NEWS | ACTION
1. Town of Aurora is the proud recipient of the 2009 Lieutenant Governor's Ontario Heritage Award for Community Leadership
2. Government of Canada invests in heritage infrastructure at the Former Hamilton Customs House National Historic Site of Canada
3. Centre Pier buildings to remain at least five years
4. Queen's Park Views Update:
5. Good News for a Change: Rick and Anke Lex Invest in Tremont Hotel in Collingwood
6. Government of Canada receives award for Halifax heritage project
7. Celebrating Heritage Week in Chatham
8. After you Alphonse -- Who Protects Ontario's Heritage?
9. Call for Abstracts: Heritage Canada Foundation
10. Building Storeys 2010: Extended showing until April 25th
11. 21 Avenue Road Project: Toronto Vote for and Against
12. Halifax: Ancient Building Finds New Site
13. Call for Nominations: 2009 ACO Annual Awards
14. Launch of The Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada, 1800-1950
15. How to Get Your Stories in Built Heritage News
1. Town of Aurora is the proud recipient of the 2009 Lieutenant Governor's Ontario Heritage Award for Community Leadership
Mai Al Nabhan, Manager of Heritage Planning and Urban design
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| Mayor Phyllis Morris, The Honourable David C. Onley, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, The Honourable Lincoln M. Alexander, Chairman of the Ontario Heritage Trust (photo credit OHT) |
"The people of Aurora are extremely proud of their town and its heritage. Homes and neighbourhoods are beautifully kept, historic buildings respected, natural environments protected and cultural activities enjoyed. Aurora is truly honoured to receive this meaningful award, recognizing all efforts to preserve our past while preparing for our future," said Mayor Phyllis Morris.
Mayor Phyllis Morris accepted the award, on behalf of the Town of Aurora and its residents, at the Lieutenant Governors Ontario Heritage Award Ceremony that took place at Queen's Park on February 19, 2010. Awards were presented to the winners by The Honourable David C. Onley, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, in the presence of The Honourable Lincoln M. Alexander, Chairman of the Ontario Heritage Trust.
In 2008, the Town of Aurora was also named the recipient of the Heritage Canada Foundation Prince of Wales Prize for Municipal Heritage Leadership. Both awards are a great honour and testify to the hard work and ongoing commitment by the Town of Aurora to preserve its heritage ensuring that it will be protected for future generations.
2. Government of Canada invests in heritage infrastructure at the Former Hamilton Customs House National Historic Site of Canada
Parks Canada Release
Hamilton, Ontario, February 22, 2010 – On behalf of the Honourable Jim Prentice, Canada's Environment Minister and Minister responsible for Parks Canada, Mr. David Sweet, Member of Parliament for Ancaster-Dundas-Flamborough-Westdale, announced today that the Government of Canada is providing infrastructure funding to the Former Hamilton Customs House National Historic Site of Canada. Today's announcement is part of Canada's Economic Action Plan to stimulate Canada's economy during the global recession. The Economic Action Plan includes major investments in national historic sites as a means of stimulating growth in the tourism sector.
"Ontario offers many spectacular natural landscapes and interesting historic treasures and this investment is helping to preserve and protect one right here in our community," said Mr. Sweet. "The Former Hamilton Customs House National Historic Site of Canada is of great value to the local community and it offers a wonderful opportunity to experience and learn from our diverse history and heritage."
Through the Economic Action Plan's National Historic Sites Cost-Sharing Program, the Government of Canada will be contributing $13,100 to support a conservation project that involves work on the exterior of the building to repair the columns on the façade and replace the entrance steps at the Former Hamilton Customs House National Historic Site of Canada.
The Former Hamilton Customs House is now home to the Workers Arts and Heritage Centre. "We are pleased to receive this funding from Canada's Economic Action Plan, which will help us to restore the exterior stonework of the Customs House", said Executive Director Elizabeth McLuhan. "The Customs House is one of the oldest remaining federal public buildings in Canada and is one of Hamilton's foremost architectural landmarks. With this funding, the Workers Arts and Heritage Centre will be able to maintain its public programs while retaining the integrity of the architectural design."
"This project will help the Former Hamilton Customs House continue to be a place with cultural significance to the community," said Minister Prentice. "In our Economic Action Plan, our Government is helping to stimulate the economy as well as preserve and protect special places like this that are symbols of our country and tangible connections to our history."
National historic sites contribute to tourism in over 400 communities across Canada through direct spending, visitor spending and spin-off economic activity. The National Historic Sites Cost-Sharing Program, with a budget of $20 million provided in part by Canada's Economic Action Plan, reflects the government's desire to support job creation by providing funding for conservation of National Historic Sites. This Program provides opportunnties for skilled construction and conservation professionals to work on national historic sites across the country.
This Program is a contribution program whereby up to 50% of eligible costs incurred in the conservation and presentation of a national historic site are paid by the Program. Eligible recipients include other levels of government, not-for-profit organizations and not-for-profit aboriginal organizations.
Parks Canada works to ensure that Canada's historic and natural heritage is presented and protected for the enjoyment, education and appreciation of all Canadians, today and in the future.
For additional information, please see the accompanying backgrounder at www.parkscanada.gc.ca under Media Room.
Information:
Frédéric Baril
Press Secretary
Minister's Office, Environment Canada
819-997-1441
http://twitter.com/jimprentice
Media Relations
Parks Canada
819-994-3023
Backgrounder associated with this News Release:
3. Centre Pier buildings to remain at least five years
Joyce Cassin
It will be at least five years before any buildings are removed from the Centre Pier at Port Hope harbour.
Cameco took the initiative to meet Wednesday with members of the Pier Group and the Commissioners of Port Hope harbour regarding the fate of the Centre Pier buildings, says Chris Wallace of the Pier Group.
Wallace has always been open to meeting with these groups and finally had the opportunity for some face-to-face time with Cameco regarding the Environmental Assessment (EA).
"We were quite pleased to be invited," Wallace said during an interview prior to the Wednesday, March 3 meeting. "We want to put our cards on the table."
Wallace said they wanted to let Cameco know they were taking a very reasonable position on the matter and quite simply were looking for an answer as to what the environmental impact would be if the buildings remained or were torn down.
"Council is arguing that the buildings are polluted, so we want to know if there would be a negative impact if demolished and whether they actually are polluted," Wallace said.
"People need to know," he said. "And we're not afraid of the answer."
Doug Prendergast, senior communication specialist for Cameco Port Hope, said the group met at the library Wednesday night.
"It provided an opportunity for Cameco to provide some background on how we reached our current point," Prendergast said. "We laid out our path forward including the opportunity for the Pier Group to participate in the EA process."
The key point is that the buildings on the Centre Pier would not be removed until 2015 at the earliest, Prendergast said.
The reason for this lengthy wait is that first the EA process must be gone through. This would lead to the licensing process by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC), another lengthy process, he said.
From a more practical side, the Port Hope Area Initiative PHAI) isn't ready to take the low-level radioactive waste stored in those buildings, so the buildings would be needed to continue to store the waste, he said.
"The overriding message is that Cameco has taken no position on keeping or removing the buildings," Prendergast said. "It really is a landlord/tenant issue."
The landlord, the Commissioners of Port Hope Harbor, has directed Cameco to remove the buildings prior to vacating the Centre Pier, Prendergast said.
"Finding out we have at least five years is extremely good news," Wallace said. "We won't have time to waste, but we'll have some breathing room."
Wallace said members of the harbour commission did not show any signs of shifting their position to have the buildings demolished.
"We understand that Cameco has a mandate to follow the direction of their landlord," Wallace said. "We pointed out that the harbour commission is our opponent in this fight."
4. Queen's Park Views Update:
Lloyd Alter, ACO e-Acorn
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After much consideration and a lot of advice, the ACO withdrew its motion for party status at the OMB, on the basis that the Ontario Legislative Assembly (OLA) had stepped up to the plate to protect the iconic view of Queens Park.
Past President Cathy Nasmith writes: "The lawyer for the OLA is excellent, and brought a much needed sense of gravitas to the arguments being put in front of the OMB. Much of what he said was similar to what Lloyd and I had in our opinion piece in the Toronto Star. I have to say hearing the words from someone else brought tears to my eyes....
ACO owes lawyers Marc Kemerer and Michael Vaughan a huge vote of thanks. Marc for putting together the motion for party status, and Michael Vaughan for appearing to argue the motion, and also giving the sage advice that he felt the OLA had their case well in hand, and that ACO could safely pass the baton to them to make the arguments. "
5. Good News for a Change: Rick and Anke Lex Invest in Tremont Hotel in Collingwood
Catherine Nasmith
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| Before |
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| After repointing, cleaning, new windows, note restoration of chimneys |
I don’t know what Rick and Anke Lex paid for the Tremont hotel, but I am hoping that it was little enough to yield them the profits they deserve for investing in Collingwood’s history.
I had occasion to be in Collingwood last month, (for Valentine’s and Rick was kind enough to take me through the construction site.
BHN readers may recall a building at risk alert about 18 months ago looking for purchasers for the sad, looking, boarded up Tremont hotel. Collingwood had bought it to save it from demolition, but then couldn’t find a use for it.
Rick Lex is the current president of the Collingwood Branch of the ACO. After spending a lot of time looking for an investor to save the building, he decided to step up to the plate himself.
It takes a lot to do that. But it looks like the Tremont is going to be the Gladstone Hotel of Collingwood. It isn’t so big that a relatively small investor couldn’t tackle it, but still it takes a lot to actually start writing cheques to save buildings. Rick has now had the masonry cleaned and repointed, installed new windows and is repairing the timber framing. The interior was gutted to install all new services.
Anke is a ceramic artist. With their connections to the local arts community they are finding the tenants they need. The plan is to have an art school on the ground floor along with a café, artists studios on the second floor, and apartments on the third.
Congrats to Rick and Anke, and to Collingwood. Just imagine what might happen if Brantford Council were to invite other Rick and Anke’s to invest in Colborne Street's history.
For more information on the future, leasing go to: www.thetremont.ca
6. Government of Canada receives award for Halifax heritage project
Heritage Canada Foundation Release
HALIFAX, Nova Scotia, February 15, 2010 – The Government of Canada today received the Built Heritage Award from the Nova Scotia Heritage Trust for the Repair Project on the seven-storey tower of the Dominion Public Building in downtown Halifax. The building, with its domed roof topped with the Canadian flag, is a prominent part of the city skyline.
“The Dominion Public Building has dutifully served Canadians, public servants and the Government of Canada for over 70 years,” said the Honourable Rona Ambrose, Minister of Public Works and Government Services Canada. “This repair and conservation project ensures it will continue to do so for many years to come.”
The two-year, $8 million project was completed in the summer of 2009 by Masontech, the primary contractor for the repair project. Masontech had to number, remove and then replace all 2,693 sandstone blocks from the tower, which encompasses the eighth to the fourteenth floors of the building. Some of the stones weighed as much as 900 kg. Included were eight six-foot-high seahorse sculptures that adorn the tower near the roofline. The domed tower also received a new copper roof in keeping with the original finish.
“It was never our intention to ‘preserve’ the Dominion Public Building in a time capsule, but to restore the building’s structural integrity while retaining its essential heritage value so that it could continue to function as an efficient and attractive asset in Halifax’s downtown core long into the future,” said Minister Ambrose.
The award will be presented in a ceremony at Halifax Hall, located in Halifax City Hall, at 3:00 p.m. on Heritage Day, February 15, 2010.
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Ce texte est également disponible en français.
For information contact:
Nan Taylor, Communications Advisor
Public Works and Government Services Canada
Atlantic Region
902-496-5044
PWGSC news releases are also available on our Internet site at http://www.tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca/medias-media/index-eng.html
7. Celebrating Heritage Week in Chatham
Marlee Robinson
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| Get ready for the Chatham Kent Ontario Heritage Conference |
Ontario Heritage Week, hosted by the Ontario Heritage Trust (OHT), was launched Friday at The Armoury in Chatham with the rousing drum of the Red Tail Hawk Chippewa singers and Victor Lauriston Public School youthful voices singing “O Canada”. Steven Cook, site manager of Uncle Tom’s Cabin and Beth Hanna, Director of Heritage Programmes and Operations for the OHT were joint emcees.
"Ontario Heritage Week is a time to raise awareness about our history and to celebrate its importance in our lives," said The Honourable Lincoln M. Alexander, Chairman of the OHT. "As we look ahead to the next decade, we must strive to continue conserving our heritage for future generations." The OHT expects this year’s theme “Our Changing Landscape” to encourage communities across the province to consider the extent of past transformations, discuss their impacts and look to the future for ways to improve coming changes.
"Ontario's heritage is a precious resource," said Michael Chan, newly-appointed Minister of Tourism and Culture. "I am delighted to celebrate Heritage Week and to see Ontarians taking the time to recognise how conserving our heritage contributes to building vibrant and diverse communities."
MMP Pat Hoy and Mayor Randy Hope listened to keynote speaker Dr Jonathan Vance who asserted “Heritage activists are critical for successful preservation of our historic buildings and places of beauty”. Answering the question “What’s the Point of the Past?”, the University of Western Ontario history professor outlined ways we all can fulfill the mandate of conservation of our history: erect monuments to pivotal leaders and events; designate days of annual observance of important anniversaries; build on “social memory” through reenactments, historic walks, labeling and correct filing of photos and historic documents; official designation and listing of appropriate buildings; creative teaching of history in schools.
Everyone has a role to play in fighting “historical amnesia”. Vance described the role of the Rememberancer – an official job in the UK government which is now an honorary posting – someone whose task is to remind people what needs to be remembered.
Ontario Heritage Trust Board member, Ruth Dudley acted as Ontario’s Rememberancer at The Armoury with a short survey of 150 years of changes in our built environment. She gave examples of well-preserved Main Streets such as Seaforth – and we can point to Ridgetown in Chatham-Kent as well. She talked of the interrelationship of animals, crops and buildings in rural landscapes and the importance of learning to use existing resources wisely.
Dudley stressed that “Investment in our heritage is vital to economic development” and applauded the rejuvenation of The Armoury as an enviable example of adaptive re-use.
For the kick-off twenty local organisations installed information displays in The Armoury including eight museums, six historical societies, Doors Open, Highgate Church Re-Use Committee, Tecumseh Monument Redevelopment Committee, Kent Regiment Chapter IODE, Heritage Chatham-Kent and the Chatham-Kent branch of the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario (ACO). The local ACO branch will be hosting the Ontario Heritage Conference in Chatham-Kent on 11th, 12th and 13th June.
This week a number of Ontario Heritage Trust sites are hosting special events to celebrate Heritage Week: free guided tours are being offered at the Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre Centre in Toronto and a series of free lectures and guided tours are happening at Fulford Place in Brockville. In addition, on Friday, February 19, in partnership with the Trust, the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario will present the annual Lieutenant Governor's Ontario Heritage Awards at Queen's Park. Communities across the province are hosting dozens of activities and events for Heritage Week.
Chatham-Kent had an early celebration with the awarding of the Mayor’s Heritage Awards at last Monday’s Council meeting.
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For further information please contact Marlee Robinson
519 674 2753 email: marleelrobinson@gmail.com
8. After you Alphonse -- Who Protects Ontario's Heritage?
Catherine Nasmith
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| Brantford buildings |
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| View of Queen's Park, showing existing encroachment into silhouette |
The reluctance of Ontario ministers to intervene in municipal decision making is quickly leading to yet two more heritage disasters in Ontario.
Two current struggles for the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario (ACO), the hope of stopping the demolition of 41 main street heritage buildings in Brantford, and the impact of a proposed high rise building on views of the silhouette of the Legislative Assembly in Toronto, are both caught in the same catch 22.
Even though both the Ontario Heritage Act and the Planning Act provide significant powers for ministers to step in when there is a provincial interest, in both of the above cases, provincial ministers have been hesitant to intervene either before or after a “duly elected” municipal council has made a decision. If the province will never step on municipal toes, then what is the point of the Provincial Policy Statement, which is supposed to control planning in Ontario? Can it be enforced in the face of such politesse?
In the case of Brantford, where 41 main street buildings on South Colborne Street, some pre-confederation, are to be demolished by the local council, the province‘s hesitation to get involved is akin to standing back and letting someone jump off a bridge. “You’re over 21- Go for it”. Wouldn’t any responsible bystander ask for a “time out” to be sure the person had considered all options? And wouldn’t the likely outcome of considering all options be a more positive alternative.
In the case of the views of the Legislative Assembly Councillor Kyle Rae persuaded Council to ignore staff advice and support a proposal from Menkes that offered less damage to the views than previous iterations. Councillor Rae argued that if the province feels views should be protected then the province should step forward. He was right that the City was in a weak position to ask for more without provincial support.
The ACO has written to Jim Bradley, Minister Of Municipal Affairs and Housing requesting declaration of a provincial interest.
The Legislative Assembly, a separate provincial entity from the Ministries, is requesting party status at the OMB. If party status is granted it will only give the right to make the case, nowhere near as binding as a declaration of a provincial interest by the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.
The lack of response from the Minister of MMAH suggests the same hesitancy to interfere in a local decision is at work in the Queen’s Park views case, even though the provincial interest is plain to see. (no pun intended) We will know by February 19, the last day for the province to declare a provincial interest. In the meantime, there is lots of nail biting going on at the ACO office.
The current hesitancy is a relatively recent situation. Less than five years ago, the newly minted Minister of Culture, Caroline Di Cocco, made a brilliant move that saved the Lister Block in Hamilton. At that time, Hamilton City Council was about to agree to the demolition and reconstruction of the Lister Block, over the cries of local activists as well as the ACO. Things were boiling over, with lines everywhere in the sand. The minister called the mayor on the eve of the vote, reminded him that she had a newly minted power to stop the demolition if Council decided to permit it, and expressed her interest in finding a way to avoid the loss. Later, significant monies were put on the table to help. That funding kept people talking through several further twists and turns.
Today the Lister Block is being restored. Without actually putting the proverbial provincial fist down, Di Cocco succeeded in averting disaster. She also issued a stop order to save the John Moore house in Sparta during the election campaign.
Alas, shortly after that terrific early start as minister, Caroline Di Cocco lost her seat (over mismanaging of the local hospital construction by another minister). Her successor, Aileen Carroll did not have Di Cocco’s chutzpah. Carroll’s hands off approach, first seen in the abysmal solution to the John Moore house, and later in her failure to protect Alma College, seems to have become the party line among senior Ministry of Culture staff. When asked last week to intervene in Brantford, staff were hesitant to even put the ACO emergency request on the desk of the new minister, Michael Chan, without significant additional research. Interestingly, the only time Carroll ever issued a stop order was for 7 Austin Terrace, following a request from the Mayor of Toronto.
We don’t know what to expect from new minister Michael Chan, but he might want to give Caroline Di Cocco a call for some friendly advice.
Editor’s Note: I am Past President of ACO and co-ordinating ACO's efforts to protect the Queen's Park viewshed. President Lloyd Alter has been working closely with Brantford citizens to try to save their historic downtown.
9. Call for Abstracts: Heritage Canada Foundation
REVITALIZE! Economic Renewal. Quality of Life. Heritage Buildings.
September 30 - October 2, 2010
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
Sheraton Hotel Newfoundland
Cultivating collaborative solutions for a vibrant future.
The 2010 Heritage Canada Foundation conference will examine how capitalizing on heritage buildings can play a leading role in revitalizing Canadian communities large and small, urban and rural. The focus will be on collaborative and innovative strategies to set heritage-centred renewal in motion and ensure its long-term sustainability.
The conference organizers are looking for cutting-edge approaches from across Canada and abroad: what works, what doesn't, and what are the promising new frontiers? What lessons can we draw from the experiences of communities with long histories of heritage management as well as those grappling with the potential of their heritage assets?
We look forward to generating debate and incorporating a broad range of perspectives: from heritage conservation and architecture, to social innovation and entrepreneurship, community greening and economic development, and arts and tourism.
Proposals for presentations and field sessions are invited on the following themes:
. Community Engagement: expanding the support base for heritage building renewal; understanding and imaginatively leveraging a community's built and social assets; establishing inclusive visions and youth involvement; maintaining long-term momentum.
. Economics and Marketing: innovative techniques; cooperative ventures; attracting investment and social enterprise.
. Design and Adaptive Use: innovative adaptation - urban complexes, public buildings, industrial sites, and former places of worship; contemporary design and intensification in historic contexts.
. Social and Environmental Sustainability: affordable housing; social justice and the built environment; district energy; greening older buildings.
Abstract submission:
This conference is designed to foster exchange and collaboration through panels consisting of a session leader and presenters. Each 20 minute presentation will use research results and case studies that offer principles and real solutions that others can apply in their communities. Please include with your submission:
. Title and type of presentation proposed and 250-word (approx) summary.
. Author's/authors' name(s), contact information and brief biographical statement(s).
Deadline for submissions: February 26, 2010
To submit your proposal, or for more information: conference@heritagecanada.org
http://www.heritagecanada.org/eng/conference.html Tel: 613-237-1066; Fax: 613-237-5987
Chosen presenters and session leaders will receive complimentary conference registration for the day they present.
10. Building Storeys 2010: Extended showing until April 25th
Heritage Toronto
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Due to popular demand, we have extended our annual photo exhibition to April 25th.
A collaborative effort by Heritage Toronto and members of Toronto's Shadow Collective and DK Photo Group, Building Storeys is a visual documentation and anecdotal exhibit of our city's historical industrial buildings and sites. Building Storeys changes the perception of industrial heritage in our city, by revealing the hidden beauty of these sites.
Building Storeys is open daily from 12-5pm at the Gladstone Hotel, 3rd and 4th floors. Admission is free.
Featured in this years free exhibit are 12 of Torontos notable and in some cases closed to the public industrial buildings and sites:
The John Street Roundhouse
R.L. Hearn Generating Station
R.L. Clark Water Treatment Plant
Commissioners Street Transfer Station
Ashbridges Bay Wastewater Treatment Plant/Ashbridges Bay Treatment Plant Pumping Stations
CNR Eastern Lines Locomotive Shop, 85 Laird Drive
R.C. Harris Water Filtration Plant
The Pease Foundry, 211 Laird Drive
Toronto Island Water Filtration Plant
North Toronto Wastewater Treatment Plant
Canada Linseed Oil Mills
Wellington Destructor
For more information, please visit:
www.heritagetoronto.org
11. 21 Avenue Road Project: Toronto Vote for and Against
Catherine Nasmith
Outraged citizen and lawyer, Michael Vaughan, took the trouble to search the voting record on proposal for 21 Avenue Road. This is the controversial project that will be seen far above the roof of the Legislature from just about anywhere on University Avenue, even within the "post card" view from north of College Street if the OMB gives permission for its construction. In supporting the project, 20-12 Toronto City Council voted against planning staff advice.
For citizens groups it is next to impossible to manage to see all 44 councillors between a vote at Community Council and Council. The project that was approved was unveiled after all deputations to Community, making it impossible for any community comment on the project.
Since then, the OMB has held a second pre-hearing. With ground shifting all around them, the ACO and the Speaker of the Legislature both requested to have their status at the hearing upgraded to party from participant, which would allow them to present expert witnesses and cross examine. At the previous pre-hearing City lawyers were preparing a case in opposition, but had not received final direction. It was also expected that there would be representatives from the province there in opposition.
Because it is by no means certain that party status will be granted to either, evidence in favour of protecting the views of Queen's Park may never be presented, even though it was a very large part of the reason City staff recommended refusal of the project.
Notwithstanding that the Speaker wrote to the Mayor and Council asking them to refuse the project, one of the arguments in favour of the project was that the province had not declared an interest, and many councillors did not feel it was appropriate to defend the views if the province didn't care....
The Vote, Yes was in favour of the project, No against the project and in favour of protecting the heritage of Queen's Park.
YES, Ashton, Carroll, Cho, Davis, De Baermaeker, Di Giorgio, Grimes, Hall, Kelly, Lee, McConnell, Mihevc, Moeser, Ootes, Palacio, Pantalone, Perks, Perruzza, Rae, Shiner
NO, Ainslie, Bussin, Del Grande, Ford, Holyday, Jenkins, LIndsay Luby, Milczyn, Moscoe, Nunziata, Parker, Vaughan
Let your councillor know what you think of their vote on this matter.
12. Halifax: Ancient Building Finds New Site
Nova Scotia Heritage Foundation Press Release
A two-and-a half-century-old building is expected to move to a new home in
downtown Halifax this evening.
Sheldon Rushton of Pictou County has been hired by the Heritage Trust of Nova Scotia to move the Charles Morris office building, at 1273 Hollis Street,
to a site across a nearby parking lot on lands owned by Nova Scotia Power. At last report, Sheldon's crew were passing Brookfield, and were expecting to arrive at the site about 6:45. They will start by removing fences and any vehicles in the Imperial Parking lot and will then start the main move of the building to the NS Power lot. The building was removed from its foundation, and off its original site on Sunday, and now sits at a 45 degree angle behind the Ruhland House next door.
The move should be an interesting spectacle.
This was the office building of Charles Morris, the first Surveyor General of
Nova Scotia. He laid out the plans for Halifax, and many other Maritime communities.
It is a two-and-a-half-storey, wood-shingled building, with a truncated pitched roof
and one early, Scottish dormer. The building was moved once previously, in 1895, when it moved south to make way for the New Victoria Hotel. The building was slated for demolition, to be replaced by a ten-storey office building.
More has been learned about the building during the move. There are hand
hewn beams under the building. Some shingles and wall sheathing came off when the kitchen addition was removed. The missing sheathing revealed planks more than a foot wide, and post and beam construction, with brick nogging between the posts. The only other building in Halifax known to have this construction is St. Paul's Church, our oldest building, at 260 years. Both St. Paul's and the Morris office have Roman numerals on the beams. The building was mentioned in Charles Morris' will in 1781, which makes this one of the four oldest buildings in HRM.
The Heritage Trust has had cooperation and financial contributions for the
developers, Louie and Peter Lawen of Dexel Developments, and from HRM, particularly Mayor Peter Kelly, and Councillors Dawn Sloane, Jennifer Watts and Bob Harvey. Heritage Planner Maggie Holm has arranged numerous permits
and permissions. Intervening property owners, such as Pascal Holdings,
and lessees are cooperating. Nova Scotia Power will providing a temporary resting place for the building for up to three years, at $1 per year. Kim Thompson and the other members of the Ecology Action Centre have been
working hard to assist in keeping the building out of a landfill. Roy McBride has provided structural engineering advice.
"We are delighted that we have so many partners in wanting to see the
Charles Morris office building saved," says Peter Delefes, President of the Heritage Trust.
The Trust will have a fund raising drive to cover the cost of the move, securing the building, and finding a permanent solution for the building. Information on the drive will be forthcoming. The Trust will also be seeking ideas for a permanent home and use for the building.
Contact:
Peter Delefes, President, 826 2087, pdelefes@eastlink.ca
Phil Pacey, Chair HRM Committee, 237 1375, 422 8814, 494 3334
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13. Call for Nominations: 2009 ACO Annual Awards
Gill Haley: Awards Committee Chair
Nominations for the 2009 Architectural Conservancy of Ontario Annual Awards are due!
Awards will be presented at the annual ACO Gala Dinner on November 6, 2009. As the principal non-government volunteer organization for heritage conservation in Ontario, the Awards Program of the ACO is designed to honour preservation leaders and/or projects that are considered valuable on a provincial scale to the architectural conservation movement in Ontario.
Awards include, the AK Sculthorpe Award for Activism, Peter Stokes Award for Heritage Restoration, The Eric Arthur Award for Lifetime Achievment, Margaret and Nicholas Hill Award for Conservation of Cultural Landscapes, and
For more information and nomination forms, visit the ACO website at www.arconserv.ca.
14. Launch of The Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada, 1800-1950
Catherine Nasmith - Review
To say that architectural history in Canada will never be the same is not an overstatement.
Robert Hill, a registered architect working in Toronto, along with a vast array of colleagues, contributors and supporters has just made public the largest and most important body of research on Canadian architecture ever undertaken, The Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada, 1800-1950. And you can access it for free online! At http://www.dictionaryofarchitectsincanada.org
The project was launched modestly, without fanfare perhaps because such a body of work is never finished. However, finished or not it is an event that calls for celebration.
If you have ever tried to research a building you will have some idea of the scope of the task to set out to record the history of all important buildings and architects in Canada. It started as a project to record Toronto architects, but as so many practiced in other communities it did not take long before the project grew to Ontario and then all of Canada. Significant grants were stretched to hire professional researchers. Many shared their research but the perseverance to put this all together came from Robert Hill.
There are many who love architectural research, and will understand the fascination of the chase, but to dedicate one’s life to such a challenge and to persevere for 20 years takes a very rare passion, perhaps even obsession. Mr. Hill’s passion for his subject is matched by his passion for accuracy.
At the end of the introductory page Mr. Hill sets out his reasons for undertaking the project. As a researcher he saw the need.
"It is inexplicable that, despite the voluminous number of books on Canadian art and artists, that fewer than 20 monographs exist on Canadian architects from the study period of this Dictionary. Even more puzzling is the fact that internationally renowned Canadian architects such as Frank Darling (winner of the British RIBA Gold Medal in 1915) and Henry Sproatt (winner of an American AIA Medal in 1924) have yet to be the subject of a monograph devoted to their career and work. The reasons for this may be linked directly to the lack of accurate and easily accessible source information which, in many cases, is presented here for the first time.
The Dictionary website is intended to correct this imbalance, by making available a substantial amount of information in the form of hard, ascertainable facts that have been too difficult to locate, or too time-consuming to gather from obscure sources and collections scattered across the country. It is hoped that this website will prove useful to anyone interested in Canadian architecture, including academics, historians, conservationists, architects, planners, students, heritage officers, and to those with an interest in the rich and varied architectural heritage of Canada."
To deliver this project architect Robert Hill spent every spare moment away from his full time job at Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg going through archives, publications, and building permit records piecing together a tapestry made up of thousands and thousands of entries. Every source is recorded.
The database can be researched by keyword search or scrolling through the alphabetical listings of architects. Just for fun punch in your favorite town to see how many architects practiced there.
There is so much there, it seems ungrateful to ask for more, yet it is hard not to wish for photographs to go with the entries. Or being able to have the data re-organize to separate out the listings under the search title or have the reference highlighted in the architect’s listings. Robert Hill advises that both ideas would require significant time and financial resources and would need to be funded by others to happen. Anyone out there want to find time to re-enter 60,000 entries, and sift through the copyright issues involved in posting photos.
Other questions come to mind. Who will pay to keep this online in perpetuity, to update it? For the time being Mr. Hill is funding it, but is looking for the right partner to take it over in ten or twenty years.
How do others contribute, or augment with post 1950 data? Mr. Hill notes wryly, "if someone wants to start a post-1950 website, they are welcome to initiate their own website, at their own expense.” There is a contact link on the front page for anyone who wants to send information to Mr. Hill.
For similar works, see the new Dictionary of Scottish Architects www.dictionaryofscottisharchitects.com and see the print editions of Howard Colvin's classic work, The Biographical Dictionary of British Architects 1600-1840, now in it's 4th Edition (Yale Univ. Press).
It is both impossible to adequately thank Mr. Hill or to offer too much praise for the project. The Dictionary is a work of staggering proportions quietly undertaken. The dedication and discipline necessary to produce such a document, originally intended to be a book, is very rare. Canada is much richer for Mr. Hill’s gift to us.
http://www.dictionaryofarchitectsincanada.org/introduction
15. How to Get Your Stories in Built Heritage News
Catherine Nasmith
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| Catherine Nasmith, Editor |
Because BHN arrives to you by email, you may never have visited the actual website where all the material that goes out can be found at http://www.builtheritagenews.ca
I invite you to go to the left of the page of the newsletter or the website and look at the POST KEYS, and click on them.
If you do that you will see that those links take you to the website and to online forms where you can post either your events, links, your own original news or action items.
Please take advantage of this free opportunity to share your stories and events with other subscribers. Once an item is posted it is hidden until yours truly, the editor goes in and checks to make sure it is all okay, and appropriate. This step ensures that spammers can't post junk.
You can also just go to http://www.builtheritagenews.ca between issues to see what others have posted, or to submit an item.
As editor, I cannot guarantee that all items will be posted to the website or the bulletin, but I do promise to get as many as I can online.
I am very grateful for the time Rob Hamilton spends sourcing material from publications and websites across Canada. His submissions have enabled BHN to cover much more.
And don't be shy!
Sometimes we don't know just how important our local stories are to others who may be facing similar challenges. I created BHN to help us keep in touch with each other. The more subscribers post, the more we will all know about what is going on across Ontario, and Canada. And the easier my job will be as editor.
