Posts Tagged adaptive re-use

Photo Credit: Laura Waldie

I was emailed today with what I thought was a neat question. Derek from St. John’s asked me “What building is in your gravatar? It looks quite old.” It is an old building actually. Well, old by Canadian standards I suppose. It is the Black Swan Guesthouse on Peasholme Green in York, England. It was built in 1417 for William Bowes who became Lord Mayor of York that same year. The Bowes went on to make quite a name for themselves as a family of goldsmiths to the Tudor Kings and Queens and William’s son Martin became Lord Mayor of London. Martin was also an advid heritage conservationist! He intervened in the proposed demolition of several medieval churches in York, including St. Cuthbert’s and the York Rectory, by arguing that these buildings were still in great shape and were links to the City’s historic past and should be saved. He then went on to restore the Church so it could be passed down to us in good condition today. But the real reason I use this building pictured above as my gravatar is its Canadian connections…. (more…)

Photo Credit: TOBuilt

This edition of The Great Canadian Architects series looks at two Toronto based architects who contributed greatly to the development of commercial and banking architecture in the early twentieth century in not just Toronto, but across western Canada. Frank Darling and John A. Pearson would create a solid association that lasted from the early 1890s until 1923. They are best known for their banks of which many were built in the Beaux-Arts and Classical Revival styles. Darling and Pearson observed what was happening in the architectural spaces of Chicago, New York and London and created their own architectural interpretations to reflect the unique Canadian experience of commercial development in the early twentieth century.  (more…)

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…)

Photo Credit: Laura Waldie, 2010

It’s been a busy month here at “History to the People” and I wanted to take the opportunity to tell you about some seminars and workshops I have taken part in recently that have been both helpful and have given me further knowledge in this wonderful world of built heritage and cultural landscapes.

The first event was a four day workshop hosted by the University of Waterloo’s Heritage Resources Centre which took place at the beautiful Museum of Steam and Technology in Hamilton, Ontario from October 23-24 and November 6-7, 2010. Here, Professor Robert Shipley and his staff led a series of lectures, group discussions, and team exercises on the world of heritage planning. As someone who eventually wants to become a heritage planner, I had literally been waiting all year for this workshop to take place, and it was worth the wait!  (more…)

Photo Credit: Activehistory.ca

For those of you who are involved in municipal heritage planning or preservation, no matter where in Canada you are, you have surely heard about the demolition of 41 historic buildings along Colborne Street in Brantford, Ontario. This was a demolition of monumental proportions because of the history and heritage lost which affects not just Brantford history, but Canadian history and heritage. Why is it such a hot debate? Among these buildings were some of the most complete pre-Confederation buildings in Canada as well as the office of Alexander Graham Bell and one of the first grocery stores in Ontario. They ranged in architectural style from Italianate, Georgian Gothic, Victorian and Edwardian. It is not necessarily the loss of these architectural styles, or the personal history in these buildings, that holds the key to future appreciation of built heritage structures. It is, however, the loss of potential re-adaptive use. It must be acknowledged that these buildings, for the most part, had been neglected over the last couple of decades. Yet that doesn’t mean they could not have been revitalized and brought back to life through a marriage of past styles and modern functions to create a new environmental and corporate friendly existence.

Photo Credit: Brantford Heritage Committee. Reprinted in the Natonal Post, June 8 2010; nationalpost.com

The City of Brantford took control of the block of buildings along south Colborne Street in 2009 and applied to Ottawa for a Federal stimulus package worth $1.38 million to tear down the structures. There was no plan at that time as to what to do with the cleared site other than use it as a source of future economic development. Heritage groups, individual advocates and national foundations did what they could to stop the project. The project was halted briefly while City Council discussed the matter. In the end, demolition went ahead on June 8, 2010.

One positive thing that has come from this event is more and more city mayoral candidates in Ontario are being asked by the public their views on heritage preservation in their cities. In fact, similar questions are being asked all across Canada this fall as Colborne Street is not an isolated case. Every part of Canada sees some sort of significant loss of heritage sites and/or buildings every year. On October 7th, 2010 the Brantford Expositor published a story about how Brantford mayoral and ward councilor candidates are facing the public’s questions about Colborne Street and their views about heritage preservation and adaptive re-use of historic buildings. Heritage preservation and adaptive re-use is becoming an important topic of debate as many citizens are becoming more aware of their community’s history as well as the positive economic impact of adapting older buildings for new purposes.

Photo Credit: Activehistory.ca

There is still a long way to go in educating the politicians and the public in general. But at least debate is a step in the right direction. If you would like to read the full Expositor article, please click the link below.

Expositor Article by Michael-Allan Marion