1. Not Much Future for Ontario Place
Catherine Nasmith

Ontario Place, designed by Eb Zeidler is on Heritage Canada’s Top Ten Endangered List.

On Friday night Eb Zeidler was recipient of the first ever Architectural Conservancy of Ontario's (ACO) Post-1945 Design Award which is “given to an architect, engineer, planner, or landscape architect whose body of work is esteemed by professional peers and the general public alike as being outstanding, enduring, and worthy of preservation for future generations. It recognizes that because architecture, planning, and landscape design are lively arts, constantly changing, drawing inspiration from the past and looking ahead to the future, there will come a time when modern and postmodern work will be deemed of great heritage value.”

Guess the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Sport, one of the advisors of the recent John Tory task force on Ontario Place, doesn’t agree with ACO on the value of Eb Zeidler’s work.

Last week, at a session organized by the Toronto Society of Architects, which took place at the Urban Space Gallery run by Eb’s daughter Margie, in a building owned by the Zeidler family, with Eb, Jane and Margie Zeidler in attendance, we learned that the John Tory report, Ontario Place Revitalization does not make the restoration of this most important public work a priority, nor is there any requirement in the plan to protect it.

It recommends reuse if at all possible, but as Tory said “not at all costs”. The recommendation, (unlucky no 13) says “future designs for Ontario Place should explore ways to feasibly include the iconic cinesphere and pods.” Not no. 1, and not must. Endangered it is.

Regular readers of Built Heritage News will understand the risk inherent in soft language around preservation. If they are not protected or funded buildings go down. Already there is a lot of chatter about the condition of the property…..would that be the government practicing demolition by neglect? Don't we prosecute private property owners for that?

Last time I looked the Minister of Culture has powers to designate property of provincial significance. This may be one of those crazy situations where the ownership of the property is held in such a way as to make it impossible for either the City or the province to designate. Even if that is the case, the Minister could and should find a way.

The McGuinty government has asked Tory to somehow do a sleight of hand that will magically restore Ontario Place to public use without using public money. Tory was emphatic that there would be no casino at Ontario Place, and that new development would be mixed use at a modest scale on sites adjacent to the park, like the parking lot. Maybe not so bad. …My blood didn’t start to boil until Rich Couldrey from Infrastructure Ontario started to present next steps. A government carpetbagger if ever there was one, chewing gum, swaggering back and forth. No casino at Ontario Place, but Infrastructure Ontario is working with the City to build casinos and hotels at Exhibition Place. Transportation? maybe we’ll deck over Lakeshore Boulevard. No worries the private sector will do it all.

Government has powers to channel and restrain the development industry, but a government agency acting as a developer with all the powers of government to expropriate and finance is a dangerous and potentially highly destructive moral hybrid. That seems to be what is coming to the CNE and Ontario Place. In fact not getting in the way of the “creativity” of the private sector was a point of pride for all the presenters. Did anyone even think to ask where is the public good here? Instead the question seems to be finding a way for a public park to pay for itself.

One wonders why the site was not given to Waterfront Toronto to manage and integrate into the rest of their projects. Over the years of careful community consultation and design excellence Waterfront Toronto has gained the confidence of Torontonians. Mr. Couldrey left me very worried about Infrastructure Ontario and the future of Ontario Place.  

2. Toronto In Time Mobile App Launches!
The Canadian Encyclopedia, the Historica-Dominion Institute, Museum Services of the City of Toronto, and Heritage Toronto.

Toronto in Time

Toronto in Time is a free mobile app for iOS and Android that highlights the history of Toronto through "then and now" photos, slideshows, trails, and historical stories for more than 150 sites!

Through Toronto in Time, discover the story of the club that hosted the Rolling Stones, U2, and Marilyn Monroe; explore where soldiers of the War of 1812 lie buried; stand on the site of a 17th century First Nations village, and much more. Meet a cast of characters that includes inventors, musicians, entrepreneurs, bank robbers, artists, visionaries and dreamers who paint the rich portrait of Toronto's history.

Search stories by theme, neighbourhood, map, or follow specially curated trails. Read introductions to themes and trails and share stories with friends on Facebook and Twitter. Suggest story ideas for future upgrades on our Facebook page.

Toronto in Time is second in the "Cities in Time" series, which was launched with Vancouver in Time in the fall of 2011, available for free in the App Store.

Cities in Time was conceived by James H. Marsh, Editor in Chief of The Canadian Encyclopedia. He sought to make history interesting, accessible and relevant to the modern person, and using mobile technology seemed like a natural choice. The most appealing thing about history, said Mr. Marsh, is that it's all around us. There is history in street corners, and in parks, and old storefronts. With this in mind, all the historic stories on the app are tied to a location, and the photo features show the evolution of a site, and by extension, the evolution of the city. Said Mr. Marsh, Hopefully, people will understand the deep connection between place and history and see the journey that Toronto has taken over time.

3. New hope in fight to save historic Postal Station K
Tom Cohen

The following is edited from a report by Tom Cohen (Chair, Eglinton Park Residents' Association & Professor, History Dept., York University) on a meeting with Canada Post officials on November 2, 2012:

Station K is the gorgeous art-deco / classical building on Yonge, north of Eglinton, where Montgomery's tavern stood. It has the rare insignia of Edward VIII, and good art. A prominent Toronto architect, Murray Brown, designed it, and a good artist, a German immigrant named Fred Winkler, did the nice bas-reliefs of 1936's most modern transportation.

The issue: Canada Post wants to sell the site to a developer. We in the community want to keep the lovely historic building, and to keep its interior public realm.

Mike Colle, MPP, has been its great defender. In the past months, again and again, when invited, Canada Post has failed to parley. It has been a stunted dialogue on our part, with no partner to engage. Meanwhile, Marie-Josée Therrien, prof at OCAD and architectural historian, used Freedom of Information rules to extract a consultation, by Canada Post, with experts on heritage properties, so, clearly, the Corporation knows perfectly well that the building is special.

Although MP/Minister Joe Oliver, in whose riding the building stands, remains silent and aloof, Tory MP John Carmichael (Don Mills) has written a letter in favour of caution and consultation.

And on Friday, Nov. 2, a high officer of Canada Post, articulate and well informed, named Jeremy Cotton, whose brief is Intergovernmental Relations, sat down to talk with Mike Colle and a circle of us citizens. We had a very lively discussion and nobody dodged issues. We heard that Canada Post is reorganizing its system for delivering and collecting mail. So Station K, which lacks parking for the trucks needed, is just not useful as a distribution point, and they are keen to sell the land.

Meanwhile, they concede, a real postal station remains a need at Yonge and Eglinton, with its ever-denser thicket of ever-taller apartment towers and its rapidly rising population. And, were the land to sell and the old station, the lovely front part, to survive, they could imagine renting it back from a developer who had put something tall in back.

We pushed on three fronts. First, to stop the sale, but it is clear that they will sell. Second, to make the preservation of the historic front-part a condition of the sale. Here, the discussion was interesting. Canada Post wants to download conservation onto the Province, the City, and us locals. We, with an eye to the OMB and all its risks and gambles, are struggling to upload that conservation onto the seller. Both sides pushed. Jeremy Cotton did promise, in firm words, to recommend to Deepak Chopra, head of Canada Post, that such a condition attach to any sale.

The third front was to seek a guarantee that the building will remain public realm, rather than devolving into the lobby for a condominium. We wanted the public to be able to walk inside and do public things, but we pushed no single favourite use.

As we talked, it became clear to Mr. Cotton that we saw commerce as one kind of public use, and he took note of that. He made no promises, nor, given his brief, could have done so, but it seemed to our eyes that he found the prospect of commerce in the old building as a condition of sale with which both seller and buyer might live easily.

The story is far from over, but Ottawa is at last entering into a discussion. The seller is addressing the buyer and now finally is speaking with us. At some point soon, this triangle should become less opaque and all might then speak with all.

The moral: all of us who want Station K preserved have to keep the pressure alive. It is obvious that the campaign, with its 10,000 signatures and many articles and broadcasts, its Facebook page, and its blog-posts, has made its impressions on both the seller and all potential buyers. As has Karen Stintz's very helpful move to commit the City to a heritage classification, and Josh Matlow's energetic backing, and the attentive presence of MPP Kathleen Wynne. We have had a lot of concerted attention here, which is splendid.

4. Talkin' Main Streets in Smiths Falls
Catherine Nasmith

Smiths Falls Wide Main Street

At the 1^st Annual Rural Heritage Preservation Symposium, held October 26 in Smiths Falls, Ken Doherty, Jim Mountain and I had a fantastic time talkin’ main streets and visiting an interesting town. The venue for the forum was the successfully converted rail station, now a theatre.

Smiths Falls has a long and rich history along the Rideau Canal, with many stone buildings dating to the early 1800’s and forward. In the past five years the town has been hard hit by industrial losses, the most recent being the closing of the Hershey Company plant. Nonetheless Smiths Falls offers a high quality environment, affordable housing stock and is attracting some young families, including one of the organizers of the conference Ms. Anne Shropshire. She and her husband Noel White moved back from Toronto to raise their children and are both making their own jobs. She runs the local rail museum; he makes architectural models.

One of the unusual features of Smiths Falls is the very wide main street, 1.5 chains wide, laid out in the early 1800’s. No one was able to answer who had the big idea about the future of the town, or why, but this width offers some interesting opportunities for a special public space.

Organized by the Municipal Heritage Committee, the event attracted over 50 registrants including several councilors and the local economic development officer. The MHC is looking for ways to breath new economic life through regeneration of their heritage building stock.

The three talks dovetailed, why conserving Main Street stock is critical to building a local economy, how to make sure that the main streets program is the right fit for the locality, and a tool kit of successful strategies for a municipality to support main streets regeneration.

Ken Doherty from Peterborough led off with several strategies that have attracted several heritage developers to Peterborough. Also see article in this issue “Downtown Peterborough a Great Place to Invest”

A Heritage Property Tax Relief program resulted in a rapid increase in designation requests. One after another buildings along Peterborough’s main streets are being restored and the cumulative effect is very positive. The improved appearance has led to higher property values, better retail and higher rental rates. Ken reported that in 3 years the initial loss in tax revenues towards the Heritage Tax program had been recovered and the town had increased revenue. As well, the town has offered interest free loans to preserve heritage buildings as part of redevelopment proposals at the former Post Office and YMCA buildings. In both cases new affordable housing projects have been combined with heritage rehabilitation. There was a more costly and complicated success story around rehabilitation of the former market hall for arts purposes. This project got a big boost from infrastructure monies, as did the restoration of the Hunter Street Bridge. All in all, what came across from Peterborough was a positive flexible attitude to finding ways to make things happen.

Jim Mountain is a veteran of the original Heritage Canada Main Streets Program, and is currently involved in the next generation pilot program in Saskatchewan. Jim is a good storyteller and good listener, with a particular talent for drawing ideas from a community. He relayed one story of setting up his office in an old building in the late 70’s, not knowing exactly how to begin, he started chipping the stucco off the stone facing revealing an interesting building below. That simple action made him some friends and started many conversations with his neighbours. Jim’s main point was not to start a consultation process with preconceived ideas about the outcome or what might work.

Main Streets as Old Growth Forests, the topic of my presentation, is a useful, if imperfect, analogy which examines the idea of Main Streets as irreplaceable urban fabric, important to conserve, not just for its built form and architectural heritage but also because of its role in the creative economy. The discussion includes sustainability, conservation, diversity, regeneration, clear cutting and invasive species. Interestingly, the fundamental characteristic of a Main Street, that of being able to purchase a small property and run an independent business is also found in some of the early strip malls, where shops are owned with shared agreements for the associated parking areas. Because more main street businesses are local entrepreneurs than at shopping malls more of the money stays in the local economy. But once the food and liquor stores move away, main streets find themselves having to re-invent themselves. Often that re-invention is driven by heritage preservation and geared to attracting tourist dollars. The imminent restoration of the fantastic Rideau Hotel in Smith’s Falls is the harbinger of good things to come.

Another encouraging initiative is discussion of a new commuter rail line to Ottawa, which also poses the danger of new sprawl.

It struck me that the three presentations would be useful to many communities, my guess is that it wouldn’t take much persuading to reconvene the group in another place. 

5. Mount Allison to restore National Historic Site
Media Release: Mount Allison

SACKVILLE, NB — Mount Allison University’s Hammond House — Sackville’s only National Historic Site — will soon be restored to its former glory. Hammond House, also known as Black House, has been empty since 2009. The $1.3 million renovation and restoration will allow the building to return to its original purpose at Mount Allison and serve as the President’s official residence.

“I am thrilled that we are able to finance this project,” says David Stewart, vice-president, administration at Mount Allison. “Hammond House is a beautiful and historic building that has stood for more than a century and our hope is that the work we are doing now will ensure that it is still being enjoyed well into the next century."

Built in 1896, Mount Allison acquired Hammond House in 1958. It was used as the President’s residence until 1975, and then functioned as an administrative building until 2009. The extensive renovation project involves restoring or replacing all exterior components of the building to match their original condition, including replacing all of the exterior wood shingles, windows, exterior trim, and roofing; restoring the veranda, landscaping, and driveway; and waterproofing the foundation. The interior of the home will also be restored and the mechanical and electrical systems will be upgraded.

“Hammond/Black House is one of Sackville’s heritage treasures,” says Dr. Charles Scobie, chair of the Town of Sackville’s Heritage Board. “Mount Allison University is to be commended for not merely repairing and renovating the building, but for restoring it to its former glory with the help of older photographs and plans. When work on the house and the landscaping of the grounds is complete, both the University and the Town will once again have a heritage home of which they can be truly proud.”

The University President’s residence is used regularly to host a wide array of University and community events. Over the past three years alone, well over 100 receptions, lunches, dinners, and concerts have been held at the current President’s residence, in addition to numerous meetings for faculty, students, and guests of the University and the community.

“It has been a personal objective to share the President’s residence with the Mount Allison and Sackville communities and to have as many people as possible visit our home,” says President and Vice-Chancellor Dr. Robert Campbell. “This is why I am so delighted to see renovations proceeding at Hammond House. I am looking forward to the opportunity to open this grand old home to the community once again.”

Hammond House will become the official residence of the President in September 2013. Cranewood, which has served as the President’s residence since the University acquired it in 1975, will be sold.

Hammond House, located at 82A York Street, was designated a National Historic Site of Canada by Parks Canada in 1990. The Queen Anne Revival-style home has a long and storied history. It was originally built for noted Canadian artist John Hammond, who was head of the University’s Fine Arts department from 1893 to 1916. Several murals painted by Hammond remain in the home. Hammond House later became the home of businessman Frank B. Black, who served as mayor of Sackville, a member of the New Brunswick Legislature, and as a Canadian senator.

6. Slow Action on CNR Station in North Bay
Deryk Hagar

I wish to have my subscription to the Ontario Heritage Trust's publication "Heritage Matters" suspended until such time that the vinyl siding is removed from the edifice of the former C.N.R. Station in North Bay, Ontario - an O.H.T. Conservation Easement protected property, and formerly designated Heritage Railway Station by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada. Originally built by the Canadian Northern Railway in 1916, this station served one of Canada's three great transcontinental routes from Montreal to Vancouver. This route helped build the country, carried hundreds of thousands of immigrants to the west, and supported the war efforts during those pivotal years of the 20th Century. It also served as the terminus for the Temiskaming and Northern Ontario Railway/Ontario Northland that developed the whole north-east of the province.

5 years ago a colleague and I protested strongly to the Ontario Heritage Trust that this ridiculous alteration should be removed, and the original construction and signage reinstated to the existing design when the Heritage Trust Easement Agreement came into effect, c.2003. The authentic signage, brick construction and corbels, and sheet metal coping are clearly seen in the federal heritage report photograph prior to the unauthorized alteration (attached). These Heritage Elements, protected under the Easement, were partially disposed of and covered with brown vinyl siding and brown fascia by the new owners - a social services group. Also, the columns supporting the porte cochere were destroyed and replaced with pink brick, and their sandstone bases were discarded. What is fascinating about all of this is that the unauthorized work, along with a gambit of other major infractions, was subsidized by the taxpayers of Ontario through funding afforded to this group by their overseeing Ministry. It's unfortunate that most of the work was never approved by the Trust. This work includes the brushed aluminum windows installed throughout, when the originals were painted wood trim and sash.

I am certain this is the only conservation easement 'protected' property in Ontario that has vinyl siding on it, and has so for nearly 8 years now. Until this mockery is removed and corrected, I no longer wish to receive your Heritage Matters publication. Our national heritage deserves better.

Sincerely,

Deryk Hagar
North Bay, Ontario

7. Roberta Brandes Gratz on Development and Preservation: The Ying and Yang of Cities?
Catherine Nasmith

Roberta Brandes Gratz

I had the good fortune to be at The Historic Districts Council’s annual Landmark Lion’s Award dinner, honouring Roberta Brandes Gratz for “her vision and persistence in saving New York landmarks.”

The Historic Districts Council is New York’s biggest volunteer heritage organization devoted to preservation and enormously influential in NYC. It gives regular testimony to the Landmarks Preservation Commission, but also offers research support. They work at getting New York City’s historic neighbourhoods protected by offering advice and support on process to neighbourhoods, as well as information sharing between established Historic Districts.

At the moment one of the most important initiatives is creating a list of properties in Midtown East worthy of preservation in the face of a proposed major up-zoning in the area. The dinner was held in the Four Season’s Restaurant by Mies Van der Rohe and Phillip Johnson. The restaurant is important for its architecture and also for its impact on the history of dining in the United States. I won’t try to paraphrase Paul Goldberger on the history.

I felt a little like Cinderella at the ball, an outsider who was graciously welcomed by the leaders of New York preservation, arguably the strongest system in the world. (I was a guest of Margie Zeidler, a colleague of Ms. Brandes Gratz in the Centre for the Living City. At our table, along with Ms. Gratz, Eb and Jane Zeidler, were, Ron Shiffman, Richard Rabinowitz, Stephen Goldsmith, and Anthony Tung.  In spite of all of New York’s preservation success, exemplified by that beautifully preserved modernist room in which we were sitting, there remains a sense of a David and Goliath struggle between preservation and development. And a sense of losing hard won ground. If New York’s preservation system feels compromised that is a real worry for all other places.

Roberta Brandes Gratz is a journalist and urbanist who has written several books on New York, and is an active force for preservation and against the mono-culture of large scale development. She has spoken several times in Toronto, as well as at the Heritage Canada conference in Edmonton. In her acceptance remarks Ms. Gratz spoke about the unnecessary enmity between preservationists and the development community. Of late preservation has been under new attacks from writers such as Edward Glaeser suggesting that preservation is counterproductive and elitist, yet Ms. Gratz points out that for all the bluster against; notwithstanding the extraordinary work over 40 years of landmarking in New York, only 3% of Manhattan is protected. She also pointed out the symbiosis between preservation and the development that inevitably follows. She compared the struggle to the famous “war” between two ice cream companies, Ben and Jerry’s and Haagen Daaz with the famous tag line “What’s the Dough Boy afraid of?”

She asked “What is the development industry afraid of?” Preservation brings new life to a neighbourhood, stabilizing or increasing property values -- inevitably followed by property speculators and developers wanting to capitalize on value they did not create. This can be terrific when the new projects fit the context, but often insensitive development ends up ruining the value created by others. Brandes Gratz argued for a symbiotic relationship built on mutual respect instead of suspicion. In looking up the history of the Four Seasons restaurant I came across a parallel thought from Paul Goldberger on the value of preservation, given in the same room at a celebration of the landmark designation of the interior 15 years ago.

“No one wants a city frozen in time, a Williamsburg on the Hudson, but neither do we want a city with no sense of time – it is essential to feel, as we walk through the streets, that some of what we see has been there before, and will be there for our children. Architecture becomes a vehicle of common experience, a way in which the generations talk to one another. It is a force of cultural continuity, a piece of our common ground as a culture.”

I'll drink to that!

8. architectureau.com: Flinders Street Station Design Competition shortlist

The six were chosen from 117 entrants who submitted design concepts for Stage 1 of the competition

Flinders St Station at dusk. Image: Major Projects Victoria

Six Australian and international architectural practices have been shortlisted in the Flinders Street Station Design Competition, contenders for the rejuvenation of Melbourne’s historic central railway terminus.

Click here for Link

9. Catherine Nasmith Architect

New Website

Still lots more to go up, but thought readers might be interested in knowing more about the day job!

Click here for Link

10. CBC Hamilton: Condos, groceries and history in downtown Hamilton - The Sequel
Paul Wilson

David Blanchard and partners want to tear down the Gore Park storefronts behind him next summer for a grocery store, parking and condo development. (Paul Wilson/ CBC)

The developers who own a stretch of historic buildings that face the south side of Gore Park can’t predict the future yet. They’re not sure what they want to build, or what it’s going to look like.

But they are certain of one thing – they want a fresh canvas on their piece of King Street East and truly hope the wreckers can get to work on the first day of next June.

For years, developers Robert Miles, David Blanchard and partners have been assembling the pieces of the block bounded by King, James, Main and Hughson.

They now have all they need for a complex worth, by very rough estimate, $120 million.

News of their proposal appeared right here yesterday. They’re talking about a 60,000-square-foot-grocery or other retail, a parking facility and a condo tower.

The plans are rough at best right now. That's King Street East at the bottom. Turquoise represents a supermarket, pink a condo tower. (Paul Wilson/ CBC)They hope to incorporate the glass-walled 1954 Bank of Nova Scotia building into the design. But first they’ll have to come to an agreement with the bank on an alternate home in the core for the bank’s staff – now scattered about in several buildings owned by the developers.

Click here for Link

11. insidetoronto.com / Parkdale Liberty Villager: Historic Liberty Village prison chapel could soon be a restaurant
David Nickle

Now that Toronto’s Preservation Board has given the okay to construct a restaurant/bar in an old prison chapel, tipplers in Liberty Village will be able to drink hard liquor in a place where a century ago men did hard time.

The two-storey building on 70 East Liberty Street was a Roman Catholic chapel for the old Central Prison for Men complex. The 19th-century prison was closed in 1915, but prior to that had been a source of inexpensive labour; prisoners in the jail helped build many of the roads in the area.

The chapel currently stands in the midst of a public park – essentially derelict.

But the owners of the site, the Pegasus Group – which operates North York’s Miller’s Tavern, the venerable Wheat Sheaf pub at King and Bathurst, and the Fox pubs – have big plans.

“It’s a very large project – it’ll probably cost $6 million,” said Terry Tsianos, president of Pegasus.

The structure, said Tsianos, is crumbling on the inside.

Click here for Link

12. Peterborough Examiner: Downtown Peterborough Great Place to Invest
Galen Eagle, Erik Hanson

Downtown Peterborough makes Top 100 list as a great place to invest

Former Peterborough Y

Peterboroughs downtown has been ranked as one of the Top 100 Canadian neighbourhoods to invest in by Canadian Real Estate Wealth magazine.

Releasing the first report of its kind in a special edition that hit newsstands Monday, the national magazine attempts to offer the pre-eminent guide for investors looking for alternatives outside Vancouver, Calgary or Toronto.

Downtown Peterborough was chosen among 41 other sites in Ontario including Lindsay, Fletcher Creek Village in Brampton, downtown Barrie, Bowmanville, Kingston (northwest of Queens University), North London and Nautical Village in Pickering.

Billing itself as Canadas leading real estate magazine, the publication said the survey compiled the results of six months of research resulting in the most comprehensive list of its kind.

The magazine points to Peterboroughs proximity to Toronto, its two thriving post-secondary institutions, its position as a gateway to cottage country and its anticipated population growth as reasons why it made the list.

Rennie Lowes, president of the Peterborough and the Kawarthas Association of Realtors, said the city has been successful in spurring investment in the downtown without comprising its heritage character.

City programs such as tax benefits for landlords who improve their buildings and incentives for façade restorations have created a unique downtown community where people want to shop and eat, he said.

We have interesting restaurants, bars and clothing stores. It makes it an interesting place to go to, Lowes said. What investors have done with that heritage support is very good.

But those looking to flip a quick profit in Peterboroughs downtown should think again, said Lowes, who owns the building at 404 George St. on the corner of Hunter St.

Its a long-term investment because there is a lot of money that has to go in to restoring them, he said.

Amit Sofer, president of the TVM Group that owns property throughout the downtown area, said the city has put into place an environment that gives investors confidence.

It gives us the confidence because the municipality sets its direction fairly clearly and then it applies decisions very consistently, he said. It becomes a predictable and comfortable environment to work.

The rejuvenation of the Hunter St. cafe district and planned improvements for Charlotte St. have also had a domino effect on investment, he said.

You see more and more landlords are responding to the community improvement plans, Sofer said. Its easy for me to do it because the guy beside me did and its easier for the next guy and its just like a contagion.

With the city pumping public money into the downtown, with projects such as a the Louis St. public square, Sofer said the area will remain a good place to invest.

Peterborough has not peaked. I think there is a lot of upside left. The train is still in the station, but the engine has started. It looks like its about to really get moving.

In June, developer Signum Corp. officially reopened its property at 420 George St. following a complete overhaul of the building. The site went from housing a tattoo parlour and second-hand store to offering high-end retail space with one of the downtowns most impressive facades.

Signum vice-president Katherine MacDonald said the company would not have made such an extensive investment has it not had complete faith in Peterboroughs downtown as a market.

We think Peterboroughs downtown is a great place to invest. Thats evident by the significant investment we have made in 420 George St. to bring a Class A office space to the downtown core. We did it on spec, ahead of tenancy and I dont think one does that if they are not confident in the location they are investing in.

Click here for Link

13. The Queen's Journal: A dive into the harbours history
Rosie Hales and Alison Shouldice

Approximately 50 shipwrecks in the Kingston area are diving sites, a hint at the citys naval past

Guenter's Wreck is thought to be the remains of HMS Montreal.

The waters of Lake Ontario have a history of crime.

For decades, looters dove into the wrecks along the coast of Kingston in the hopes of finding sunken treasures preserved by fresh water.

“In those days, people were less informed,” said Mike Hill, president of Preserve Our Wrecks (POW), a group formed in 1981 in response to a looting incident in the Kingston Harbour.

Although the culture of looting sunken ships in the Lake Ontario region dates back over 50 years, it was only when the schooner barge Aloha had its winch stolen that the group was created to protect and promote awareness regarding Kingston’s marine history.

Just six miles west of Kingston, the Munson, a dredge sunk in 1890, was suspected of having the brass number plate from the generator stolen by a group of divers in 1999.

Click here for Link

14. Toronto in Time
New Website

Partnership of several organizations

Historic, Heritage Toronto, City of Toronto, Canadian Heritage, Ontario government have been busy building a very interesting site. It comes with a downloadable app for your smart phone.

Fantastic way to explore the city.

Click here for Link

15. CBC Hamilton: History and condos collide in downtown Hamilton
Paul Wilson

These five storefronts facing Gore Park will all be empty by spring. The developers who own this stretch of the block want to knock the buildings down for a condo tower and supermarket. (Paul Wilson/ CBC)

Back when the millennium was brand-new, Hamilton developer David Blanchard conducted a little tour of his company’s latest acquisition.

The property was a row of old buildings on the south side of King Street, across from the fountain in Gore Park. And the guests on Blanchard’s walkabout were new mayor Bob Wade, director of downtown renewal Ron Marini, and Neil Everson, who is director of economic development.

"I showed them the buildings so that they knew we didn’t wreck them," Blanchard says. The decay, he told his guests, had set in long ago.

A dozen years later, those buildings are still there. And now Blanchard is ramping up efforts to bring big changes to that block.

His property consists of five storefronts. (A sixth was torn down last year.) The clothing store is vacant. The tax preparation office is leaving in a few months. And now two restaurants and a variety store have been told their leases are up in the spring.

Click here for Link

16. designbuildsource.com.au: Interest to Close Flinders Street Station Design Competition

Between the opening of registrations on 29 June and 17 July, the Flinders Street Station Design Competition web page has had more than 31,000 page views, Napthine says. The competition Design Brief has been downloaded nearly 3,000 times

Flinder Street Station

It comes as no surprise that architects would jump at the chance to redevelop one of Melbourne’s most iconic architectural projects – Flinders Street Station.

What may be surprising is the international attention and interest this redevelopment competition has drawn.

The competition, which has been held in order to ‘breathe new life into a Melbourne landmark’ holds a prize pool of $1 million to the winning design.

Upon the competition’s announcement, Premier Ted Baillieu called upon both national and international architects and architecture firms to take up the challenge of rehabilitating a Melbourne icon.

Click here for Link

17. Hamilton Spectator: $120m development planned for Hamiltons core - David Blanchard hopes to shake up the heart of downtown
Emma Reilly

One of the city’s most powerful downtown property owners is planning a massive new development in the core.

David Blanchard hopes to create a $120-million commercial, retail and residential space in the block between Gore Park, Main Street East, James and Hughson streets. His firm, Wilson and Blanchard, already owns most of the property within that block.

Though the project is still in its infancy, Blanchard envisions a two-storey grocery store opening off the south side of Gore Park, an office tower, hundreds of underground and above-ground parking spots, and a condo tower fronting onto Main Street.

If the project goes ahead, it will be the largest downtown development since Jackson Square was built 40 years ago.

However, many obstacles lie ahead.

First, several buildings of historical interest on King Street are slated for demolition to make way for the development.

Click here for Link

18. Job Posting: New Initiatives Director | Offre d'emploi : Directeur, nouvelles initiatives
Heritage Canada Foundation | Fondation Héritage Canada

The Heritage Canada Foundation (HCF) is seeking a social entrepreneur to pursue new programs that meet HCFs mandate to help Canadians protect the places that matter to them.

HCFs mission is to inspire and support Canadians to identify, conserve, use, celebrate and value their heritage buildings, landscapes, natural areas and communities for present and future generations.
This is a new position which will be located in Ottawa. The Directors primary role is to take the lead in securing funds and partnerships for new HCF programs. This person will build upon and create key relationships, identify opportunities, and make strategic connections with programs, clients, funders and funding sources, sponsors and donors. The goal for this position is to achieve self-funding HCF programs in one or more of the following areas:
-A Community Regeneration Program that builds on HCFs Main Street program;
-A National Revolving Fund for heritage conservation;
-Conservation partnerships that rehabilitate heritage property and achieve other societal goals.

This is a full time position. HCF is offering an initial three year contract, with the possibility of renewal.

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19. New York Times: Buyers of a Wright Home in Phoenix Reconsider a Deal Too Good to Be True
FERNANDA SANTOS

Joshua Lott for The New York Times. The house, designed by Mr. Wright and built in 1952, is full of curved edges.

For Sale: a four-bedroom, four-bathroom piece of history made of galvanized steel and concrete, rising above a landscape of cactus and citrus trees in one of this city’s most sought-after neighborhoods.

It is priced at $2,379,000. It needs a little T.L.C. Oh, and it was built by Frank Lloyd Wright, architectural icon.

Its owners, John Hoffman and Steve Sells, high school contemporaries from Meridian, Idaho, are hoping to sell the house before Nov. 7, when the City Council is scheduled to vote on giving it landmark status, which they oppose. Though they agree that the house ought to be saved — “The property is gorgeous,” Mr. Sells said in its master bedroom one morning — they say they must first safeguard their investment, as well as their livelihood.

“If it becomes a landmark,” Mr. Sells said, “we’re out of business.”

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20. New York Times: Sandy Crane-near disaster averted
Fred R. Conrad, forwarded by M. Zeidler

As Crane Hung in the Sky, a Drama Unfolded to Prevent a Catastrophe Below

Michael Alacha, a New York City buildings engineer, was racing up the stairwell of a 74-story luxury skyscraper being built in the heart of Midtown Manhattan. Hurricane Sandy was battering the region, and Mr. Alacha was trying to avert a disaster.

The boom of the construction crane atop 157 West 57th Street was damaged by Hurricane Sandy’s winds on Oct. 29. It took six days to secure before neighboring buildings could be reoccupied.

High above him, a 150-foot crane boom next to the building, one of the tallest construction projects in North America, was dangling. It had twisted and crumpled in the 80-mile-an-hour winds and was now threatening to plunge 1,000 feet to the street, onto a natural gas main, and possibly cause a major explosion.

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21. TVA Nouvelles: Hippodrome Demolition
forwarded by Michel Caron

Report on Destruction

Another one I'm sorry to see vanish. (especially when you consider what it's being replaced with!) Quebec City's seen a lot of heritage go, lately.

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22. Wall Street Journal: Restorers Mix Old, New
EVAN RAMSTAD  Min Sun Lee contributed to this article

Restorers Mix Old, New to Fix Korean 'Treasure'

Associated Press - Firefighters battled an arsonist's fire at Namdaemun, a gate of the wall that once surrounded Seoul, in 2008.

SEOUL—After an arsonist in early 2008 set fire to Namdaemun, the 600-year-old south gate of the fortress wall that once encircled Seoul, the rebuilding crew moved its remaining lumber to the nearest open space, the grounds of a big palace a mile away.

There, carpenters kept track of individual beams, posts and columns with cutting-edge ID chips. But they repaired the ones that could be salvaged—amounting to about half the original structure—using only traditional tools, without electricity or mechanical help.

Now, after nearly five years, the restoration of Namdaemun—declared "National Treasure No. 1" by South Korea's government in 1962—is almost complete. Along the way, restorers made a complete three-dimensional scan of the structure, excavated around the foundation for research, scoured mountains in Gangwon province for pines that could provide the proper wood and searched Buddhist temples for centuries-old paintings with patterns in the Korean ornamental style known as dancheong.

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