1. City of Toronto HCD Policy
Catherine Nasmith

Brunswick Avenue, Harbord Village HCD, photo Catherine Nasmith

The long awaited City of Toronto policy document on Heritage Conservation Districts is now public, and is on the agenda of the Toronto Preservation Board this Thursday at 2:00. This document sets out policies and procedures clarifying what is expected of all parties in the process, ensuring a more consistent standard for HCD's in Toronto. 

At public meetings on the previous draft many concerns were raised about making the process more expensive and time consuming for volunteers. To some degree these concerns have been addressed, but there is definitely more work to do than has been the case in the past, hence more cost to communities seeking protection. Staff note that the background work and reports for the Queen Street HCD's and Harbord Village were both considered benchmarks for establishing common practice. 

It would be helpful for the City to now move forward to develop some City of Toronto standard guidelines for conservation for widely found heritage elements in Toronto, ie Victorian masonry, wood windows, stone foundations, and some of the standard styles, such as Bay and Gable, Craftsman, various revival and modern styles so that consultants are not all having to develop all guidelines or contradict each other on methods, materials. It may be necessary in certain HCD's to add to standard guidelines, but the more that is boiler plate, the less cost to communities. Such standardization has been done in New York and includes accepted products, restoration companies. 

Take a look and make your comments to the TPB or to Scott Barrett  sbarret3@toronto.ca.

The document has been posted and the agenda can be found here:

2. Communities Hope for First Mid-Century Modern HCD's in Toronto
Catherine Nasmith

Last week at the invitation of residents on Lacewood Crescent, just east of the Donalda Golf course in Don Mills (Toronto), I presented the W5 of HCD's, a talk I have been giving for many years on the Why's and Hows of Heritage Conservation Districts, including examples from jurisdictions around the world. 

There also seems to be some interest coming from Markdale in Etobicoke in finding ways to preserve their mid-century planned community. 

Lacewood Crescent and Markdale have much in common. Lacewood Crescent and its surrounding streets, connecting to Three Valleys Drive, are both on peninsulas surrounded by the Toronto ravine system. Both have experienced the beginnings of razing of homes in their neighbourhood and replacement with what have come to be known as "McMansions", post modern traditional styled architecture executed in the paper thin style so aptly described by Lisa Rochon as, "a mudslide of architecture". 

There is concern about the lack of sensitivity to the mid-century modern context as homes are redeveloped, but also a strong worry about not wanting to be overly regulated or to have additional process in place for routine alterations and additions. 

But the answer is, if you are interested in controlling the appearance of your community, preserving its historic fabric, and ensuring that change is compatible, then the only tool with enough teeth is Part V of the Ontario Heritage Act, the section that implements Heritage Conservation Districts. 

This dichotomy comes up in every community facing erosion of what they value. "No one wants to have anyone telling them what they can do with their own property, yet everyone wants to be able to tell others what to do with theirs" is how I phrase this dilemma. The HCD process takes a community through coming to terms with what is valuable to protect, what can change, what needs to be preserved or restored, and then writes guidelines that bring an appropriate balance for that community. Even though the Heritage Act doesn't require this, in Toronto communities are given a chance at each stage of the process to determine if they want to continue towards implementing a District. 

There are so many communities seeking such protection that the City is definitely not interested in forcing an HCD on an unwilling host, in fact City staff are woefully hard pressed to deal with the existing stock of HCD's.

And you need look no further than the University of Waterloo study to find that where people enjoy the protection of the Ontario Heritage Act, they like it.

The meeting at Lacewood Crescent was a community just putting its toe in the water, but the presentation met with enthusiasm. I hope that they move ahead, and also that the rest of Don Mills follows before it becomes so damaged that it will be impossible to read the original fabric or to restore it.

To learn more about Don Mills, go to Heritage Toronto's I tour 

P.S. If you visit Lacewood you will find the most perfectly preserved mid century service station right in the middle of the neighbourhood on Three Valleys Drive

3. BHN: Shorter and More Often
Catherine Nasmith

I have been trying to send BHN out more frequently, both to get material out in a more timely way, and to post to the site more frequently, and keep the issues shorter. You can go to the site any time to see updates, and I try to add material two to three times a week. 

I need your help to keep BHN on top of what is happening across Canada.

If you spot an article in your local paper, or want to write a piece which will get out to nearly 2000 subscribers, or promote an event that would be of interest, please go to http://www.builtheritagenews.ca and click on the post keys to submit the material. Just cut and paste in. 

All of the editing and writing is done on a volunteer basis. The positive comments I get back from subscribers really help keep me at this desk, as well as the donations which so far have all gone back into improvements in technology. 

With the help of Meta Strategies I am working on improvements to how BHN is published and works online. I will be adding Twitter, Facebook, RSS feeds, sponsorship opportunities, and re-organizing the way material is presented on the site, and instituting much better search functions. I have added a Pay Pal button the website, which will soon appear in the newsletter.

4. Globe and Mail: Partial End to OMB rule in Toronto?
Elizabeth Church

Minister supports bid to free Toronto from OMB

Ontario’s Minister of Municipal Affairs is welcoming a move by Toronto to take authority for minor planning disputes out of the hands of the Ontario Municipal Board, but says attempts to abolish the provincial appeals body or change its mandate requires consultations with all municipalities.

Kathleen Wynne said as a provincial minister and Toronto resident she is pleased that the city is considering taking responsibility for appeals on committee of adjustment matters – usually small changes or exceptions to existing land use that now account for the majority of cases before the OMB.

“If that happens out of this process, that’s a really good thing,” Ms. Wynne said. “What provincial interest is there in a deck in a neighbourhood? I am very happy about that.”

Toronto councillors are set to debate the issue later this month, considering a motion asking the province to do away with the OMB or exempt the city from its jurisdiction. The motion, endorsed unanimously by the planning committee, also calls for the establishment of a working group to consider how a local appeals panel for committee of adjustment disputes would work , a power given to the city under the City of Toronto Act.

Click here for Link

5. Globe and Mail: Sam the Record Man Sign---
Tamara Baluja

Ryerson dims hopes for restored Sam the Record Man sign TAMARA BALUJA

Ryerson University may be stepping back from its original promise to remount the iconic Sam the Record Man sign.

With an estimated price tag of $250,000 to restore the giant sign and put it back up, the university is considering alternatives, including a sidewalk tribute.

Sam the Record Man’s store, with its prominent neon-lit sign of two spinning record discs, was a landmark on Yonge Street for generations of music lovers since the 1960s.

The sign had been out of the public eye when Ryerson began demolishing the store, which closed in 2007 after declaring bankruptcy in 2001. After a local campaign, the city designated the building a protected heritage site as a way to save the sign. Ryerson president Sheldon Levy had committed to mounting the sign on the student learning centre the university is building on the site or on the adjacent library building. But new plans unveiled this year did not include it.

“Ryerson does remain committed to the appropriate recognition of the Sam sign as we redevelop the site for our student learning centre,” said Ruth Abbott, Ryerson’s assistant vice-president of marketing and communications. “But we are consulting with our stakeholders and presenting alternatives.”

Click here for Link

6. Petition to Save Canadian Aviation and Space Museum

To support efforts to save the Museum, and its building for future generations go to:

Click here for Link

7. City of Hamilton: Urban Design Awards 2011
Stasia Bodgan, Bruce Cudmore, Tim McCabe, and Paul Mallard

Jury Report: Awards in Restoration

Award of Outstanding Achievement and Excellence in Restoration
THE LISTER BLOCK

Built in 1924 by Bernard Prack and Piggott Construction, the Lister Block was a thriving interior mall with two internal floors of retail and four floors of offices above. After being closed in the 1990s, the building went into serious decline and after years of redevelopment discussion, it was decided that the building would be adaptively reused, serving as a catalyst for the revitalization of the Citys Downtown core.

In 2008, work began to restore and rehabilitate the building after more than 20 years of vacancy resulting in significant damage to the interior of the building. A designated heritage building, the plan was to restore key features of the building such as the terra cotta glazed façade, the copper window
spandrels, restoration of the interior ornate plaster work and skylights, and the marble and terrazzo to list just a few. At the same time, new mechanical and electrical systems and life safety components had to be incorporated without affecting the protected interior features.

Jury Comments
The Jury is most impressed with the Lister Block submission and is unanimous about choosing this project above all for special recognition in the category of Restoration. The collaboration of many disciplines, this project is an outstanding achievement and showcases the fulfillment of several different objectives regarding urban design, conservation, restoration, adaptive reuse, downtown revitalization and community renewal. With tremendous effort, the project team brought back to life this important symbol of Hamilton which stands as a testament to the enduring value of great buildings but especially to the resilience and will of this community. The Jury congratulates the Lister Block Team on a job well done.

Award of Merit in Restoration
HAMILTON CITY HALL

Hamilton City Hall was originally designed by Stanley Roscoe, a well known Hamilton Architect responsible for numerous modern buildings in Hamilton. The building first opened in 1960 showcasing a new modern spirit expressed by the International Style of the architecture. The building is an iconic symbol in Hamilton, yet after 46 years of service the building needed a total interior and exterior renovation to support the needs of Hamiltonians today and into the future. The building is a designated heritage building and the renovations had to be sensitive to its many heritage features such as the interior murals, glass tile, and uniquely designed interior stairs.

Jury Comments
This project is awarded in recognition of the extensive renovation that was carried out for the conservation of this building. The many interior features and design details of the building that give the building its architectural identity were protected during the restoration. New energy efficient mechanical and plumbing systems, new insulated windows and walls, a new green roof, and new electrical and data systems are all integrated into the building with great thought and sensitivity to the modern design aesthetic of the original building.

Award of Honorable Mention
HAMBLY HOUSE

The owners of Hambly House undertook a comprehensive Renovation and restoration of this Art Moderne home in Westdale. The house was once hidden by thickly overgrown evergreens that, once removed, have exposed a uniquely designed modern house. The house is an example of Streamline Moderne design, a popular style from 1909 to 1939. Streamline Moderne was used to design appliances, trains, passenger ships, aircraft, cars, and buildings. Objects designed with this style were meant to look like they could travel very fast keeping up with the rapidity of modern life. In addition, the landscape berm in the front of this house is an original feature that appears as a wave on the ocean pierced by a modern streamline ship. Also, the thin hand railing and the porthole window are reminiscent of passenger liners of the 1920s and 1930s. During the renovation, the homeowners recovered samples of the old blue paint finish on the windows which were restored with new energy saving Advanced Energy Panel windows (AEP), the first such application in Canada. The exterior stucco was carefully washed to reveal a quartz-stucco which was restored to its original sparkle.

Jury Comments
This project was a significant commitment by its new owners who have lovingly restored this corner house. The landscaping has been reconsidered to complement rather than hide the house. From an urban design perspective, the restoration of the house is also a restoration of the street corner and the important role the architecture once played in anchoring the corner with its small bistro, porthole window, and main entry portal. This house deserves an Honourable Mention in recognition of the dedication of its owners to the conservation of this unique architectural gem.

Click here for Link

8. Hamilton Spectator: Urban Design Awards 2011

Celebrating urban design and architecture

The Urban Design and Architecture Awards were presented last night by the City of Hamilton. Here are the winners:

The Branthaven Beach House Project: Award of Excellence in Urban Design

The West Avenue Residences: Award of Excellence in Adaptive Reuse

CANMET Materials Technology Laboratory: Award of Excellence in Architecture and Sustainability

Urban Sustainability The Edible Landscape: Award of Excellence in Landscape Architecture

The Lister Block: Award for Outstanding Achievement and Excellence in Restoration

The Bridgewater Court: Award of Merit for Urban Design

The Good Shepherd Womens Services Centre: Award of Merit for Urban Design

C Hotel by Carmens: Award of Merit for Architecture

St. Matthew Catholic Elementary School: Award of Merit for Architecture and Sustainability

Mohawk Colleges The Learning Exchange: Award of Merit for Architecture and Sustainability

St. Thomas Lofts: Award of Merit in Adaptive Reuse

Hamilton City Hall: Award of Merit in Restoration

McNab Transit Terminals: Award of Merit in Healthy Communities

The Hambly House: Honourable Mention

Multi-tenant office building at 611 Tradewind Dr.: Peoples Choice Award.

The design and architecture industry has great importance, as it not only injects money into our economy, but it creates an environment that encourages and inspires others to make an investment, said jury member Tim McCabe, general manager of the planning and economic development department.

Go to hamilton.ca/designawards for more information about the Urban Design Awards.

Click here for Link

9. RaiseTheHammer: City of Hamilton 2011 Urban Design and Architecture Awards
Martin Hering

Urban Design and Architecture Awards: 2011 Winners

The City of Hamilton just released the Jury Report (PDF, 26 MB) on the 2011 Urban Design and Architecture Awards, which were held for the fourth time this past November 10.

The city created this competition, which takes place every other year, "to recognize and celebrate excellence in the design of our urban environment". This year, there were 36 submissions from owners, architects, and citizens.

The awards jury included four experts: two architects from Toronto (Stasia Bogdan, Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, and Bruce Cudmore, EDA Collaborative) and two urban planners from the City of Hamilton (Tim McCabe, General Manager, Planning and Economic Development, and Paul Mallard, Director of Planning).

The jury decided to create six categories for the 2011 Urban Design and Architecture Awards: Restoration, Architecture and Sustainability, Architecture, Urban Design, Adaptive Reuse, Landscape Architecture, and Healthy Communities.

It gave out 13 awards in total. In addition, there was a People's Choice Award for the project that received the most online votes.

Below, you will find a summary of the jury's comments on the winners in each category, with links to photos and information (usually from the architects' webpages). For an overview of the names of the owners, architects, and other members of the design team, you can visit the City's webpage.

There is also a very nice map of the locations of all projects, which was created by the Hamilton Spectator.

Restoration
All jury members were highly impressed by the Lister Block, which received an Award of Outstanding Achievement and Excellence in Restoration. They noted that the Lister is also a showcase of urban design, adaptive reuse, and community renewal.

Hamilton City Hall, like the Lister Block a designated heritage property, got an Award of Merit in Restoration since "[t]he many interior features and design details of the building that give the building its architectural identity were protected during the restoration."

Our restored Hambly House received an Award of Honorable Mention from the jury.

Architecture and Sustainability
The jury was very impressed by the CANMET Materials Technology Laboratory and awarded this project the highest honor in the Architecture and Sustainability category. The jury called it a "tour-de-force of passive and active sustainable technologies".

Awards of Merit were given to St. Matthew Catholic Elementary School, which features a green roof and an outdoor classroom, and to the Learning Exchange at Mohawk College, which has a curtain wall of coloured glass that appears at night "as a lit mural of vibrant colours and shapes".

Urban Design
The Award of Excellence in Urban Design went to the Branthaven Beach House, a townhouse development on Beach Boulevard. The jury liked the public promenade which "is an inviting feature visually framed by townhouse blocks and lined by trees, painted pergolas, enhanced paving, and seating".

The jury gave an Award of Merit in Urban Design to Bridgewater Court, a New-Urbanism-style townhouse development by Hamilton City Housing, which it sees as "a successfully planned development where the automobile is not a dominate driver of the design ".

It gave another Award of Merit in Urban Design to the Good Shepherd Women's Services Centre, calling it a "successful urban design strategy that is aware and sensitive of the surrounding context". Even though the Centre is a single building, its facade gives the appearance of several buildings.

Adaptive Reuse
The jury recognized the West Avenue Residences, a 19th-century school building that was converted to affordable housing units, with an Award of Excellence in Adaptive Reuse. Even an unpleasant gymnasium addition from the 1950s was successfully incorporated into this project.

An Award of Merit in Adaptive Reuse went to St. Thomas Lofts, a red-brick church that was divided into affordable apartments.

Landscape Architecture
The jury regarded the Edible Landscape in the forecourt of City Hall as a "creative approach to landscape architecture in raising awareness about our food" and recognized it with an Award of Excellence in Landscape Architecture.

Healthy Communities
The new MacNab Transit Terminal received an Award of Merit in Healthy Communities because it provides "a well functioning and a visually pleasing high quality environment" for public transit users.

Architecture
The C Hotel By Carmen's received an Award of Merit in Architecture from the jury which noted its "variation in the form and exterior materials of the building".

People's Choice Award
The People's Choice Award, which was given to the project that received the largest number of online votes, went to the Multi-Tenant Office Building in the Ancaster Business Park.

Martin Hering is a political scientist and preservationist who is interested in architecture and Hamilton's heritage buildings.

Editor's Note:
It is a wonderful thing to see the Lister Block restored and praised so highly, but as people take bows, it is important to remember how close we came to losing this building. The fight to save it was bitter. It was only the very highly vocal Hamilton heritage advocates, joined by the provincial ACO and finally by then Minister of Culture, Caroline di Cocco who made the difference. The voices to save it on Hamilton City Council were in the minority, and took quite a beating for their stance. What a difference an activist Minister with money in hand can make. This renewal is triggering all kinds of positive things in its neighbourhood.

Click here for Link

10. stltoday.com: Mid Century Modern Historic District in St. Louis

Craig Woods wins historic designation in Kirkwood

KIRKWOOD • Craig Woods, an enclave of nearly 50 mid-century modern homes, is Kirkwood's newest historic district.
The city's Landmarks Commission approved the designation last week. The commission acted after more than half of the subdivision's property owners petitioned the it for the designation.
Mid-century modern style flourished across parts of the country as post-World War II prosperity fueled the explosion of suburban growth. Typical mid-century modern homes have vaulted ceilings, open layouts and carports that welcomed the auto as a full member of the modern suburban family of the early 1950s.
Construction at Craig Woods, near St. Louis Community College at Meramec, began in 1953. With its new historic status, Kirkwood officials have design review of new construction. In addition, demolition permits for existing homes are stayed from 60 to 270 days, said Alan Lamberg, a city official who acts as a liaison to the Landmarks Commission. He noted that the designation does not require exterior restoration of Craig Woods homes that have been modified over the years.
Nancy Luetzow, a longtime Craig Woods resident, said she's pleased by the designation, mainly because of the required design review for new homes built within the

Read more: http://www.stltoday.com/business/columns/building-blocks/craig-woods-wins-historic-designation-in-kirkwood/article_985ffdb4-0fae-11e1-8415-0019bb30f31a.html#ixzz1dxN7JpkA

Click here for Link

11. Toronto Star: Elton John near Brighton?
Carola Vyhnak

Is the Rocketman planning a lakefront landing?

Pop superstar Elton John is building a fabulous mansion on Lake Ontario, just outside Brighton, 90 minutes east of Toronto.

Nestled in the iconic rolling hills of Northumberland County, the estate will be a quiet country retreat for his family when he’s not on tour. And who knows, maybe he’ll perform in the town square’s gazebo, given his preference lately for smaller venues.

Or so the story goes.

Brighton’s abuzz with rumours that the legendary British singer/songwriter is adding a local piece of property to his collection.

“How can it be anyone else, it’s so humongous,” reasons Bonnie Gruen, who drives by the muted olive-hued stucco and stone building on a weekly basis. “Most people agree it’s definitely true.”

The story has made the rounds of lawyer, dentist, courier, financial adviser, post office and even city council, say residents.

“We heard it from our neighbour who heard it from his mother who heard it at the hairdresser’s,” says Frances Linton-Schell, who runs Loughbreeze Bay B&B, about 10 minutes west of Brighton. “We have no accurate information at all. But it’s so massive and with the satellite surveillance signs, it looks like someone very important.”

The town of 10,000 is the latest stop on a grapevine that has wound its way around the province. Rumour has it that Sir Elton and his Toronto-born partner, David Furnish, have bought or built homes in Caledon, Stouffville, Cobourg, Hamilton and Port Stanley. They’re even said to be proud owners of a private island in Prince Edward County.

News of the Rocketman’s lakefront landing really took off last summer when Belleville radio personality Justin Anderson repeated what he’d heard from three different sources.

“Word has it,” he says, “that (John’s) husband wants to be closer to his family in Cobourg. His yacht has been there many times.”

The Brighton estate has all the trappings of a celebrity fortress, says the afternoon show host on MIX 97. “It’s got a guardhouse, a big-ass fence, the whole deal.”

One believer tells of a neighbour being approached about a fence with a note signed by the music man himself. But Laurence Stevenson, who lives across the road, nixes that notion.

No offence, says the electric violinist, “but I’d rather have Sting or Phil Collins or Peter Gabriel as a neighbour.”

Stevenson complains the drive-bys never stop. “Four or five every day,” he says. “Everyone wants to know whose castle that is. They say, ‘Is that Elton John’s place?’ ”

Definitely not, declares the office manager for builder Jeffrey Wallans, insisting the house belongs to a local family.

“People have been talking since they put the first shovel in the ground,” she sighs. “They say, ‘You guys must be excited.’ But it’s actually Brighton, England, where he’s building a house.”

“Connections,” she confides, have said he’s buying a waterfront condo in Cobourg.

Gruen suggests a smaller town like Brighton is more likely to leave John alone. She’s half-expecting to bump into the Crocodile Rocker stocking up on homemade scones at Lola’s, the popular coffee shop.

“He seems to be adopting Canada,” she says. “If you put the pieces together, it won’t be long before he’s appearing at the gazebo in Brighton.”

Click here for Link