1. Write to Premier McGuinty - BHN Editorial
Catherine Nasmith

Aerial View of Queen's Park, Wikpedia

There are several stories in this issue about the need or lack of need for protection for views of Queen's Park from University Avenue. The discussion is triggered by a development application for the Four Seasons Hotel site (21 Avenue Road) at Yorkville and Avenue Road, directly north of the Legislature and in its view shed.

The Minister of Culture has taken a passive position on the matter, suggesting it is of little importance to the province. The Speaker of the Legislature, Steve Peters has appeared at public meetings on this matter, representing the Office charged with looking after the physical plant of the Legislature. He considers it his duty to protect the views of Legislative Assembly from further indignity in the form of tall buildings to the north. He has taken participant status at the upcoming OMB hearing on the matter.

The Architectural Conservancy of Ontario has written to the Minister of Culture to ask her to work with the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing to declare a Provincial Interest at the OMB. (I am Past President) ACO has also obtained Participant status at the OMB hearing. The Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing was prepared to act on this, but internal protocols require that the request to do so come from another Minister. In this case Culture is the Ministry expected to ask.  They must act before February 1 to obtain Party status at the OMB , and by Feb 19th to declare a provincial interest. All the advice from technical staff in the Ministry has been for the province to act. Lincoln Alexander, chair of the Ontario Heritage Trust has also asked both Ministers to take action.

Toronto Community Council will be dealing with the matter, tomorrow Jan 12. Staff report recommends protection for the views from just north of College Street, but not from the rest of University Avenue.

The suggestion by Minister Carroll that this matter should and could be decided by the City of Toronto misses a big point. This is a matter that concerns everyone in Ontario. In fact, the dignity of our government buildings is a matter of concern to every Canadian. And the City of Toronto has already allowed several developments to occur which damage, not yet fatally, this view, so no matter what it says about this particular development, the City acting alone is not in a position to make the strongest case at the OMB. By taking a passive approach The Province weakens the City's position and virtually guarantees that damage will be done. If approved, the development at 21 Avenue Road will make all future efforts to protect this view corridor moot.

Please write to Premier McGuinty, to Minister Carroll, copy to Lincoln Alexander and to Mayor David Miller, Councillors Adam Vaughan, and Kyle Rae asking them to do all in their power to make sure this development reverses the damage of the existing Four Seasons Hotel. The Province and the City must work together, as Ottawa and the National Capital Commission did in the late 1980's to put views protection into place for the Legislative Assembly buildings.

Copy your MPP too!

Addresses:

Premier Dalton McGuinty - Web form at https://www.premier.gov.on.ca/feedback/feedback.asp?Lang=EN

or  Dalton.McGuinty@premier.gov.on.ca

The Honourable Aileen Carroll, Minister of Culture  info.mcl@ontario.ca acarroll.mpp@liberal.ola.org

Speaker  Steve Peters speters.mpp@liberal.ola.org

Mayor David Miller mayor_miller@toronto.ca

Councillor Adam Vaughan councillor_vaughan@toronto.ca

Councillor Kyle Rae councillor_rae@toronto.ca

Copy to cnasmith@builtheritagenews.ca and I will post your letters here.

2. Clinton Brown Joins Willowbank Board
Willowbank Press Release

Queenston, Ontario, December 18, 2009 - Willowbank announces today the appointment of Buffalo Niagara-based Historic Preservation Architect and Developer Clinton E. Brown to Vice President of the Board of Directors of Willowbank, a Foundation, School of Restoration Arts, and Estate, which is Canada’s pre-eminent centre for theory and practice in heritage conservation.

Clinton E. Brown is widely recognized as a regional leader in historic preservation architecture and community revitalization. The founder and principal of Clinton Brown Company Architecture, Buffalo NY, the full service historic preservation architecture firm, Mr. Brown brings over 30 years of experience to his cross border work of creating new value from historic buildings and places in collaboration with property owners, civic leaders, and governmental officials.

At Willowbank, a National Historic Site, a rare and beautiful 19th century estate is the setting for an innovative educational and training program in heritage conservation. The two come together in a living, learning and working environment that celebrates the preservation of our cultural and historical legacy.

Willowbank estate shares the site with a School of Restoration Arts. On the grounds and within the early 19th Century mansion, visitors discover restoration-in-action, as they view the site’s rich archaeology, architecture and landscape undergoing research and treatment. The School’s full-time program involves students and 50+ faculty members, and its educational outreach extends far into the community through lecture programs and conferences.
Community events – from jazz festivals to a harvest ball, weddings to village picnics – grace the grounds today as they have for centuries.

Located on the Niagara Parkway overlooking the historic Village of Queenston, Willowbank is conveniently located 5 minutes from Highway 405, or 10 minutes along the Niagara Parkway from the town of Niagara-on-the-Lake.

To learn more about Willowbank, upcoming events or Willowbank’s academic programs visit www.willowbank.ca or contact 905 262 1239.
 

3. New book on Peterborough history
Elwood Jones

The book is available in Peterborough bookstores.

Elwood Jones has publshed his tenth book on Peterborough. This one is based on his weekly column in the Peterborough Examiner and it is a history of Peterborough told in 100 stories. An Historian's Notebook is published by the Trent Valley Archives and is available from them. See www.trentvalleyarchives.com for contact information. The book carries several stories related to the heritage movement in Peterborough, as well as stories on key people and key events in the building of Peterborough as a major manufacturing and commercial town. Elwood Jones is Emeritus Professor of History at Trent University and the editor of Heritage Gazette of the Trent Valley.

4. Toronto's Downsview Hangars Face Immediate Demolition by Department of National Defence
Heritage Canada Press Release

Photo, Paul Oberman

Demolition is scheduled to resume today on the historic Downsview Hangars (Buildings 55 and 58) at former CFB Downsview air base in Toronto, Ontario. Constructed in 1943, these structures were designated as heritage buildings by the federal government in 1992 for the role they played in Canadian aircraft production during the Second World War. The hangars are owned by the Department of National Defence (DND).

There is strong private sector interest in developing these buildings. Mr. Paul Oberman, President and CEO of Woodcliffe Corporation has been working tirelessly to find a solution that could both meet the needs of DND and save the historic Downsview hangars, including a land exchange negotiated with Mr. Tony Genco, CEO of Parc Downsview Park. On December 24, DND offered a short stay of demolition. Now, DND has taken the position that they are not interested in considering any proposals and are not responding to inquiries.

While some demolition has already been done on the hangars, their potential for redevelopment remains intact. DND still has the opportunity to allow the private sector to recycle and adapt these buildings rather than sending them to landfill.

HCF calls on Defence Minister Peter MacKay to delay demolition and allow interested parties to finalize their adaptive reuse and land exchange proposal.

For further information:
Carolyn Quinn, Director of Communications, Cell: 613-797-7206 or Chris Wiebe, Officer, Heritage Policy & Government Relations, cwiebe@heritagecanada.org. Telephone: 613-237-1066 ex 227.

5. Old Station Hotel in Welland Burns Down
Lloyd Alter, in Arconserv Newsletter

One of the oldest structures in Welland, Ontario, the Old Station Hotel, burned to the ground on New Years Day. Somehow vacant buildings that are "closed for renovation" are particularly prone to these things in bad economic times, and goodness knows, Welland is seeing bad times.

This will continue to happen all over the Province if something isn't done to ensure that historically important buildings are documented and measures put in to protect them.

6. Toronto Star: Downsview Hangars-30 Days to Talk
Kenneth Kidd

Downsview dilemma

Toronto Star Photo, CANADIAN AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM/JOE HOLLIDAY COLLECTION

They look particularly forlorn on this, the dusky end of a winter afternoon.

Though surrounded by a barbed-wire fence, and part of the Canadian Forces compound, neither has afforded the massive aircraft hangars at Downsview much protection of late.

The exterior walls facing south are covered in graffiti, and to the west, demolition crews have already dismantled the walls and hangar doors.

But in a preliminary deal being worked out by the Department of National Defence and Downsview Park, destruction of the heritage buildings will now likely be postponed for 30 days.

Click here for Link

7. Toronto Star Editorial: Urges Minister Carroll to take Action

Protect the Pink Palace

Concerns are being raised about a proposed condominium development that would see a pair of 48- and 44-storey towers poking up behind the provincial Legislative Building at Queen's Park. Critics fear the development would ruin the view of the 117-year-old sandstone building, affectionately known as the "Pink Palace."

Missing from the debate, however, is Aileen Carroll, Ontario's minister of culture and heritage. Her spokesperson insists the issue is better left with the city, but that seems odd given Carroll's responsibilities and the importance of this building as a historic landmark.

Others aren't content to sit on the sidelines. Former lieutenant-governor Lincoln Alexander has sent a letter to Carroll calling for more action on her part.

Architectural preservation experts have also spoken up, arguing that towers planned for the site of the old Four Seasons Hotel (at Yorkville and Avenue Rd.) would spoil the Legislative Building's impressive silhouette when viewed from University Ave. to the south. That's also the conclusion of a heritage impact assessment commissioned by Toronto. And the city's planning department has recommended against proceeding with the condo project.

Negotiations are reportedly underway with the developer and a new report from planning officials is expected later this month. Meanwhile, an Ontario Municipal Board hearing is scheduled for March.

The response from Carroll's ministry, so far, seems ambivalent, basically calling for more study. She should wade openly into this fray – on the side of preservation.

The Legislative Building sits at the centre of the oval-shaped Queen's Park and was designed by English architect Richard Waite in the Richardson Romanesque style. It opened in 1893 and has dominated its surroundings ever since. Its vista deserves to be protected from obtrusive development.

Click here for Link

8. Toronto Star: Minister of Culture Responds to Toronto Star Editorial

Ontario culture minister responds

Re:Protect the Pink Palace, Editorial Jan. 2

The buildings proposed for Avenue Road north of Bloor St. are not the first, nor likely will they be the last. Development of this vital portion of the city centre will be determined by the planning decisions of the City of Toronto.

The silhouette is not pristine nor is it imperative to the heritage preservation of the Legislative Building that it be so. View shed is only one of many considerations in heritage preservation. The Legislature is well defined by the wide boulevard of University Ave. for many blocks to the south and well protected by the parkland and open portion of University Ave. to the north.

Queen's Park is located in the heart of the largest city in Canada. It is enhanced by the buildings of the University of Toronto, the ROM, and the Gardiner Museum, much as Government House is enhanced by the charm of Citadel Hill in Halifax and 10 Downing St. and Westminster in London are by the city settings in which they are situated.

As minister responsible for culture and heritage for the Province of Ontario, I receive much wise counsel and put considerable deliberation into the decisions I make. I will continue to do so.

Aileen Carroll, Minister of Culture, Queen's Park

Click here for Link

9. Globe and Mail: Views of Queen's Park
John Lorinc

Ontario urged to protect Queen's Park from nearby development

View of Queen's Park taken from north of College Street, any view from south of here will be marred by towers in the background

Former lieutenant-governor Alexander writes province over proposed towers that critics say would interfere with surrounding vistas

Former lieutenant-governor Lincoln Alexander has strongly urged the Liberal government to protect Queen's Park from a high-rise development that would sully the silhouette of the historical landmark, according to a letter he wrote this month.

The two-page document, addressed to Culture Minister Aileen Carroll and Municipal Affairs Minister Jim Watson, is dated Dec. 3, just days after the provincial government missed an opportunity to seek standing at an Ontario Municipal Board hearing for a pair of condos on the Four Season Hotel site at 21 Avenue Rd., just north of Queen's Park.

Heritage experts and activists have raised alarms that the proposed towers will interfere with historic vistas of the Ontario Legislative Assembly, which was designed by Buffalo architect Richard Waite and completed in 1893. The letter – which characterizes the proposed towers as “a noticeable and negative addition to the skyline” – lends weight to their concerns.

Mr. Alexander currently serves as the chair of the Ontario Heritage Trust, a provincial agency responsible for protecting historic public structures. His office has not made the document public, although opposition critics referred to its existence in questions in the House earlier this month.

“The government needs to be held to account on this,” said Ted Arnott, tourism critic for the Progressive Conservatives.

Mr. Alexander and Mr. Watson declined to comment.

Ms. Carroll was not available for an interview, but her spokeswoman wrote in an e-mail that the minister is “studying the advice provided by the OHT as well as our other partners. As always, we will take this and all advice into consideration.”

Noting that Queen's Park is not protected by any kind of heritage legislation, Mr. Alexander made three key recommendations in his memo: that Ms. Carroll move to designate the building and the “associated landscapes” as cultural heritage properties; that Mr. Watson use his powers under the Planning Act to formally assert a “provincial interest” in the proposed development – a rarely used legal move that allows the government to trump OMB rulings in extraordinary circumstances; and that the provincial government convene a multi-ministry team to work with the City of Toronto to “protect the urban context” of Queen's Park “using all planning, statutory and other mechanisms at our disposal.”

Sources say provincial lawyers were set to intervene in the approvals process at an OMB pre-hearing in early December but were called off after Ms. Carroll failed to give them the go-ahead.

Catherine Nasmith, the former president of the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario, described Mr. Alexander's recommendations as “sound [and] appropriate,” adding that she hopes Ms. Carroll will reconsider. “She still has lots of time to declare a provincial interest, and I hope that reflection over the holidays will change her view.”

Editor's Note:
I have been following this closely, and am a participant at the OMB on this matter. My nephew, Oliver Nasmith, whom I love dearly, is with Canadian Forces in Afghanistan this Christmas. He is fighting for democratic rights that Canadians should treasure, but often take for granted. Even when we disagree with our politicians, we are lucky to have easy access to our elected representatives. The symbols of our open democratic government must take priority over the interests of a private developer. Whether they will remains to be seen. Please email or write your MPP to urge action before it is too late.

Click here for Link

10. Toronto Star: Minister Stops Destruction 7 Austin Terrace, Toronto
Brendan Kennedy

Stop-work order for century home

The Ontario government has stepped in to protect the home of Maclean's magazine's founder after the property's owner was accused of attempting to destroy its architecturally significant elements to avoid heritage designation.

Provincial Culture Minister Aileen Carroll issued a stop-work order Monday to "prevent further alterations or damage" to 7 Austin Terrace, in the Casa Loma neighbourhood.

The house, which dates to 1922, according to the ministry, was designed by John Lyle – the architect behind Union Station and the Royal Alexandra Theatre – and was built for John Bayne Maclean, founder of Maclean's.

There are few surviving Lyle structures in the city.

Mayor David Miller requested that the province intervene after the owner of the property "removed numerous windows and architectural elements" last week, the ministry said.

Click here for Link

11. Blog TO: Abandoned Buildings in the GTA
Jonathan Castellino

Recalling A Year of Abandonments

In preparation for another exciting year of exploration and photography, I thought I'd take a quick look back at some of my (and your!) favourite spots that I've featured over the past year.

Part of the motivation for writing this weekly series on the forgotten spaces in and around the city is to illustrate the importance of the past. I have tried to show these unseen places as hidden gems, which, in their unexpected beauty, reveal their twofold function as a site of cultural memory. Not only are they a living embodiment of socio-cultural recollection, but they also provide a model -- indeed, a blueprint -- for proper redevelopment.

Click here for Link

12. Globe and Mail: Jonathan Kearns

At the intersection of architecture and activism

In more ways than one, George Street is a one-way road headed south.

Home to Toronto's largest homeless shelter, part of the street is known as Crack Alley, where dealers feed off the remains of people's lives and lawns are beaten bare by circular walks to nowhere.

"I've travelled around all the other supposed dangerous neighbourhoods in the city," Jonathan Kearns says, "but I never felt so apprehensive as I did when I ventured down George Street."

For most people, a quickened pace, a parting glance over the shoulder and a sigh of relief would mark the end of such a journey. For Mr. Kearns, it was only the beginning.

Since that first nervous stroll a few years ago, he's bought some of the street's most rundown properties, re-imagined it with a rebuilt Seaton House shelter and much-needed student housing, and pitched his vision to officials at city hall and Ryerson University.

For Mr. Kearns, 59-year-old partner at Kearns Mancini Architects, that feeling of apprehension is often the beginning of a big idea.

It was Mr. Kearns and partner Tony Mancini who dreamed up the alliance between their firm and two larger ones, Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg and Montgomery Sisam, that won the international design competition for the current redevelopment of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health on Queen Street West.

At the other end of the downtown, the hoarding is about to come off a new mixed-use building Kearns Mancini designed in Regent Park, the sprawling public-housing complex also undergoing a ground-up overhaul. Not far from there, the Don Mount Court housing complex was recently rebuilt on one of their designs, and finishing touches are being applied to Rivertowne, part of the same mixed-income complex

Click here for Link

13. Barrie Examiner: Heritage list to get the final OK
BOB BRUTON

The future of Barrie's historic buildings could be decided tonight.

City councillors will again consider adding 81 properties to Barrie's municipal register, as those of cultural value or interest.

Coun. Andrew Prince, chairman of Heritage Barrie, says it needs to be done.

"The creation of the municipal register, although a tough decision, was the right one," he said. "I do believe there is a lot of misunderstanding of what being listed on the register means, compared to a full designation."

Being on the municipal register will mean -- if councillors approve a separate motion tonight -- that city staff will inform council members, by e-mail or memo, if a demolition or building permit is obtained for these properties.

Barrie has 17 properties designated under the Ontario heritage Act, as being of cultural heritage value.

If the owner of one of these properties wants to make changes that affect its heritage qualities, the owner needs the written consent of city council.

Click here for Link

14. Hamilton Spectator: Another downtown heritage building unsafe
Nicole O'Reilly

The facade of the heritage- designated Century Theatre is in jeopardy after the city issued an order that it is unsafe and blocked access to the historic downtown building yesterday afternoon.

City of Hamilton public works staff began closing Mary Street and its sidewalks from King Street East to the northeast edge of the property around 4 p.m. as the building's owner, Zoran Cocov, of Lyric Century Apartments, looked on. The neighbouring parking lot will also be closed.

Click here for Link

15. newsdurhamregion.com: One hundred forty-six-year-old Oshawa church demolished
Jillian Follert

Property had heritage value, but no designation

OSHAWA -- The site where a tiny, red-brick Oshawa church stood for 146 years is now nothing but rubble.

Just before Christmas, the former Kedron United Church building on the northeast corner of Ritson Road North and Conlin Road East was demolished, leaving area residents with plenty of questions.

"Knowing how old it is, I've always liked to imagine all the weddings and baptisms have been there," said Debbie Crossman, who lives nearby. "It's really sad to lose all that history, why wasn't there more of an effort to save it?

Editor's Note:
This structure was included on Heritage Oshawa's Inventory of Heritage Properties as a Class A property. Historical research on property completed by Heritage Oshawa in 1997. The former Kedron United Church building along with many others in the proposed industrial zone, are noted in the following report of Sept 2009, EXISTING CONDITIONS REPORT - CULTURAL HERITAGE LANDSCAPES & BUILT HERITAGE RESOURCES - PART PLAN II FOR THE KEDRON PLANNING AREA - CONCEPT PLAN FOR THE NORTH KEDRON INDUSTRIAL AREA AND CONCEPT PLAN FOR THE EAST WINDFIELDS INDUSTRIAL AREA Prepared for: planningAlliance Prepared by: Unterman McPhail Associates. see page 22 of this report at, http://www.oshawa.ca/media/Appendix%20C%20-%20FINAL.pdf

Click here for Link

16. Raise The Hammer: A Cinema Treasure Is Destroyed
Adrian Duyzer

The loss of the Century Theatre is just another chapter in a long and tragic saga: the destruction of our historical treasures and collective architectural memory.

Take a moment to search the Internet for "hamilton century theatre". The first result you'll see is on a site called Cinema Treasures, a site dedicated to uniting "movie theater owners and enthusiasts in a common cause - to save the last remaining movie palaces across the country".

It's too late for the Century Theatre, unfortunately. This cinema treasure is going to come crashing down as early as Monday.

Zoran Cocov, the building's owner, purchased the Century almost ten years ago. He says that when it was purchased the roof was already partially collapsed. Apparently he didn't do anything to fix it, because since then it has only deteriorated further. Now all the floors have collapsed, turning the building into an unstable shell.

Click here for Link

17. Stratford Beacon Herald: U of W prof says school should save CNR shops
DONAL O'CONNOR

The former CNR locomotive repair shops in Stratford would qualify as both a national historic site and provincial heritage site and should be considered for the University of Waterloo campus here, says the director of the university's Heritage Resources Centre.

"I have no doubt that under the nationally recognized Parks Canada standards and guidelines the Stratford site would not only qualify for recognition locally but would also be a candidate for recognition as a provincial heritage site, recognized by the Ontario Heritage Trust," says Robert Shipley in a memo.

"Further, I think it would also qualify as a national historic site under the Historic Sites and Monuments Board in Ottawa."

The CNR repair shops, the memo notes, were the major repair facility in eastern Canada for the better part of a century and at one time were the workplace of 1,500 people.

The shops were Stratford's largest employer.

The property -- referred to in more recent years as the Cooper site -- "presents considerable opportunity for exciting urban design" and can "serve as a living symbol for the transformation from coal dust industry to knowledge economy," says Mr. Shipley in his memo, which was drafted in as a response to several interested people in Stratford who asked for his view.

Click here for Link

18. Toronto Star: Alton Mill
Mike Funston

Mill masters grind out creative vision

Front Entrance of the Alton Mill

The Alton Mill has survived a fire, a flood, vandalism and neglect during its 128-year history to again become a vibrant hub, this time as a showcase for the arts community in the Caledon area.

A long-term vision and persistence by brothers Jeremy and Jordan Grant has resulted in the $5 million restoration project recently winning a Heritage Canada Foundation national achievement award for the two developers, owners of The Seaton Group.

Originally the mill produced textiles for sale across Canada under the Beaver label and later became a rubber factory that lasted until 1982, producing such products as balloons for the Disney Corporation and condoms for soldiers in World War II.

Now it's home to 33 artists working in 20 studios. There are three art galleries, retail shops, a café, a small museum and space for special events such as weddings and business functions.

The 23,000-square-foot mill is located on Shaw's Creek, a tributary of the Credit River, in tiny Alton village nestled among the Caledon Hills, right on the Bruce Trail.

The Grants' father Jack, now deceased, introduced them to the possibilities for development of the mill almost 20 years ago, and the brothers adopted his vision after acquiring the property. But the recession in the early 1990s and other roadblocks got in the way of development, Jeremy Grant said.

"We looked at a number of ideas, from condominium lofts to an arts and crafts centre, but there always seemed to be some obstacle," he said.

Eventually they partnered with Headwaters Arts, a non-profit association of 160 artists in Caledon, Erin and Orangeville to obtain $1.75 million in federal and provincial grants to help finance the project along with $3.25 million of their own.

Now there are painters, potters, print makers, framers and weavers, among others, while art classes have been introduced for children and adults through the Alton Mill School of Art. Special seasonal events are held; Christmas festivities and outdoor exhibitions.

The Alton community has embraced the project. "For a long time there was skepticism over whether this would ever come together but now we have school groups coming in along with some bus tours in addition to the general public," Grant said.

The brothers brought in Toronto heritage architectural specialist Catherine Nasmith and landscape architect Owen Scott, along with J.D. Strachan Construction Ltd., experts in restoring heritage buildings, to handle the daunting task.

Editor's Note:
Great to see clients Jordan and Jeremy Grant getting attention in Toronto. To get the full experience of a lovely place you will just have to go there!

Click here for Link

19. Toronto Star: Ottawa's Lansdowne Park Disaster
Christopher Hume

Good design sets a city up for success

It was one of those statements that said one thing but meant quite another. And in its own quiet way, it revealed much about why our cities aren't better.

"Our practice is to hire an architect and get on with it," said the speaker, "not to waste time and money on design competitions for what are essentially utilitarian buildings."

Spoken by Ottawa councillor Gord Hunter, these words were addressed to an Ottawa Citizen reporter after all seven architects on that city's downtown urban design review panel abruptly quit this month in frustration over a controversial plan to rebuild that city's landmark Lansdowne Park.

The scheme has not been universally embraced. In a rare move, the Ottawa Regional Society of Architects said the proposal "does not impress."

"The city," it argued in a recent report, "as the capital of Canada, should have a higher standard given the local, national and international importance of the site."

Many Ottawans see the proposal as yet another example of how willingly city politicians settle for mediocrity. Without getting into the Lansdowne Park details, the reasons go well beyond it and even the capital. As Hunter made unintentionally clear this week, they begin with the basic attitudes of those who would be the city's friends.

"Utilitarian buildings," in Hunter's words. What could that mean?

When you think about it, every building is utilitarian. There's nothing more utilitarian than a house, a place where people live. Le Corbusier famously called a house "a machine for living in."

And what about fire stations, community centres, public washrooms, water treatment plants, subway stations, libraries, schools, courthouses, offices, concert halls, art galleries, city halls and so on?

Click here for Link

20. Waterloo Record: Kitchener's fourth heritage district establishment faces delays
Terry Pender

KITCHENER - The establishment of the city’s fourth heritage conservation district is mired in a complicated mix of development applications, appeals and contingent opposition.

On Friday a provincial tribunal that rules on land use disputes, the Ontario Municipal Board, held a meeting at Kitchener City Hall to hear from different parties associated with the Civic Centre Heritage Conservation District.

The municipal board has scheduled a hearing for September 2010 for the appeal filed by Community Expansion Inc., a local developer that opposes - sort of - the creation of the conservation district.

“I think there is a sense of frustration, perhaps, that one property is holding up the heritage conservation district,” Donna Kuehl, of Ahrens Street, said.

Kuehl is a former member of Heritage Kitchener, the proud owner of a beautiful old house and a strong supporter of Civic Centre Heritage Conservation District.

Click here for Link

21. yorkregion.com: Renovations on tap for temple in 2010
Amanda Persico

Renovations on tap for temple in 2010

East Gwillimbury - The Sharon Temple is starting the new year with a new face.

Through the infrastructure grant program, the national historic site received $600,000 from the federal government. Together with contributions from the town of East Gwillimbury, Sharon landowners and various fund raising efforts, the temple raised an additional $300,000.

That money will go toward strengthening the temple’s foundation, fixing the slanted door sills and installing fire safety measures.

“These problems have been developing over the last decade,” museum curator John McIntyre said. “We were very close to an emergency situation.”

This past summer, there was an archeological dig at the temple to see the condition of the bearings and the foundation.

“The foundation and the underpinnings are not sound,” Mr. McIntyre said. “That means the rest of the building is not sound.”.

Click here for Link

22. Globe and Mail: Vancouver's Pantages Theatre
Marsha Lederman

It could be curtains for Vancouver's heritage theatre

from Globe and Mail

For three years, a group of Vancouver arts and heritage enthusiasts has worked tirelessly to save an old vaudeville theatre in the city's Downtown Eastside, arguing that the Pantages represents an important part of the city's history. But now their efforts are exactly that: history. The Pantages Theatre Arts Society (PTAS) has officially pulled the plug on its fight to preserve and restore the theatre.

"I'm angry as hell," says Charles Barber, executive director of PTAS, which on Friday sent an open letter to Heritage Vancouver members officially informing them of the decision.

"The city had a chance to change Hastings and Main from a cemetery to a marquee. They blew it."

Pantages Theatre, Vancouver. c. 1912.

The group says their decision is the result of the city's failure to approve a restoration plan by developer and owner Marc Williams, with whom they had been working. Williams offered to lease the building to a number of arts companies (including Barber's City Opera of Vancouver) at a cost of $1 a year. But that was contingent on a major multimillion dollar renovation. The developer proposed a plan to the city that would have seen public money funnelled into the project. But last year the city turned down his proposal. After that decision, Williams put the building up for sale.

Click here for Link

23. Halifax Chronicle Herald: Heritage building successfully moved - Charles Morris building, one of Halifax's oldest, relocated to parking lot
CLARE MELLOR

1781 means it is one of the four oldest buildings in Halifax

There were a few tense moments but a delicate two-hour oper­ation to move one of Halifax’s oldest buildings was a success Monday night.

“It was just amazing to see," said Phil Pacey of the Heritage Trust of Nova Scotia.

The Charles Morris office building at 1273 Hollis St. was moved a couple of hundred metres to a parking lot owned by Nova Scotia Power.

Click here for Link

24. St. John Telegraph-Journal:Carnegie plans panned - National foundation joins chorus against changes to historic building
John Chilibeck

Noel Chenier/Telegraph-Journal. The Carnegie Building is now the home of the Saint John Arts Centre.

SAINT JOHN - An official with the Heritage Canada Foundation is urging Saint Johners to stop any alterations that would ruin the integrity of the historic Carnegie building.

Carolyn Quinn, a spokesperson with the non-profit group in Ottawa, says if people don't like the proposal to put a tunnel entrance in front of one of Saint John's key landmarks, they should speak up.

"They need to let their elected officials and decision makers know," said Quinn, who has been following the Peel Plaza development with great interest.

The Carnegie building is right next door to the development that would see the construction of a new city police headquarters, public piazza and parking garage near a future provincial courthouse in the city centre. It was built as a library in 1904 but is now home to the Saint John Arts Centre.

http://telegraphjournal.canadaeast.com/city/article/896405

Noel Chenier/Telegraph-JournalThe Carnegie Building is now the home of the Saint John Arts Centre.

Click here for Link

25. New York Times: Rising Price of Faith in France's Shrinking Parishes
JOHN TAGLIABUE

Gesté's neo-Gothic church, was finished in 1870. The mayor and town council voted to demolish it.

GESTÉ, France — The soaring steeple, airy flying buttresses and steep slate roof of the 19th-century parish church that dominates this town in western France is — like many other village churches in France — scheduled for demolition, a victim of its size, its condition and, ultimately, municipal budget concerns.

Villages like Gesté are struggling over churches' upkeep.

Although the church, dedicated to St. Peter, is arguably the sole architectural jewel in this town of 2,400 people, the town has decided to tear it down and replace it with a new one that will be far cheaper to keep up.

Erected in stages to accommodate 900 people, the formidable stone building has stood sadly empty since 2006. Completing the picture of dereliction, it is surrounded by a wire fence to protect visitors from the very real threat of crumbling stonework.

Gesté's neo-Gothic church, seen through a shop window, was finished in 1870. The mayor and town council voted to demolish it.

Editor's Note:
For more on the planned destruction of The church of Saint-Pierre-aux-Liens in Gesté see, http://www.thearttribune.com/The-destruction-of-France-s.html

Click here for Link

26. Has anyone seen any Houses like this "Flounder" in Canada
Ryan Reed

St. Louis examples, frame

I have been documenting and researching the remaining Flounders in St. Louis to discover their cultural origins. These dwellings also exist in Alexanderia,VA.

The Alexanderia Flounders were constructed by individuals of British heritage. They resemble the hall/parlor homes that dominate the mid Atlantic states squeezed into an urban lot. All the St. Louis Flounders that I have researched were constructed by German immigrants. The Alexandria Flounders are laid out and look identical to the St. Louis Flounders. The Alexandria Flounders are much older than the St. Louis Flounders. However, St. Louis is an older city than Alexandria.

A similar example exists in New Orleans known as an appentis cottage. The appentis cottage, meaning lean-to in French, was brought to New Orleans by the French. It was a lean-to tacked on to a dwelling in the French country side and used as a utilitarian space. It looks like a hipped roofed Flounder and was constructed by individuals of creole heritage.

I believe the Flounder arrived in St. Louis when a flood of Southerners left Virginia, North Carolina, Kentucky and Tennessee after the acquisition of St. Louis by the United States in 1804.

I've read a handful of scholarly journals reguarding Flounders and I believe it was a simple and inexpensive structure to build and was used by several cultures. I also believe they existed in more cities than the ones mentioned above. I'm planning on writing an article and I'm reaching out to others in different cities to find other examples.

I would appreciate any information or your thoughts.

Thank You,
Ryan Reed

rjreed77@yahoo.com

Editor's Note:
If you know any like this in Canada, or can offer assistance send to Ryan Reed, copy to cnasmith@sympatico.ca