Photo Credit: Comox Valley Echo

Well, sadly it is official.  As a follow up to a previous story I posted this morning, the Lorne Hotel and Pub in Comox, one of British Columbia’s oldest and longest serving hotels, has been completely destroyed by fire today. It’s a very sad loss for heritage in British Columbia.

If you would like to read the story at the Vancouver Sun by Tamara Cunningham, please click here to take you directly to the story.

Below is a picture of the Lorne Hotel in the 1880s, courtesy of the Comox Archives and Museum.

Photo Credit: Comox Archives and Museum

Historic Lorne Hotel and Pub, Comox BC. Built 1878. Photo Credit: Bob_2006

Yet, another heritage building tragedy to report this morning, this time out of British Columbia. I just got an email from a friend that the historic landmark Lorne Hotel and Pub in Comox is on fire. This historic landmark was built by an American investor in 1878 and is one of British Columbia’s longest running hotels. It is a beautiful structure with many of it’s original interior features and is a supurb example of local, vernacular craftsmanship.

Let’s hope the fire isn’t too serious and this building can be saved. I’ll keep you up to date on developments with this story.

Hello everyone,

It has always been a pleasure to have been interviewed throughout my career on various projects I have been involved with. But, when it comes down to being interviewed by a fellow heritage professional on working in the industry…well that surely ranks as a “top 10″ event for sure.

I was recently interviewed by my colleague and fellow “warrior in heritage”, Kayla Jonas, for her wonderful blog Adventures in Heritage. That interview was posted today on her blog and you can read it right here. This is part of series of interviews Kayla is conducting over the next several weeks with people who are involved in many aspects of the heritage industry. Please check it out. And while you are there, read through Kayla’s posts. Adventures in Heritage is a great blog and I applaude both Kayla’s work and insight into built heritage.

For those of you who live around the GTA or in southwest Ontario, there is an upcoming workshop I wanted to tell you about taking place on February 11th. It is the 14th annual Grand River Watershed Heritage Day Workshop and Celebration being held at the Breslau Community Centre from 8:30am to 5:00pm. It is a free event, with a buffet lunch included and the day is capped off with a reception at the Runways Café in the Waterloo Wellington Flight Centre.

For more information about topics covered and how to register please see the  Workshop Poster. Registrations will be taken until February 4th or until the Workshop reaches capacity. I hope to see you there!

The decorations have been put up, the baking completed and gifts all wrapped. Now, I just wanted to take a moment to write a quick note to wish everyone out there a very safe and Happy Holiday season.  Thank you for your continued support of this site and I look forward to posting new stories soon and, as always, I love reading your comments and suggestions.

So from our house to your’s, the very best  of the season to you all and much health, success and happiness in 2011, no matter what your hopes and dreams are!

Cheers,

Laura

Photo Credit: K. Manning

So, you own a home that was built prior to 1940 and you’re listening to all the hype out there from window companies about how great vinyl windows are at saving you money on your heating bills. You want to rip out those old “nasty” windows and put in some vinyl instead. Should you do it? There was a workshop I attended on November 20^th that was sponsored by the Aurora Heritage Advisory Committee that addressed the prevailing attitudes about our society’s need to abandon the old and adopt the new when it comes to replacing windows in older homes. You may save a few dollars in the first few years, but that will eventually change. Quite simply, you could be causing your home more long term damage if you replace those old wood windows with vinyl. An alternative you should consider is repairing your original windows instead.  (more…)

Are you a heritage professional, an architectural or planning student, or a private citizen concerned about the preservation of built heritage in your community? Do you love historic architecture and want to contribute to the preservation and adaptive re-use of these structures?  If you answered yes, then there is an upcoming workshop being presented by the University of Waterloo’s Heritage Resources Centre you will find both interesting and useful.

This four day workshop, spread over two weekends, takes place this year at Hamilton’s Museum of Steam and Technology on October 23 and 24 and will conclude November 6 and 7. This workshop will help give you the tools to foster co-operation and teamwork at all levels of the heritage industry. It is open to anyone who has an interest in heritage from heritage planners and architects to students, heritage property owners and anyone from the general public who has an interest in how heritage planning works.

Considered to be one of the premier workshops of its kind in Canada, the Heritage Planning Workshop will explore such topics as heritage legislation including the Ontario Heritage Act, how to write heritage statements of significance, the heritage property business, the full range of heritage planning tools, plus many more significant topics vital to the heritage industry.

If you would like more information about the Heritage Planning Workshop, please go to the Heritage Resources Centre website or phone: 519-888-4567 ext. 36921, email: [email protected]

 This is always a very well attended and extremely popular workshop and spaces are limited so, please, contact the Heritage Resources Centre today to avoid disappointment.  The future preservation and adaptive re-use of historic places and cultural landscapes lies in each person’s hands in Canada. Without dialogue, co-operation and interest from all sectors of society, we will continue to lose more of our rich historic and cultural sites forever.

Photo Credit: Laura Waldie

If you love a good story about a person’s rise from rags to riches yet never loses their kindness and compassion for others, then the third instalment of the “Canadian Castles” series is for you. Nestled in the heart of Baden Ontario, is a stunning Italianate home that was built in 1877 for James Livingston, a flax and linseed oil industrialist whose empire stretched as far west as Manitoba and south into the United States. On the home’s exterior, Livingston had been criticised for its “plainness” yet, on the inside, it boasted one of the finest collections of ceiling paintings and handcrafted local furniture anywhere in Canada. Considered the “Jewel of Wilmot Township”, Castle Kilbride was the Livingston family home for four generations and represented a little piece of Scotland that was so dear to James Livingston.   (more…)

 For all you archaeology and liguist buffs out there, I wanted to share this story with you about a newly discovered language. It’s always exciting when something like this pops up. This story has come courtesy of the Reuters Newswire…. (more…)

Photo Credit: Laura Waldie

This weekend was a great opportunity to get out and enjoy a Doors Open event across many parts of Ontario. From Ajax to Mississauga, from Barrie to Sudbury and from London to Waterloo, there was something for everyone to see and enjoy. Since I was in the Waterloo Region this weekend, I decided to take advantage of what the Tri-Cities area had to offer. There were a few places I visited including the Sun Life Financial building in downtown Waterloo.  (more…)