Acorn

From the President's Pen: When It Comes To Brantford, Been Down So Long It Looks Like Up To Me

Since the last newsletter I have visited theSouth Bruce Grey branch, speaking at the ACO's biggest asset, the Victoria Jubilee Hall, and touring a part of Ontario that I did not know very well at all. Then on Saturday I was in Brantford, a town I sometimes feel that I know too well, having spent much of last year in the battle to save the south side of Colborne Street. Visiting the site of this vandalism, one has a dramatic vista of a casino, a parking garage and a shopping plaza, I could only shake my head. (I am told that supporters of the demo say how great it is to see the river again, but I just saw a sea of parking, not a hint of river) On the other hand, the town has a dynamic new mayor who came to our meeting and said all the right things. Chris Friel claims to be a supporter of heritage, is implementing a new heritage plan, has put ACO members on the Heritage Committee and was all round a great sport at the meeting.  Yet the municipally owned Cockshutt Building, future home of the Canadian Industrial Heritage Museum, continues to rot. If we could see some visible progress there, it would be more proof that Brantford really has turned a corner. But sitting in that fabulous restored Carnegie Library, with so many heritage activists doing such a great job putting on what I think was the best meeting of my term, convinces me that, yes, at last, things are looking up in Brantford.

Aco Releases New Computer Modelling Of The Visual Attack On Queens Park

The postcard view of Ontario's Parliament Buildings won't be the same after the developers finish building condos on Bloor Street; Here is our latest press release and a link to the latest study: The Architectural Conservancy of Ontario (ACO) is asking the Government of Ontario to put in place emergency legislation to protect the view of the silhouette of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario (LAO) from development appearing in the background. Once emergency protection is established, the Province should work with the City of Toronto to further develop the legal framework needed at both levels of government to protect the dignity of Ontario's most important ceremonial space. Because of our concerns following the recent OMB decision on 21 Avenue Road, ACO asked the Centre for Landscape Research at the University of Toronto (CLR), and urban design firm du Toit Allsopp Hillier (DTAH) to examine the recommended new heights policies in Tall Buildings, Inviting Change to Downtown - a consultant study prepared for the City of Toronto. Download the study from our website here

 

Summer Job Opportunity: Work for the ACO!

Every summer we hire a student to help us out in the office, thanks to a great Summer Experience Program supported by the Provincial Government. During my term I have worked with Lauren Archer and Shannon Clayton, and they are tough acts to follow. Last year we got deluged with computerized applications, often from people who didn't even know who we were. So I suggested that applicants do a little essay this year about why they want this gig. Official description below:    We are seeking a Built Heritage Conservation Assistant for a seven-week position funded by the Provincial Government under the Summer Experience Program.  Applicants must be currently enrolled in a secondary, or post-secondary institution or within six months of graduation and have reached the age of 15 and not yet reached the age of 25 upon commencement of employment or up to 29 years for persons with a disability as defined under the Ontario Human Rights Code. Applicants must be residents of Ontario and eligible to work in Canada. Applications should be sent to Rollo Myers, Manager, Architectural Conservancy of Ontario, 403 - 10 Adelaide Street E., Toronto ON   M5C 1J3, Fax 416-367-8630, email aco@on.aibn.com. Applications must be received by May 11. Please include a cover letter of about 250 words indicating your background and why you are interested in this position.  Candidates will be contacted for interviews following May 18.

Your Name In Lights: Help Sponsor the Ontario Heritage Conference!

The conference in Cobourg is getting close; early bird signup ends on May 1. (Register here). But while the attendance looks good, they could use a little help on the sponsorship front. Malcolm Wardman writes (IN ALL UPPER CASE SO I HAD TO RETYPE THE WHOLE THING, DON'T DO THAT AGAIN MALCOLM!!!):   The conference committee is pleased to announce that registrations for the conference are proceeding rapidly with over 100 full day registrations to date and 20 student registrations. To avoid disappointment they urge you to book today as there is a capacity limit of 200 registrations plus panelists. The final program is now on our website. They also advise, that compared to previous conferences, they are experiencing difficulties obtaining financial sponsors due to the economic situation, and cut-backs in government and charitable funding programs. They request that you consider becoming a sponsor to ensure the success of the conference and the innovative student subsidy program.

Join The Party On Facebook

Facebook, like all the new social media, doesn't happen by itself. Former Board member Byron Burley and I set up a group page two years ago that didn't draw flies. Then volunteer Hilary Vaillancourt schooled us on how you do this right, started up a new page and populated it with a ton of content, and turned it into a great source of news, information and discussion.    I mean, newsletters like Acorn in a Nutshell are so two weeks old. The Facebook site is now fun, up to date and a great source of information and interaction. I have never been a Facebook fan; Twitter is designed for my attention span. But because of Hilary's work I am beginning to understand why it is such a phenomenon. Check it out here.   Want to comment? Leave it on the tired oldfashioned blog or facebook. In fact, this is the last newsletter where I will be reproducing the content on the blog to support comments; as of the next newsletter I will be putting the posts on Facebook, which has a much more active commenting community.

 

What Will We Do With Our Heritage Hotels?

Touring South Bruce-Grey with Branch Past President Henry Simpson last weekend, I saw string of under-utilized, empty and endangered heritage hotels, like this one in Paisley, photographed by Catherine Nasmith. They are such an important part of our history, almost always sitting at the main intersection of town. The former (now cured) real estate developer in me looks at them and thinks of all the boomers wanting to cash out of Toronto and wonders why they are not being renovated, converted, turned into wonderful apartments in these gorgeous, walkable small towns.    Everywhere I have gone in this province in the last two years as President of the ACO, I have seen nothing but opportunity. I just keep asking "why don't they do this?" and "why are they not addressing this market?"    And I keep hearing the same thing- the local gentry just like new stuff, they are not interested in preserving old buildings. They don't even like or want the artists and craftspeople who move in and then start complaining about the way they run things. It just splits the community between the pickups and the Priuses.    To paraphrase Abba Eban, our municipal politicians never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity. I wish I knew what we could do to change this.

 

ACO Releases Computer Modelling of Visual Attack On Queens Park

The Architectural Conservancy of Ontario (ACO) is asking the Government of Ontario to put in place emergency legislation to protect the view of the silhouette of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario (LAO) from development appearing in the background. Once emergency protection is established, the Province should work with the City of Toronto to further develop the legal framework needed at both levels of government to protect the dignity of Ontario’s most important ceremonial space.

Because of our concerns following the recent OMB decision on 21 Avenue Road, ACO asked the Centre for Landscape Research at the University of Toronto (CLR), and urban design firm du Toit Allsopp Hillier (DTAH) to examine the recommended new heights policies in Tall Buildings, Inviting Change to Downtown – a consultant study prepared for the City of Toronto.

Download Queen's Park Study PDF Here

 

From the President's Pen: "Tall Buildings, Inviting Change in Downtown" Needs More Work If It Is Going to Save Public Vistas

I am the President for a little while yet, so my name goes on the top of the press releases. But when one looks at the work that has been done over the past few years on the Queens Park file, you cannot help but admire past president Catherine Nasmith for her tenacity and determination.  Last night she brought forward new research, new documentation prepared by   The Centre for Landscape Research (CLR) and Du Toit Allsopp Hillier. It's damning stuff, modelling the new towers at Bloor Street, showing how they destroy even the classic postcard view. She says "There was an audible gasp in the room when the image of the height line from Queen Street was on the screen."   Something must be done. I hope Minister Chan, Premier McGuinty and Mayor Ford are listening.   Please support us in this work. The research and modelling is expensive and time-consuming. You can make a donation throughCanada Helps here.

 

In a Nutshell.....

Obituary for Paul Oberman

John Bentley Mays wrote a lovely obit for Paul Oberman in the Globe last weekend:

 

When death came for Toronto real-estate entrepreneur Paul Oberman, 53, in a remote Maine forest on March 7, Canada's architectural inheritance lost one of its most devoted friends and defenders. More in the Globe and Mail. 

CN Attacks Kingston's Heritage, Canada's Heritage; Where is the Federal Government?

We don't have a branch in Kingston; they have their own very activeFrontenac Heritage Foundation. They are fighting to save a  so-called "protected" railway station from demolition by neglect, notwithstanding that there is a "Heritage Railway Stations Protection Act" that the federal government and CN are ignoring.

In fact, from lighthouses to train stations, to the terminal at Toronto Island Airport, the feds are nowhere to be seen, ignoring their responsibilities about the buildings that they own and regulate. It's election time, and we should be out there making an issue of it. Read more about Kingston here.

 

 

Heritage Resources Centre Workshop on Energy and Heritage Buildings: Kayla Reports

Last week we noted that there was a workshop in Kitchener at the REEPhouse; I asked Kayla Jonas to report on it. She writes:

 

This past weekend the Heritage Resources Centre at the University of Waterloo  held a workshop on older homes and energy. The workshop took place at the REEP House in Kitchener, a century home that has been retrofitted to make it as energy efficient as possible. 

 

Saturday consisted of looking at the theory behind the concept of embodied energy. Professor Geoff Lewis of the School of Planning at the University of Waterloo focused on Life Cycle Analysis of building materials to determine embodied energy. Sunday morning the architect of the REEP House, Graham Whiting gave  the group a tour of the house explaining the systems that were added to the house, and the renovations that were undertaken. Graham works primarily with older homes and offered lots of insight into how the principles used in the home's remodel could be applied to other residential properties. Sunday afternoon consisted of a practical group activity lead by Professor Geoff Lewis, which allowed participants to estimate the materials used in the house to determine the total embodied energy. This activity was followed by a discussion on how the material learned in the workshop could be applied to municipal settings.