen Sound has a storied history that remains alive, in part, through the historical homes and buildings that line the city's streets. She said it is essential for that history to be protected and celebrated.

"People make history interesting. That's what makes houses interesting . . . the people who lived in those houses," she said.

The Queen's Hotel was demolished in 2006. Since then, more historic buildings have been lost. The original wing of St. Mary's High School is now threatened with demolition, along with historic Branningham Grove on the city's eastern edge.

Owen Sound has moved to designate Harrison Park, the Owen Sound library and the Butchart Estate under heritage protection rules, but Niall said more must be done.

The city should help the owners of heritage buildings to preserve them, for example through property tax breaks or other monetary incentives, she said.

Niall was nominated for the provincial lifetime achievement award by the city.

"She has worked tirelessly and with a passion to celebrate the history of Owen Sound and to bring it forward so we can all learn more," Mayor Ruth Lovell Stanners said Thursday.

Niall and her husband moved to Owen Sound in 1971. A short time later, the childhood home of First World War flying ace Billy Bishop caught her attention.

In 1979, during her 20-year career in real estate, Niall learned the historic home was about to be put up for sale by Bishop's nephew.

Along with Dorothy Vick, Niall, in her first term as president of the Owen Sound Historical Society, enlisted the help of ex-air force members to secure donations to purchase the home for use as a museum.

Niall served as the founding chairwoman of the Billy Bishop Heritage committee and convinced retired air attaché to London, England, Capt. A.J. Bauer, to serve as the museum's first president to keep it linked to the Canadian Air Force.

The museum has since been recognized as Grey-Bruce's first national historic site.

Niall has also helped create a permanent display at Grey Roots about black history of Owen Sound and Grey County. She has researched and recorded the history of local black settlers for more than 17 years.

Niall has been a member of Grey-Bruce Writers for nearly two decades. She was secretary of the Grey County Heritage Alliance, co-ordinated tours of historic homes in Owen Sound and initiated a plaque program to recognize Owen Sound's significant heritage properties.

She has collected filing cabinets full of historical documents, photographs and newspaper clippings, which will be donated to Grey Roots.

http://www.owensoundsuntimes.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2456033

50. VOCM.com [St. John's, NL] : Historic Trust Releases Report on Buildings at Risk
Staff

Trust director Deborah O'Rielly has written a report about the history of the buildings located at 151-167 Water Street.

The Newfoundland Historic Trust has released its list of Buildings at Risk in the province, and it includes the St. John's block of buildings that Fortis hopes to tear down and replace with a 15-story office tower. Some of the buildings on the list have fallen into disrepair and require significant restoration, others are slated for demolition, while at least one is now considered saved. The William Alexander House, also known as Bridge House in Bonavista, has been on the list for years. Other structures include the tiny Dove Brook Church in Sandwich Bay, Labrador, the Heyfield Memorial United Church in Heart's Content, Thimble Cottage on O'Brien's Farm in St. John's, the Newman Building on Water Street West, and the pretty little St. Philip's Anglican Church, famous on calendars and postcards, which has been issued a new lease on life after a request for demolition was temporarily withdrawn. Our Lady of Mercy Roman Catholic Church in Port au Port is included on the list, as is the derelict Ashbourne Premises in Twillingate. 151 to 167 Water Street are included, thanks to Fortis' proposal to demolish the buildings, and #3 Barnes Road is now considered saved after the stately home was recently purchased and renovations are now well underway.

http://www.vocm.com/newsarticle.asp?mn=2&id=4295&latest=1

Editor’s Note: To see the Buildings at Risk list and read the report, click here: http://www.historictrust.ca/

51. Ottawa Citizen: Les Soeurs de la Visitation Convent at Risk
Ken Gray

Who will speak for the convent?

This could be the Lansdowne Park debate revisited, Champlain Bridge court case or Ontario Municipal Board hearing for the Westboro Loblaws.

Or it could be nothing. The future of Les Soeurs de la Visitation convent all depends on what the owner of the property, Ashcroft Homes, does.

It all starts with a bell. The bell is an institution in Westboro and area. It rings several times a day, perhaps calling the religious order to meals or prayers.

Its sound might be older than Canada, for Les Soeurs de la Visitation first settled on Richmond Road just west of Island Park Drive in 1864. Unlike the rich, ringing bell one would hear at an ornate cathedral, the convent example sounds like the clank of an old one-room school bell. And that is in keeping with the cloistered nature of the order, the sisters' adherence to silence and their poverty. The bell is not expensive.

But it is a valuable property. Purchased by Ashcroft Homes, it stretches all the way from Richmond Road almost to Byron Avenue. Huge stone walls block the view of Les Soeurs de la Visitation. Very few people outside the order know what is behind those walls.

I've talked to one person who visited the site and he says it is magnificent -- like stepping back into 19th-century Europe. A working island of nuns, who rarely have left the convent, communicating in French behind walls that have shielded it from one of the most English and fashionable areas in Ottawa. The sisters even grew their own food on the site. A larger juxtaposition of values you will rarely see. Waves of cultural change and mores occurred outside those walls with barely a ripple felt inside.

That will change soon. The sisters are expected to leave in September, with redevelopment to occur after. Ashcroft is doing all the right things so far by asking the community how it would like to see the construction unfold. There is talk of condo conversion, a town square, commercial space, a market. Community activists are watching events on the site like hawks. They are not people with whom to trifle. A Loblaws official once said to me that the fight to locate the Superstore in Westboro was the most difficult his company ever had. The convent project could be tougher.

That's because there is not just planning involved, but religion and heritage. Those are core values. As well, it's an election year. Voters will ask the mayoral and Kitchissippi ward candidates where they stand on the development. This will not be easy.

No matter what happens at the convent, it will be diminished with the loss of the sisters, yet the community, if the redevelopment is done well, could be stronger for it. For the first time in about a century-and-a-half, old west-enders will probably have access to the property (I have posted what few photographs the Citizen has of the convent on my blog, The Bulldog, at ottawacitizen.com/bulldog). Let's hope there is something left worth seeing when the walls are removed.

 

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/will+speak+convent/2543702/story.html

52. Kitchener Waterloo Record: Book Review New Book on Brantford Renewal
Bob Gordon

How Brantford turned itself around: A University comes downtown book cover

Reinventing Brantford: A University Comes Downtown

In the late 19-century, Brantford was a larger city than Hamilton. It was the world’s leading community for the manufacturing of farm equipment and renowned worldwide for the stoves, bicycles and other goods produced by local firms.

A century later, the manufacturing sector had almost vanished and Brantford was best known for having the “worst downtown in Canada.”

Attempts at recovery only seemed to worsen the situation. The construction of a $24-million telecommunications museum failed miserably: No funds had been allocated for exhibits as it was presumed that telecommunication giants such as Nortel and Bell would donate them — a fantasy that an economic recession shattered.

(Dundurn Press, 304 pages, $30 softcover)

http://news.therecord.com/life/books/article/664576

Editor’s Note: Students downtown....on foot....on bicycles......just the people to support new businesses on a revived Colborne Street if given the chance.....

53. Toronto Star: Union Station Renovations
Paul Moloney

Union Station's big reno: Grin while you bear it

Toronto Star Photo

Union Station users should brace for a long haul as the $640 million renovation of the historic transportation hub gets going in spring. The work, including excavating a large new lower level to house shops and restaurants, will take until 2015.

Though it's a big project, it's not overly complex, said Graham Brown, president of Carillion Construction Inc., whose Vanbots division was named Tuesday as general contractor.

"Probably the biggest challenge ... is dealing with the 65 million people a year that come through this concourse, and making sure that life goes on as well as it has to date, during the period of construction."

Commuters will encounter lots of construction hoarding, Brown said. "We'll make that hoarding attractive, we'll try and make it amusing in places so people bear with us during construction."

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/ttc/article/733345--union-station-s-big-reno-grin-while-you-bear-it

54. The Hill Times.ca: Mall next to Rideau Canal in Lansdowne Park
Tom Korski, forwarded by Diana Crosbie

If anyone could slap a mall next to a World Heritage Site, it's Ottawa City Council

If anyone could slap a mall next to a World Heritage Site, it's Ottawa City Council
In promoting his mall, Roger Greenberg was afforded deferential treatment I have not seen in any other city. No other developer was invited to negotiate. No other proposal for Lansdowne Park was considered.

OTTAWA—It was a little municipal tragedy, scarcely worth a mention in the out-of-town dailies. All at stake was 37 acres and 140 years of history. But it provoked sadness and anger—less than a fifth of people surveyed supported it—and reminded everyone how government runs when there is no official opposition, no wide-awake Parliamentary Press Gallery, no public accounts committee armed with powers of subpoena.

http://www.thehilltimes.ca/page/view/korski-11-23-2009

Editor’s Note: To get the rest of the article you will have to purchase it from The Hill Times....

55. Subscribe to CCA Podcasts

Several interesting Lectures are available free of charge on I Tunes

http://ax.itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/browserRedirect?url=itms%253A%252F%252Fax.itunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewPodcast%253Fid%253D269869174

56. Globe and Mail: Loss of China's Heritage
Carolynne Wheeler

Architectural gold rush washing away heritage

 

BEIJING — Special to The Globe and Mail Published on Tuesday, Oct. 06, 2009 12:00AM EDT Last updated on Thursday, Oct. 08, 2009 2:48AM EDT

It was the party to which China was inviting the world, and it spared no effort in ensuring its facilities were up to the task.

Last year's Olympics in Beijing left the city with some striking - some would say strikingly awful - buildings as mementos. The National Stadium, popularly known as the Bird's Nest, designed by Swiss architects Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron with assistance from famed Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, now sits largely empty, though it remains a pilgrimage site for Chinese tourists. The grounds of the graceful National Centre for the Performing Arts, also known as the Egg - or the Turtle's Egg to the derogatory - designed by French architect Paul Andreu, is now a popular place for a stroll on a warm evening.

The design fever that gripped the city before the Olympics also brought unique architectural monuments such as the Rem Koolhaas-designed CCTV tower - nicknamed "The Pants" for its two asymmetrical towers linked at the top by a walkway - and boutique hotel the Opposite House, adjoining an embassy district in Sanlitun. The hotel's Japanese architect, Kengo Kuma, gave it a stunning exterior of multi-hued emerald glass and an interior that includes sweeping ceilings and gallery space.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/architectural-gold-rush-washing-away-heritage/article1313301/

57. Blogto.com: Leaside Train Repair Shop

Exploring the Wrong Side of the Tracks at the Leaside Locomotive Shop

from Blog TO

In 1919, the Canadian Northern Railway opened its locomotive house and repair shop in what would develop into Toronto's Leaside neighbourhood. With the increasing importance of the rails in the latter part of the 19th century, the Leaside Junction (as it was known then) gained increasing importance, and grew from that point.

http://www.blogto.com/city/2009/09/exploring_the_wrong_side_of_the_tracks_at_the_leaside_locomotive_shop/

58. Canadian Press / Winnipeg Free Press: Masons battle harsh climate, massive stones in northern Manitoba fort restoration
Steve Lambert

For something that was supposed to be destroyed by the invading French military 227 years ago, and abandoned for most of the time since, the Prince of Wales Fort in northern Manitoba has proven remarkably resilient.

But even the sturdiest structures eventually need a little TLC, so Parks Canada is in the midst of a 10-year, $5-million effort to stabilize the massive stone walls of the fort, which once served as an icy militarized outpost of the fur trade in the northwest.

It's a mammoth undertaking. The walls of the fort run about one kilometre in length. They are made up of huge stones that weigh up to 2,700 kilometres each, stacked six metres high and a whopping 12 metres thick.

Complicating matters is the fact that the repair work can only be done during the two-month period when the area near Churchill is frost-free, to prevent new mortar from freezing as its sets.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/Masons-battle-harsh-climate_-massive-stones-in-northern-fort-restoration-49382337.html

59. Globe and Mail: Obituary Arthur Erickson
Sandra Martin

The greatest architect we have ever produced'

Sandra Martin

From Friday's Globe and Mail, Saturday, May. 23, 2009 03:29AM EDT

Is it any wonder that Arthur Erickson always imagined buildings ensconced in their settings?

He grew up in the wet, lush climate of British Columbia, a land of tall trees, towering mountains, crashing waves and ancient reminders of totem poles and longhouses.

Scenery was rampant, landscape was monumental and both evoked reverence and a wary respect for rigorous weather and a desire to create human shelters in structures that were in harmony with their environment.

His buildings, which are legion, include the University of Lethbridge, the inverted pyramid for the Canadian pavilion at Expo 67 in Montreal, the Canadian Embassy in Washington, and Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto.

But it was his native British Columbia that is the most abundant repository of Mr. Erickson’s architecture, beginning with the Filberg House in Comox, Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, the Museum of Anthropology and the Koerner Library at UBC, the MacMillan Bloedel building, the downtown Law Courts and the Robson Square Complex in Vancouver.

"He was ahead of his time which is why he was not properly recognized," said Phyllis Lambert, founder of the Canadian Centre for Architecture. "He has created architecture of the earth out of the earth," and "He has done it with extraordinary humanity."

But where did his vision come from?

He was innately curious, he hated regimentation and grew up in a family that encouraged him to think for himself. And he travelled, first because he was sent to India and Malaya during the Second World War and then because he won two travel grants at seminal points – the first after he graduated from McGill University and the second before he won the design competition for SFU – journeys that enabled him to explore the world before he was hemmed in by credentials and overheads.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/the-greatest-architect-we-have-ever-produced/article1147768/

60. Los Angeles Times: Century Plaza Hotel on Most Endangered List
Martha Groves

Preservationists, developer square off over Century Plaza Hotel

Century Plaza Hotel, from the Los Angeles Times

New owners have revealed plans to demolish the Century Plaza hotel.
The owners plan to demolish the Century City hotel and replace it with a $2-billion commercial and residential complex. The Los Angeles Conservancy wants to save it.

Minutes after their return from the moon in 1969, the three Apollo 11 astronauts gazed out the window of their isolation chamber as President Nixon welcomed them home and invited them to a state dinner in their honor.

The setting would be a magnificent ballroom in the Century Plaza hotel in "Los Angeles' space-age Century City complex," as the Los Angeles Times described it.

Forty years beyond, that crescent-shaped monument of mid-century modernism, where guests enjoyed specially created "moon rocks" of green almond paste dusted with chocolate, is poised to become the focus of what promises to be an intense battle over preservation.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-century-plaza28-2009apr28,0,4185240.story

61. A Digital Archive of American Architecture

A useful source of images for American Architecture, 

"This archive, currently consisting of nearly 1,500 digitized images of American architecture (280 buildings) plus explanatory material, was originally constructed as a supplement to my course FA 267 From Saltbox to Skyscraper: Architecture in America. This class surveys the development of architecture in America from the 17th century to the present, with particular emphasis given to local architectural monuments"

http://www.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/fnart/fa267/flw/unity02.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/fnart/fa267/FLW_churches.html&h=372&w=572&sz=32&tbnid=nVjMH8fCpCgzrM::&tbnh=87&tbnw=134&prev=/images%3Fq%3DUnity%2BT

62. Hamilton Spectator: Marble removal begins, Hamilton City Hall
Nicole MacIntyre

City Hall shedding its skin

City Hall is stripping down today.

Contractors started to take off the building’s marble exterior with a crow bar just before 10 a.m.

Many of the large slabs shattered when removed, confirming the material is past its lifespan, said Gerry Davis, acting head of public works.

“It’s very brittle,” he said as he watched crews work this morning.

If the city had tried to reuse the material, Davis estimates nearly 70 per cent would have been ruined.

The material is now the property of the demolition company. Davis said given the marble’s poor condition he doesn’t expect it will be reused.

The contractor hopes to start install the building new concrete exterior in June. City Hall’s curtain wall of windows will come down next week, allowing residents to see inside the gutted building.

The $74 million renovation is expected to be done by July 2010.

http://www.thespec.com/article/537432

63. Heritage Canada Foundation's Annual Conference - Call for Abstracts and Proposals
Heritage Canada Foundation Communique

The Heritage Imperative: Old Buildings in an Age of Environmental Crisis

Heritage Canada Foundation in collaboration with the Ontario Heritage Trust
and in cooperation with the Canadian Association of Heritage Professionals

September 24 - 26, 2009
Toronto, Ontario
Fairmont Royal York Hotel

Climate change. Green building. Economic renewal. Older buildings have answers for the biggest questions of our generation.
The 2009 Heritage Canada Foundation conference will bring together delegates and speakers from the fields of heritage preservation, environmental conservation and green building to explore these themes. This is an essential event for advocates, municipal planners, developers, public policy makers, elected officials and property owners. Delegates will learn how the rehabilitation and re-use of older buildings and existing neighbourhoods can help save the planet - and how the green movement and architectural conservation will become more integrated in the process.

The conference is designed to foster exchange and collaboration through expert panels consisting of a session leader and presenters from the heritage, environmental and green communities - each of them bringing the perspective of their respective field. Each 15-20 minute presentation will use research results, examples and case studies as stepping stones to broadly applicable principles and/or concrete recommendations for practice.

Proposals for presentations and field sessions are invited on the following themes:

* Environmental Stewardship and the Built Environment: sustainable districts and neighbourhoods; innovative and challenging adaptive re-use projects; brownfield redevelopment; integrated community sustainability planning.

* Making the Case for Existing Buildings: embodied energy; lifecycle analysis; "true cost" economics; green qualities of older buildings and traditional materials; durability and maintainability.

* Greening Older Buildings: efficient energy retrofits; applying green rating systems to existing buildings; new green technologies for old buildings.

* Values, Principles and Hard Decisions: when heritage buildings can't go green; rehab projects that push the envelope; knowing when "enough is enough" - from a green and a heritage perspective.

Submissions should include the following:

* Title and type of presentation or session proposed and 250-word summary.
* Author's name, contact information and brief biographical statement.

Deadline for submissions: March 15, 2009

To submit your proposal, or for more information:
conference@heritagecanada.org<mailto:conference@heritagecanada.org>

Tel: 613-237-1066; Fax 613-237-5987

Chosen presenters and session leaders will receive complimentary registration for the day they present.

 

http://www.heritagecanada.org/eng/conference.html

64. Archinnovations: Architectural Magazine Online

Interesting Site, with a Newsletter you can Subscribe to

Very interesting projects on line, the heritage buildings of tomorrow. Some a bit too clever for their own good, but still a great site for archifans and architects alike.

http://www.archinnovations.com