1. Thanks Everyone - Death of Carl Stryg, May 10, 2014
Catherine Nasmith

Carl Stryg's Restoration of 993 Queen Street East

In the last issue I asked for help, and patience as I dealt with a pressing family matter. I am sad to say that my youngest and very special brother Carl Stryg, who was an ardent preservationist, died May 10, after a brief illness. He was buried at a private family interment at the Toronto Necropolis, May 15.

Long standing subscribers will recall stories about Carl's work restoring 993 Queen Street here in Toronto. We had lots in common, and we spent quite a lot of time just messing about in old buildings and junk yards looking for house parts. He never saw a double hung sash window that couldn't be restored. He and his husband Will Coukell also restored a house in Forthton, near Brockville which included a small former railway station. 

I want to thank so many people who got in touch and offered to contribute to Built Heritage News in future. As you might imagine, during such times there isn't much chance to get back to people, but I will be in touch soon.

I know how proud he was of my work in the field, and vice versa.Carl loved BHN, and continuing to bring people information on the failures and successes in Canada's preservation movement is something I will continue to do in his memory. With your help.

Editor's Note:
This project won a Heritage Toronto Award

2. John Parker bid to "preserve" whole of Leaside
South Bayview Bulldog

Bayview, Eglinton, Laird, tracks 

The City Committee responsible for Leaside has voted to request the "nomination" of nearly the whole of the former town to a status that would lay a new layer of legislation on external renovations and demolitions. The classification is known as the Heritage Conservation District (HCD) and is said to be intended to "preserve the streetscape of a broader community" according to John Parker (Ward 26).

The motion to nominate Leaside to HCD status came from Mr Parker at North York Community Council where he explained his rationale to InsideToronto: We regret that not everyone who builds a new house or everyone who carries out a renovation is sympathetic or alert to the distinctiveness (of Leaside). We have a lot of new construction that is quite sympathetic to the existing character of the community but we also have new construction that is entirely out of step with the character, Mr. Parker is quoted in the online newspaper.

In a memo to the Community Council Mr. Parker said: "Members of my community have nominated Leaside for consideration as a Heritage Conservation District, in accordance with nomination procedures outlined in the Council approved document, Heritage Conservation Districts in Toronto.

Memo The Committee approved a request that "the Acting Manager, Heritage Preservation Services, City Planning" review the nomination and bring forward a study authorization report should the area demonstrate sufficient cultural heritage value. The process seems fairly lengthy. Mr Parker notes that a nomination last year to declare Parkhurst Blvd an HCD is still pending. The boundaries of the preserved Leaside are stated in the nomination request as Eglinton Avenue on the north, the CN rail line on the south, Bayview Avenue on the west and Laird Drive on the east. It is added that city staff "will investigate if those borders are appropriate as part of the nomination process."

InsideToronto reports that Willowdale Councillor David Shiner questioned the rationale for an HCD in Leaside, arguing the communitys character has been improved by new and renovated homes in the area. Mr Parker replied that an HCD -- in the words if the newspaper -- "protects the property values of a distinctive community because people know its character will be preserved." It also noted that there is a money issue. Communities (neighborhoods) have been reluctant to nominate themselves because they would have to pay for the application and supporting documentation. Mr. Parker said the City has now agreed to fund some applications every year, meaning Leaside will be competing for designation as an HCD among other communities put forward for nomination, he said. 

3. East York Mirror: Leaside to be considered for heritage district designation by city
Lisa Queen

Councillor Parker says areas character needs to be respected by those renovating houses 

Parkhurst Boulevard is among areas of Leaside in need of having it's unique architecture protected through a heritage designation, says Don Valley West Councillor John Parker.

Long seen as one of Torontos most desirable neighbourhoods, Leaside is being considered for designation as a Heritage Conservation District (HCD).

There is a distinctiveness to Leaside that is recognized far and wide and it is certainly valued by Leaside residents, Don Valley West Councillor John Parker told The Mirror after councillors agreed to nominate the community at the May 13 meeting of North York Community Council.

There is a lot of enthusiasm in Leaside for this kind of thing.

Unlike a traditional heritage designation on a single property, an HCD is meant to preserve the streetscape of a broader community.

While homeowners within an HCD are free to renovate the interior of their homes and the exteriors not facing the street, they would have to seek permission of the citys heritage preservation services to make changes to the exterior of their homes displayed to the public, Parker said.

Houses built or renovated before an HCD is approved would not have to be retrofitted to meet the new standard, he said.

The boundaries of the Leaside HCD would be Eglinton Avenue on the north, the CN rail line on the south, Bayview Avenue on the west and Laird Drive on the east, although city staff will investigate if those borders are appropriate as part of the nomination process.

Because Leaside is such a desirable area to live, many people buy properties and renovate them, some more in keeping with the communitys character than others, Parker said.

We regret that not everyone who builds a new house or everyone who carries out a renovation is sympathetic or alert to the distinctiveness (of Leaside). We have a lot of new construction that is quite sympathetic to the existing character of the community but we also have new construction that is entirely out of step with the character, he said.

This is something that has been bubbling up for years in Leaside as weve been watching existing homes being transformed, sometimes in ways that are very sympathetic and very well done and sometimes in ways that make you wonder if the builder got the wrong address and thought they were building on some other part of the planet.

However, Willowdale Councillor David Shiner questioned the rationale for an HCD in Leaside, arguing the communitys character has been improved by new and renovated homes in the area.

But Parker said an HCD protects the property values of a distinctive community because people know its character will be preserved.

Meanwhile, while establishing HCDs has been an option for a long time, many communities have been reluctant to nominate their areas because they would have to bankroll the application and supporting documentation, Parker said.

The city has now agreed to fund some applications every year, meaning Leaside will be competing for designation as an HCD among other communities put forward for nomination, he said.

Last year, Leasides Parkhurst Boulevard was nominated as an HCD.

If the broader Leaside community is made an HCD, Parkhurst will be rolled into the designation,

If Leasides nomination isnt successful, the Parkhurst nomination will proceed on its own, Parker said.

4. De Blasio Chooses a City Planner to Lead Landmarks Preservation
KATE TAYLOR New York Times MAY 16, 2014

Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Friday that he had chosen Meenakshi Srinivasan, an architect and city planner, to be the new chairwoman of New York Citys Landmarks Preservation Commission, an appointment of great interest to developers and preservationists. 

Her appointment must be confirmed by the City Council.

Since 2004, Ms. Srinivasan, 52, has been the chairwoman of the Board of Standards and Appeals, the agency that oversees applications for zoning variances and special permits. She is credited with transforming an agency whose decisions were sometimes seen as political into one that is now viewed as fair, thorough and transparent. Previously, she had worked for the Department of City Planning for over a decade.

A native of India, Ms. Srinivasan holds a bachelors degree in architecture from the School of Planning and Architecture in New Delhi as well as masters degrees in architecture and city planning from the University of Pennsylvania.

Ross F. Moskowitz, a partner at Stroock & Stroock & Lavan who often works on land use matters, said that Ms. Srinivasan had made applying for variances easier by letting applicants sit down with her and members of the staff to discuss their applications before submitting them, giving applicants a head start on addressing any problems or questions.

Mr. Moskowitz described Ms. Srinivasan as professional and fair.

Youve got to work hard to win her over on your project, he said. You really have to prove it. She questions everything.

Developers go to the Board of Standards and Appeals if they want to build something that is not allowed under zoning rules. To get a variance, they must prove that they have unique circumstances that make it a hardship to follow the regulations.

The Landmarks Preservation Commission designates historic districts, bestows landmark status on buildings, and has the authority to approve new development in historic districts and significant alterations to landmark buildings. Its decisions are based on more subjective criteria than those of the Board of Standards and Appeals, said Peg Breen, president of the New York Landmarks Conservancy, an advocacy group.

Theyre supposed to decide what is appropriate, Ms. Breen said of the eight commissioners. Its not, Here are 10 things that make something appropriate. Its a judgment call.

Ms. Breen said that she did not know Ms. Srinivasan personally, but she gets high marks from everyone I know who knows her. She said her appointment was something of a surprise.

I heard a huge list of names of people who either put themselves forward or were interviewed and nobody knew about her, which is probably to her credit that she held it close to her vest, Ms. Breen said.

The commissions decisions have at times been controversial. The current chairman, Robert B. Tierney, won the ire of some preservationists when he declined to hold a hearing about whether to grant landmark status to 2 Columbus Circle, a Modernist building designed by Edward Durell Stone, which was rebuilt as the Museum of Arts and Design. Some developers have complained about the proliferation of new historic districts.

5. CBC Manitoba: Franco-Manitoban community devastated as history goes up in smoke

People in the tiny Francophone community of St. Georges, 140 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg, said they have lost a big piece of their history, after an early morning fire heavily damaged their local museum.
st georges museum fire

Diane Dube, who speaks for the museum, said the fire broke out around 3:30 a.m. Saturday and burned for a couple of hours before crews were able to put it out.
St georges museum fire

The St. Georges Museum was dedicated to preserving the community's Francophone roots. (Louis-Philippe Leblanc/CBC)

She said it's too soon to know what the cause was, but RCMP and insurance adjusters were on scene Saturday morning.

The community's website says the museum "houses an impressive collection of Franco-Manitoban antiques and artifacts which documents life in the local area over many generations."

CBC reporter Louis-Philippe Leblanc said the smell of smoke still hung in the air and people were emotional as they gathered at the site Saturday while workers tried to retrieve as many artifacts as possible from the rubble.

He said many of them had donated articles to the museum and were saddened to realize they had lost part of their own personal history, as well as that of the community.

Leblanc said the museum was managed by the community and run by volunteers who are stunned by the loss.

Click here for Link

6. Fire destroys century-old church in Starbuck, Manitoba
CBC Manitoba

Fire destroys century-old church in Starbuck

Manitoba fire officials are warning people to be careful when burning anything this weekend, after an unattended fire in a barrel burned down the 110-year-old United Church building in Starbuck, Man., on Friday.

Fire crews were called to Starbuck, a community about 40 kilometres west of Winnipeg, shortly after 1 p.m.

Resident Dan Gargan watched as firefighters battled the flames, but he wasn't optimistic the century-old building would survive.

"It's going pretty darn good, that's for sure," he said Friday afternoon.

"They are not going to save it, as far as I can tell at this &. There is a lot of smoke out of the roof of the church, you know, to the bell tower and stuff."

Mike Siemens, the fire chief with the Rural Municipality of Macdonald, said crews found grass burning on the north side of the property, with the flames extending to a garden shed and creeping up the north side of the church.

"It appeared that some of the neighbours had been burning some garbage or rubble," Siemens said.

Crews used water from the La Salle River, but were unable to save the building.

Late in the evening, the provincial Office of the Fire Commissioner said an "unattended fire from a barrel spread to nearby buildings," consuming the church as well as the nearby garden shed.

Homes to the north and south of the church sustained minor exterior damage, according to officials.

The fire commissioner's office pegs total damages at about $650,000.

Residents told CBC News they were saddened to lose so much history.

Among the losses were costumes from a dinner theatre production the community has put on for 25 years, they said.

Siemens said the church has been a fixture in the rural community.

"They grew up with this church, the building is definitely been a big part of the community," he said.

"They experienced a major loss, but luckily nobody was hurt."

The fire commissioner's office is reminding all Manitobans to prevent grass fires by making sure any burning is done in low wind conditions and containing any burning area.

Click here for Link

7. bbc.com: Fire crews tackle blaze at Glasgow School of Art
Pauline McLean

Six fire appliances are at the scene, with firefighters seen pouring water on the building from a high ladder as flames blew windows out.

Eyewitnesses said the fire appeared to have started when a projector exploded in the basement of the Charles Rennie Mackintosh building just before 12:30.

Smoke is billowing from the main windows, which are cracking, and through the attic studios.

The art school said everyone in the building escaped safely and there have been no reports of any casualties.

Final year students were said to have been preparing for their end of year show in the building when the blaze broke out.

Police have cordoned off Renfrew Street, and smoke was also drifting across the M8.

Click here for Link

8. CBC.ca: Saskatchewan's oldest building gets new roof
Staff

Stanley Mission's Holy Trinity Anglican Church is 154 years old

The Anglican church in Stanley Mission is 154 years old. Here's what it looked like before the roof upgrade. (David Shield/CBC)

Saskatchewan's oldest building is looking pretty good these days thanks to a $330,000 upgrade.

Holy Trinity Anglican Church is at Stanley Mission in Lac La Ronge Provincial Park in the province's north.

The wooden structure took six years to build and was completed in 1860.

A familiar landmark for travellers along the Churchill River, it's a provincial heritage property and national historic site.

It now displays an upgraded roof and foundation, thanks to $230,000 from the provincial government and $100,000 from Ottawa.

Sask.'s oldest building turns 150

When the Saskatchewan Parks Division examined the condition of the church in 2011, staff found it needed "critical" repairs.

Click here for Link

9. EuropeanCleaningJournal.com: Cleaning - preserving our heritage
Carl Robinson

Cleaning older and more architecturally intricate buildings can create issues for contract cleaning companies.

Buildings across the world come in various shapes, sizes, and conditions – and each one will have a variety of different needs. The age of a building is also a prominent factor, depending on its physical location, and the economic state of the particular country it is in.

There is a stark contrast between new-builds rising phoenix-like from the ground and older buildings struggling to secure the restoration they require. Whether the location is an office, school, hospital, transport hub or shopping centre, a cleaning operative has got to be prepared to handle a myriad of different surroundings which all demand different cleaning methods and practices.

In an ideal world, every cleaning company would love all its contracts to be in relatively new or at least recently renovated buildings. When starting a contract on a modern building the cleaning regime itself is a lot more straightforward. For a start you can begin work on a clean surface, and if the cleaning of an environment has been considered during the design stage, contractors have fewer concerns when assessing the cleaning routine.

This most certainly is not always the case, but when architects have considered the cleaning of a building, the operative’s job is made much easier. This can consist of well placed electrical sockets, designated plumbing for cleaning operatives, janitorial rooms for storage, and controlled areas for the safe mixing of chemicals. In many circumstances the slightest alteration or addition to a building can make a huge difference to the task of cleaning.

With more mature buildings, the first task for a contractor is to try and work out a suitable regime that fits a particular space, and also works around the occupiers so that the cleaning process doesn’t disturb how the building functions each day. Experienced companies with many contracts under their belt will be fully aware of how to work around spaces that don’t allow for an easy clean.

The bigger problem within older buildings is how an operative works around environments that are in a state of disrepair and in need of refurbishment, without leading to further damage. Along with this, problems can also arise when measuring cleanliness and gaining the professional results that a client requires.

 Retaining history

 The first thing that comes to mind when thinking about old buildings is history and heritage, and this is undoubtedly a big concern for companies when winning contracts within historical sites. The use of chemicals, abrasive techniques and a lack of care can quite literally wipe history off the face of buildings, which aside from causing harm, can also pose serious problems for contractors. For this reason an added level of care and attention is needed, which is something that many cleaning contractors may choose to specialise in, while others will opt to avoid it if they lack the framework and required expertise to perform the job to the highest standard.

To ensure professional standards are maintained from the start, a company should be briefed and made fully aware of any details about the age of the building and the additional skills that are needed in locations incorporating intricate architectural design and delicate antique materials. This enables contractors to place the right levels of importance and care on the cleaning regime, which can then be fed through to the cleaning operatives carrying out the job. 

However, what about a building that is not historical, but is old, in a poor condition and in need of redevelopment? This is a completely different situation for a contractor, yet it calls for almost the same amount of awareness and care as an historical site would, with regard to the needs of the client.

Click here for Link

10. Guelph Mercury: Historic Guelph home suffers $5 million in fire damage
Chris Seto

The Manor Park mansion is without a roof following a house fire that began on Tuesday. This photo was taken Wednesday afternoon.

Fire crews spent the night watching over the building at 25 Manor Park Cres., making sure the 157-year-old building did not start up again. Firefighters were first called to the scene on Tuesday at 6 a.m.

Guelph Fire Chief Shawn Armstrong said fire prevention confirmed the fire was caused by a lightning strike to the roof of the building. In a news release issued on Wednesday, Armstrong said the Ministry of Natural Resources reported several lightning strikes occurring in the area at around 3:40 a.m.

The fire smouldered for an extended period of time before it was discovered. It was contained to the third floor of the building, but the lower floors suffered extensive water damage.

There were no injuries reported in the fire.

Richard Tramer, one of the residents who lived on the top level of the three-unit condo, was standing outside the burnt-out limestone building on Wednesday afternoon.

Click here for Link

11. Hamilton Spectator: Parking lot or parking area, its a trouble-maker
Matthew Van Dongen

Concerned neighbours in the Durand neighbourhood gathered at 1 St. James for a meeting with councillor Jason Farr over tree and vegetation cutting at the home and concerns over what else might be happening there. Photo by Barry Gray

Victor Veri is a self-described farmer who makes money off parking and isn't afraid to spend it on litigation.

He could end up doing both at 1 St. James Place, where neighbours are publicly battling his plan to knock down the attached garage and porch of a 78-year-old home.

Residents of the tony Durand cul-de-sac fear the property sitting across from St. Joseph's hospital will be turned into a commercial parking lot.

Not so, said the former 2010 mayoral candidate Thursday.

"It's not going to be a parking lot. It's going to be a parking area," said the 67-year-old.

RELATED: Neighbours fear demo will bring parking lot to Durand

"According to the law," Veri said, "I have to use the word parking 'area.' I cannot have a parking lot. It is not permitted."

The hair-splitting terminology is important to Veri, who argued a 1960s-era Hamilton bylaw allows "parking areas" across from hospitals — even on otherwise residential-zoned property such as 1 St. James, which a company he is linked to bought for $605,000 earlier this year.

Veri said he doesn't yet know how many parking spaces can be squeezed around the building on the crescent-shaped property — but he does plan to make money off them.

Parking is at a premium around the hospital; garage spots off James Street cost $3.50 per half-hour or $95 for a monthly pass.

"In the capitalistic world we live in, we try to make as much profit as we can, as long as we're complying with the law," he said.

The law is also very important to Veri, who twice in conversation cheerfully described himself as "litigious."

Court records certainly bear that out.

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12. metronews.ca: Heritage Winnipeg praises new bylaw for historic buildings
Bernice Pontanilla

Heritage Winnipeg praises new bylaw for historic buildings

Cindy Tugwell of Heritage Winnipeg said the citys new bylaw for historical buildings is a good start. Bernice Pontanilla/Metro

The way in which the City of Winnipeg deals with historic buildings has received an overhaul thats long overdue, according to the head of a local heritage group.

Cindy Tugwell, executive director of Heritage Winnipeg, told members of the downtown development committee on Monday that her organization supports the new Historic Resources Bylaw.

I know its been long in coming, is an understatement, right? We think its a good bylaw, a good start, said Tugwell, adding her group wants to partner with the city to get the information out, since the report was only placed on the citys website on Friday  not giving enough time for the heritage community to digest it.

Click here for Link

13. Ottawa Citizen: After 140 years, it took heritage nod to make barn shaky
Kelly Egan

Marguerite Evans is a descendant of the Bradley clan. She is worried the 1870's era barn is going to collapse from neglect - Wayne Cuddington / Ottawa Citizen

As barns go, she is a lovely one — tall, double-roofed, with gorgeous bones and a necklace of little diamond windows.

But, at age 140, suffering from a terminal case of irony. The heritage designation on the landmark Bradley-Craig barn on Hazeldean Road may help ruin it.

A number of heritage advocates are worried the barn — a kind of beacon that, for generations, signalled the transition from city to country on Kanata’s western fringe — will collapse from neglect.

“It’s a question of how you value history,” said Marguerite Evans, a retired professor who is a fifth-generation descendant from the original Bradley pioneer in 1824. Isn’t it just?

The farm remained in the family until it was sold to home-builder Richcraft in 2006, according to a detailed history Evans assembled. It remained occupied for a handful more years by Eldon Craig and his wife, Norma (Bradley), famous for their gardens and Swiss cattle, but is now vacant. The city put a heritage designation on the buildings in 2010.

Richcraft has applied to develop about 750 dwellings on the attached 120 acres. It is part of the dramatic transformation of this corner of Goulbourn Township — across the street, a giant Lowe’s is bunkered where cattle once lowed.

Click here for Link

14. the tyee: Vancouver - A disposable city?
Fiona Tinwei Lam

The Landfill Is No Place for Vancouver's Character Homes doesn't do much for affordability, either.

Vancouver Is Right to End Chainsaw Massacres 

Almost every day, I walk past the little white stucco house with its diamond-paned windows and octagonal turret topped with a weathervane on the corner of West 12th and Trafalgar, just around the corner from my home. The bright pink-painted walkways and stairs to the house's two entrances match the froth of cherry blossoms in the nearby trees in early spring. But the blossoms are gone now, as is the "For Sale" sign that was marked "Sold" very soon after it went up.

This house is one of the remaining unique older homes in our neighbourhood. My son and I keep hoping that the new owners -- hopefully an individual or family rather than a developer -- bought the house in order to restore it. But more realistically, we wonder if and when the telltale orange fencing will appear around the cherry trees on either side of the house, just as it has for many solid character houses all over town, houses that are not included on the city's heritage register (which has not been updated since 1985).

How long before this house's garden is bulldozed over, before this well-crafted home is crushed and dumped into the landfill, only to be replaced by an exorbitant generic substitute that maximizes square footage over green space?

LATEST DEMOLITION HOTSPOT: LEGG MANSION 

One of the latest hotspots garnering significant protest is the late-Victorian Legg Mansion at 1245 Harwood in the West End. Constructed in 1899, the British Arts and Crafts style mansion was originally the residence of Gordon T. Legg, the managing director of the Union Steamship Company and one of the founders of the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club. It is currently slated for demolition despite being listed as a Heritage "A" building. It is one of only three remaining grand estate homes from the turn of the last century in the West End.

The Legg Mansion was supposed to have been restored in exchange for an 18-storey tower being built on site, but instead the 100-year-old tulip tree on the property will be saved while the Legg residence is demolished. Eighteen large trees on the property were taken down earlier this month to make way for the parking garage for the planned condominium.

A petition by the Vancouver Character House Network asking city council to save Vancouver's character homes has reached over 3,500 signatories so far. -- Fiona Tinwei Lam

The Globe and Mail recently quoted city statistics indicating that over 1,000 demolition permits were issued last year. According to Caroline Adderson, the creator of Vancouver Vanishes, a Facebook page documenting the loss of Vancouver character homes, an average of about 70 houses were demolished a month in Vancouver in 2013.

A few months earlier, another character home in our neighbourhood was demolished in a day. A haze of dust hovered over the site as a front-end loader shovelled the shattered wood into a dumpster. A 2011 City of Vancouver policy report on deconstruction states that demolishing a typical home creates 50 tonnes of waste, excluding the concrete foundation. According to another report prepared for the Greater Vancouver Sewerage and Drainage District, 55 per cent of waste arising from demolition, land-clearing and construction that goes to the two Metro Vancouver landfills comes from residential demolition. Wood represents the largest proportion of that waste by weight (54 per cent, with a total annual estimated weight of 150,823 tonnes).

One wonders how many of these perfectly livable houses have ended up in the municipal landfill, wasting valuable old growth timber, erasing all evidence of the craftsmanship of bygone eras. One also wonders about the fuel needed and greenhouse gasses emitted by all the bulldozers, loaders and trucks used in the demolition process, as well as the fuel and carbon emissions related to the manufacture and transport of new materials for construction. In addition, a total of almost 50,000 trees have been chopped down in Vancouver over the past 17 years, with an average of five big trees per day cut down last year primarily because of construction. How is this situation consistent with city hall's aims to make Vancouver the "greenest city in the world"?

Do as the Germans do?

It would seem that the greenest choice would be to retain and restore existing older buildings. Studies and reports in other jurisdictions facing the same issues can be instructive. A study published by the Institution of Civil Engineers in the United Kingdom in 2010 states "new homes use up to eight times more resources than an equivalent refurbishment. This is because most of the building mass and structural elements in an existing property are already there and only rarely need replacing.... Large-scale and accelerated demolition would neither help with meeting energy and climate change targets, nor would it address social needs. Refurbishment offers clear advantages in time, cost, community impact, prevention of building sprawl, reuse of existing infrastructure and protection of existing communities. It can also lead to significantly reduced energy use in buildings in both the short and long term."

The study points to various carbon dioxide reduction programs undertaken in Germany from 1996 to 2005 to rehabilitate older buildings in order to reduce their energy consumption. As a result of these programs, energy consumption was reduced by 80 per cent, with the renovated homes actually exceeding German new-build standards.

One of these pilot projects, the Zukunft Haus pilot program in 2003 to 2005, involved 915 homes in 34 blocks of apartments in western and eastern Germany that were in poor condition and mostly built before 1978. Measures included upgrading and installing energy efficiency measures such as insulation, high-quality glazed windows, efficient heating systems, solar collectors for water, heat recovery ventilation mechanisms, and wherever possible the addition of south-facing balconies and door porches. As a result of the program, the renovated older homes became twice as energy-efficient as the German new-build standard. "So clear was the evidence and so enthusiastic the uptake for these programs that the German government relaunched the carbon dioxide building rehabilitation programme in 2006. It now aims to bring all pre-1984 dwellings up to current German new-build standard by 2020. It was further extended to all building types in 2007."

The study also refers to the German government's system of grants, loans and tax incentives to expand the energy efficiency program to cover 17 million blocks of pre-1984 buildings (covering schools and public buildings, and including 30 million dwellings) as part of the country's aim to reduce carbon emissions by 40 per cent by 2020.

By following this kind of model, Vancouver and other North American jurisdictions could reap immense benefits not only from the creation of green jobs and the reduction of materials going to landfills, but also from significantly reduced energy use and carbon emissions. The key green principle of "reduce, recycle, reuse" bears repeating in a culture and society inundated with products fabricated to swiftly become obsolete. Vancouver's well-crafted character and heritage buildings were built to endure, not be discarded in the landfill before their time.

Harassed to sell

Despite the environmental benefits of retaining and renovating existing housing stock, the persistent demolition of Vancouver's character homes continues. Owners complain that soundly built character homes in Dunbar, Oakridge and Kerrisdale have been demolished swiftly for pure profit, without regard to neighbourhood character, history and community, only to be replaced by big expensive new homes that sit empty for over a year or more. According to the Vancouver Courier, some elderly residents in Marpole are being harassed by realtors urging them to sell their homes: "One resident said her 84-year-old mother has been called so often that she is afraid to answer the phone or the door."

The video above shows some of the solid pre-1940's Vancouver homes that have disappeared over the past few years. Credit: Vancouver Character House Network.

How does this situation accord with the city's persistent call for increased densification and the need for more affordable housing, or with its attempts to promote neighbourhood communities and decrease social alienation? And aren't the green goals of energy efficiency and reduced CO2 emissions undermined by the presence of these large new vacant houses that use up gas and electricity while no one is living in them?

As Kerry Gold of the Globe and Mail states, "It's as if the history of Vancouver is being sent to the scrap bin, a disposable city. The house that once stood has been torn down in exchange for a bigger, flashier house that won't be occupied by more people. In fact, many of the new houses stand vacant for several years, creating a ghost streetscape feel. If ecodensity is the city's goal, then sending solid houses to the landfill in exchange for bigger ones would seem to be the contradiction."

City council approved a Heritage Action Plan on Dec. 4 last year that had 14 recommendations, including raising demolition fees for pre-1940's homes, streamlining heritage retention applications, and relaxing building regulations for renovations of older houses. Fine-tuning and expanding existing zoning (such as the effective RT8 zoning that fosters the retention and renovation of character homes in parts of Kitsilano) may also be in order, or increasing property taxes for absentee non-resident owners of vacant new homes.

But critics are concerned that the Heritage Action Plan's timeline and the update of the city's heritage register are a year or more away. In the meantime, hundreds of character homes will be irrevocably demolished and neighbourhoods irreparably affected. CBC Radio reported yesterday that city hall is so swamped with applications for building permits for new single-family homes that it must hire new staff. Policies need to developed and implemented soon so that neighbourhoods aren't constantly required to go to battle each time a heritage or character house is at risk of demolition.

'Cities need old buildings so badly'

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15. Winnipeg's Heritage-structures bylaw gets upgrade
Winnipeg Free Press

Heritage-structures bylaw gets upgrade

It took more than a decade of meetings, but the city is close to having a new bylaw to protect historical buildings and other heritage structures.

The historical resources bylaw, intended to take effect June 1, would see a listing of the features of a building the city aims to protect replacing the current system, which lists buildings from grades one to three, with three requiring the lowest protection. The current bylaw was enacted in 1977.

Jennifer Hansell, the city's senior urban planner, said having three grades of protection is ambiguous and the new system will "be more of a level playing field" and allow the city to protect more than just buildings.

Hansell said it could include parks, cemeteries and bridges.

The bylaw was approved by the civic committee on downtown development, heritage and riverbank management on Monday. It next goes to the city's executive policy committee before going to city council for a vote.

Another change would allow the public to sit in on meetings of the historical buildings committee, with the agendas published online, but citizens would not be able to state their views until a recommendation reached the standing committee.

Coun. Jenny Gerbasi, chairwoman of the historical buildings committee, said it took 12 years of meetings and public hearings to get the new bylaw rolling.

"It really is a lot clearer now for building owners," she said.

"The owners of the building will know what elements are protected. If it is designated, then it is valuable."

Cindy Tugwell, Heritage Winnipeg's executive director, said she's pleased with the new bylaw.

"With the (current) bylaw, councillors would say 'we'll save a grade 1 building but a grade 3, we really don't care,' " Tugwell said.

"This takes away the grading and forces the city to put down the character-defining elements. It needs to be what is it about this building. To me, the advantageous part is getting the city to identify these elements.

"I see this as a renewed opportunity to bring forward heritage."

Tugwell said the new bylaw could have helped with some past controversial decisions, including building a condominium next to the St. Boniface Museum.

"Had the vacant lot next to the St. Boniface Museum been designated as protected green space, it could have been protected under this bylaw," she said.

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