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Expanding the narrative
This is part of a broader conversation about whose history is being told, about gender, people of colour and the economically disenfranchised, and others whose stories have been overlooked or intentionally omitted from the authorized discussion.
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Intangible heritage
Intangible cultural heritage includes language, traditions, music, food, special skills, etc.
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Heritage buildings and the evolution of workspace
By
Michael Emory
Economics of heritage, Buildings and architecture, Adaptive reuse
Published Date: Oct 01, 2019
I work for Allied Properties – a leading owner, manager and developer of urban workspace in major Canadian cities. Allied’s units are publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange.
Allied was known initially for its leading role in the emergence of distinctive urban workspace in Toronto. This began in the 1980s and accelerated in the late 1990s. It involved the adaptive reuse of heritage buildings constructed over a century ago for light-industrial use. Properly restored and retrofitted, these buildings were ideal for contemporary office and storefront-retail use because of their high ceilings, abundant natural light, exposed structural frames, interior brick, hardwood floors and architecturally distinct façades. It felt a lot like Back to the Future at the time, and it still does.
Though not the first, Allied was early to recognize that heritage buildings could be reused to serve knowledge-based organizations at the vanguard of our economy. Allied also recognized that operating these buildings in a concentrated and coordinated manner enabled them to become a vital part of the urban fabric and to contribute meaningfully to a sense of community, especially in the midst of a dense and monolithic city.
Interestingly, Allied’s experience with restored heritage buildings guided it to the future of workspace. If you ask workspace users today what matters most, their answer will be light, air and an open plan, which are the very attributes that led to the remarkable emergence of restored heritage buildings two decades ago. Abundant natural light and fresh air contribute enormously to human wellness and productivity. An open plan improves collaboration and creativity. When people can move around and freely interact with one another, good things happen. Communication is improved, along with mutual understanding, and those wonderful random sparks of ingenuity occur.
Thanks to user attitudes and building technology, we no longer have to destroy the old to create the new. We can restore and retrofit older structures worthy of preservation and integrate them with new ones, as Allied has done in Toronto and other major Canadian cities. New-format office space that successfully integrates old and new is a big part of the future of workspace.
Allied’s experience with heritage buildings also increased its sensitivity to design. When people migrated to the suburbs in the 1950s, the sensitivity to design in the inner cities seemed to diminish, if not disappear altogether. Heritage properties were destroyed to make way for non-descript, inward-looking buildings, and synthetic materials seemed to cover everything everywhere. You can’t imagine how many beautiful hardwood staircases Allied discovered beneath sheets of arborite.
Design now matters, and design now pays. The workspace that Allied created at the Queen Richmond Centre West in Toronto is an excellent example. Our architects, Sweeny&Co., came up with a creative and beautiful way to build a new office tower above two fully restored heritage buildings. Although the design entailed additional cost, the ultimate economic and social return on the investment was exceptional. The design paid off in every conceivable way.
While it’s largely counter-intuitive, the intensification of major Canadian cities and changing attitudes toward workspace actually created favourable conditions for revitalizing heritage buildings. While public policy can certainly be helpful in this regard, the best guarantee is economic viability. Because of changing attitudes, with emphasis on distinctiveness and authenticity, adaptively re-using heritage buildings is likely to remain viable for the foreseeable future, which bodes well for cities and for city building.
Allied’s business is underpinned by the economic viability of restored heritage buildings. Allied went public in 2003 for the express purpose of consolidating urban workspace that was centrally located, architecturally distinctive and more cost-effective than conventional office towers. The consolidation that ensued was continuous. Starting with assets of $120 million, a market capitalization of $62 million and a local urban workspace portfolio of 76,180 square metres (820,000 square feet), Allied now has assets of $8 billion, a market capitalization of $6 billion and a national urban workspace portfolio of nearly 1.2 million square metres (13 million square feet). I mention this not as an advertisement for Allied, but rather as compelling evidence of the fact that restoring heritage buildings is both economically viable and socially desirable. [Photos courtesy of Michael Emory]
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Walkerville: The heritage of a company town
Among the shrinking number of 19th-century company towns, Walkerville – part of the City of Windsor since 1935 – remains an outstanding example of what...
![An onsite workshop was created at the station, employing local youth and teaching them how to restore historic windows.](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/Aravopoulos-CASO-Station-web.jpg)
- 11 Feb 2010
- Buildings and architecture
- Author: Kiki Aravopoulos,
Seeing better days
The St. Thomas Canadian Southern Railway station (CASO) occupies a prominent position on the city’s main street. Perhaps it is the station’s sheer size –...
![Fort Malden National Historic Site, Windsor (© Ontario Tourism 2010)](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/McLeod-41-Amherstburg-Fort-Malden-web.jpg)
- 11 Feb 2010
- Buildings and architecture
Community - Author: Kathryn McLeod,
Exploring Ontario’s southern peninsula
As you roam the highways and waterways of Ontario’s southern peninsula, a tapestry of stories unravels. These stories speak about settlement and growth, a testament...
![A military encampment at Tecumseh Park, c. 1885. Tecumseh Park has been a military reserve since 1794 when Simcoe ordered the establishment of a shipyard on this site.](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/Benson-Tecumseh-Park-3-web.jpg)
- 11 Feb 2010
- Buildings and architecture
Community
Cultural landscapes - Author: Dave Benson,
The history of Chatham-Kent
Chatham-Kent’s rich cultural heritage began long before European settlement when large stockaded villages and Neutral Indians dominated the Thames River and the Lake Erie-Lake St...
![Toronto Jewish Old Folks’ Home (1918), Toronto](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/Little-Jewish-Old-Folks-Home-web.jpg)
- 10 Sep 2009
- Buildings and architecture
Community - Author: Alison Little,
A legacy of support: Faith-based community
Reaching out to those in need has long been a part of Ontario’s religious tradition. Faith-based groups offering medical and social assistance arrived with the...
![Art deco-designed Holy Blossom Temple](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/Drinkwater-Holy-Blossom-Temple-web.jpg)
- 10 Sep 2009
- Buildings and architecture
Community - Author: Jennifer Drinkwater,
Toronto’s synagogues: Keeping collective memories alive
Collective memory is cultural memory – what is remembered about an event by a social or cultural group that experienced it and by those to...
![Canadian Churches: An architectural history, by Peter Richardson and Douglas Richardson, with photographs by John de Visser](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/PoWI-Resources-Canadian-Churches-web.jpg)
- 10 Sep 2009
- Buildings and architecture
- Author: Ontario Heritage Trust,
Places of Worship resources
Publications Churches: Explore the symbols, learn the language and discover the history, by Timothy Brittain-Catlin Collins Press. Churches and cathedrals, intentionally imposing and dignified, contain...
![Fifth Church of Christ Scientist, Toronto](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/McTeague-Fifth-Church-of-Christ-Scientist-web.jpg)
- 10 Sep 2009
- Buildings and architecture
- Author: Marybeth McTeague,
Ontario’s postwar places of worship: Modernist designs evoke traditional styles
The years following the Second World War were characterized by a sense of renewal and optimism. Places of worship built in Ontario during this period...
![Third-floor unit, Glebe Lofts, Toronto](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/Laforest-Glebe-Lofts-web.jpg)
- 10 Sep 2009
- Buildings and architecture
Adaptive reuse - Author: Jennifer Laforest,
Adapting today’s places of worship
Adaptive reuse of religious buildings can simultaneously preserve significant heritage sites and benefit communities, but in Ontario those who want to make these conversions face...
![Brockville’s Court House Square offers an excellent example of non-conformist Gothic in an urban setting](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/Iron-Thurlby-Brockville-Courthouse-Square-web.jpg)
- 10 Sep 2009
- Buildings and architecture
- Author: Candace Iron and Malcolm Thurlby,
Gothic traditions in Ontario churches
The importance of worship in 19th-century Ontario can be measured by the church buildings erected in the province during that time. Invariably, Ontario denominations turned...
![St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church is one of 20 designated places of worship in Hamilton and one of three in the city with an Ontario Heritage Trust conservation easement](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/Cuming-St-Pauls-Presbyterian-web.jpg)
- 10 Sep 2009
- Buildings and architecture
Community - Author: David Cuming,
From Hamilton, a municipal perspective
Places of worship are often stunning buildings, constructed in forms and styles that have existed for thousands of years around the world, using specialized techniques...
![The Sharon Temple’s barrel organ was built around 1830 by Richard Coates (Photo: Katherine Belrose)](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/Holman-Sharon-Temple-organ-web.jpg)
- 10 Sep 2009
- Buildings and architecture
Arts and creativity - Author: Nicholas Holman,
The music of worship
Goethe said that “architecture is frozen music,” but why did he say this? Was it because Christian church interiors, with their columns and arches, seem...
![Anglican Church at Magnetawan (1933) by A.J. Casson (National Gallery of Canada)](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/Semande-Casson-NGC-web.jpg)
- 10 Sep 2009
- Buildings and architecture
Arts and creativity - Author: Erin Semande,
Art in the church and the church in art: Work of the Group of Seven
Talented and renowned artists have long been commissioned to decorate the interiors of places of worship, where they often turn the walls and ceilings into...
![Built in 1836, the Auld Kirk in Mississippi Mills is an early example of a Presbyterian church in Ontario](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/Bennett-Auld-Kirk-web.jpg)
- 10 Sep 2009
- Buildings and architecture
Community - Author: Vicki Bennett,
Form and function: The impact of liturgy, symbolism and use on design
During the 19th century, the location, physical condition and stylistic merit of churches were publicly discussed as reliable indicators of a community’s value, moral fabric...
![Beaverton’s Old Stone Church benefits from a dedicated group of stewards](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/Burgess-Link-Old-Stone-Church-web.jpg)
- 10 Sep 2009
- Buildings and architecture
Community - Author: Jane Burgess and Ann Link,
Enduring stewardship preserves a treasured heritage church
Located just east of Beaverton, the Old Stone Church, built in 1840 by a predominantly Scottish congregation, is a simple but handsomely proportioned small Georgian...
![Windsor Mosque, Windsor](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/Hatcher-Windsor-Mosque-web.jpg)
- 10 Sep 2009
- Buildings and architecture
Community - Author: Laura Hatcher,
The changing face of worship
The architectural style, massing, materials and date stones of a place of worship offer clues about the congregation’s history and values. Likewise, the building’s size...
![First Baptist Church, Chatham](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/Cook-Morrison-First-Baptist-Church-Chatham-web.jpg)
Religious freedom in the promised land
Eli Johnson toiled on plantations in Virginia, Mississippi and Kentucky before making his bid for freedom in the “promised land” – the term used by...
![With its associated cemetery and rural landscape, St. Anne’s Roman Catholic Church is a Haldimand landmark](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/Shearer-St-Annes-RC-Haldimand-web.jpg)
- 10 Sep 2009
- Buildings and architecture
Community
Cultural landscapes - Author: Wendy Shearer,
Places of worship in Ontario’s rural cultural landscape
The cultural landscapes of rural southern Ontario contain a variety of heritage resources – land patterns and uses, built forms and natural features. Within these...
![Ste-Anne-des-Pins, Sudbury](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/Frenette-Ste-Anne-des-Pins-Sudbury-web.jpg)
- 10 Sep 2009
- Indigenous heritage
Buildings and architecture
Community - Author: Yves Frenette,
Churches of “New Ontario”
In the middle of the 19th century, northern Ontario remained much as it had been under the French regime – a region of Catholic missions...
![Interior of Assumption Church, Windsor](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/Kelly-Assumption-Church-Windsor-web.jpg)
- 10 Sep 2009
- Indigenous heritage
Buildings and architecture
Francophone heritage
Community - Author: Wayne Kelly,
Ontario’s rich religious heritage
From the First People who for thousands of years conducted religious and cultural ceremonies at places they believed held spiritual significance, to subsequent arrivals who...
![Christ Church Anglican, Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/McLeod-Christ-Church-Anglican-web.jpg)
- 10 Sep 2009
- Indigenous heritage
Buildings and architecture
Community
Cultural objects - Author: Kathryn McLeod,
Christ Church and the Queen Anne Silver
Located in Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory on the Bay of Quinte, Christ Church houses a silver communion service dating to 1712. This remarkable service represents an...
![Thoughtful details in the fence around St. George’s Anglican Cathedral (Kingston) make it an important part of the church’s landscape](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/Letourneau-St-Georges-Cathedral-web.jpg)
- 10 Sep 2009
- Buildings and architecture
Cultural landscapes - Author: Marcus R. Létourneau,
Sacred landscapes in Ontario’s communities
While places of worship are a visible aspect of Ontario’s heritage, they are part of wider cultural landscapes that can include supporting structures, burial places...
![Trust Researcher Erin Semande (left) and planner Laura Hatcher conducting fieldwork for Ontario’s Places of Worship Inventory.](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/Moorhouse-Semande-Hatcher-web.jpg)
- 10 Sep 2009
- Buildings and architecture
Community - Author: Richard Moorhouse,
Launching the Places of Worship Inventory
Survey, documentation and research – these are the first steps in the conservation process. How can decisions be made about our heritage without first acquiring...
![Light of the World depicted in stained glass at the St. John the Evangelist in South Cayuga](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/Wilcox-St-John-the-Evangelist-window-web.jpg)
- 10 Sep 2009
- Buildings and architecture
Arts and creativity
Cultural objects - Author: John Wilcox,
Adventures in light and colour
Light is a fundamental aspect of all architecture, especially places of worship. Light has always been considered a manifestation of the spirit, providing guidance, comfort...
![Ste Bernadette Church, Bonfield](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/Pappin-Ste-Bernadette-web.jpg)
- 10 Sep 2009
- Buildings and architecture
- Author: Bruce Pappin,
The challenge of change in the Catholic Diocese of Pembroke
In May 2006, the Catholic parish of Ste Bernadette in the small northern Ontario community of Bonfield celebrated the 100th anniversary of its church. A...
![The vacant former St. Joachim Roman Catholic Church, Lakeshore](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/Fraser-St-Joachim-RC-web.jpg)
- 10 Sep 2009
- Buildings and architecture
- Author: Sean Fraser,
The challenges of ownership
Historic places of worship may possess cultural heritage values that engender public support for their preservation, but these values sometimes differ from the spiritual and...
![Demolition of the Palmer Livery Building, Cambridge, March 27, 2007 (Photo courtesy of Ken Hoyle)](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/Fraser-Livery-Cambridge-Demo3-web.jpg)
- 28 May 2009
- Buildings and architecture
Community
Tools for conservation - Author: Sean Fraser,
Subsidizing demolition
In nature, there is no such thing as waste. Nature operates in an endless web of interconnected cycles of use, transformation and reuse. The concept...
![The heart of the Ruthven estate is this two-and-a-half-storey limestone Greek Revival-style mansion](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/Chipperfield-Aravopoulos-Ruthven-web.jpg)
- 28 May 2009
- Buildings and architecture
Natural heritage
Community - Author: Tamara Chipperfield and Kiki Aravopoulos,
Heritage in harmony: The integration of natural and cultural landscapes
Approximately 11,000 years of human culture are recorded in Ontario’s landscapes. Most existing natural landscapes in Ontario today have intrinsic cultural heritage meaning and significance...
![The Huron Historic Gaol (1839-42) is designated a National Historic Site](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/Semande-Huron-Historic-GaolBW-web.jpg)
- 28 May 2009
- Buildings and architecture
Community - Author: Erin Semande,
The sustainability of place
Located on the Lake Huron shore at the mouth of the Maitland River, Goderich is known as “Canada’s Prettiest Town.” It is situated in what...
![Wychwood Barns (Photo courtesy of du Toit Architects Limited)](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/Lobko-Torza-Wychwood-facade-detail-web.jpg)
- 28 May 2009
- Buildings and architecture
Adaptive reuse - Author: Joe Lobko and Megan Torza,
Rebirth of the Wychwood Barns
The Artscape Wychwood Barns – near St. Clair Avenue West and Bathurst Street in Toronto – were created when five historic streetcar maintenance barns were...
![Smallwood calculated that saving the Wallis House (shown here) diverted the equivalent of 500,000 blue boxes of debris from entering landfill](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/Smallwood-Wallis-House-web.jpg)
- 28 May 2009
- Buildings and architecture
Environment - Author: L.A. (Sandy) Smallwood,
Discarding the past
When an old building is torn down, we lose more than just the structure. We lose a bit of our past. The foundation walls and...
![The Fairfield White House, Bath](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/McLeod-Fairfield-Homestead-web.jpg)
- 12 Feb 2009
- Buildings and architecture
Community - Author: Kathryn McLeod,
Heritage off the 401
Highway 401, stretching from Windsor to the Quebec border, is one of the busiest highways in North America. Anyone who has journeyed east of Toronto...
![The dining room at Fulford Place in Brockville](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/Bubelis-Fulford-Place-web.jpg)
- 12 Feb 2009
- Buildings and architecture
Community - Author: Romas Bubelis,
Building on the past
Eastern Ontario offers an array of impressive historic houses. Some of these houses – owned and operated by the Ontario Heritage Trust – are featured...
![L’église catholique St. Brigid, Ottawa](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/Vidoni-St-Brigids-interior-web.jpg)
- 12 Feb 2009
- Buildings and architecture
- Author: Michael Vidoni,
La nouvelle St. Brigid
L’église catholique St. Brigid d’Ottawa est entrée dans une nouvelle ère. Depuis presque 120 ans, elle se dresse au cœur d’un quartier divers et dynamique...
![Mississippi Valley Textile Museum, Almonte (Photo courtesy of John T. Fowler, Photography for Education)](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/Jones-Mississippi-Valley-Textile-Museum-web.jpg)
- 12 Feb 2009
- Buildings and architecture
Community
Adaptive reuse - Author: Glenda Jones,
From mill to museum
The big oak door of the Mississippi Valley Textile Museum in Almonte in eastern Ontario swings silently open as it has done for over 10...
![Statue of Samuel de Champlain, Ottawa (Photo © Ontario Tourism, 2009)](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/Kelly-McLeod-Champlain-Ottawa-web.jpg)
- 12 Feb 2009
- Buildings and architecture
Community - Author: Wayne Kelly and Kathryn McLeod,
Ontario's eastern treasures
Inhabited by Aboriginal Peoples for 7,000 years, present-day eastern Ontario is rich with heritage. The area gradually transformed as French and later United Empire Loyalists...
![Rockwood Villa (Photo © Ontario Realty Corporation, 2009)](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/Kowalchuk-Rockwood-web.jpg)
- 12 Feb 2009
- Buildings and architecture
- Author: Ellen Kowalchuk,
The Rockwood story
Behind the stately façade of Kingston’s Rockwood Villa lies the history of mental health services in Ontario. Built in 1842 as a residence for local...
![Gun port in the basement crypt of the Bank](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/Bubelis-Bank-of-Upper-Canada-crypt-web.jpg)
- 11 Sep 2008
- Buildings and architecture
Adaptive reuse - Author: Romas Bubelis,
The character of adaptive reuse
In his 1947 essay titled “The Past in the Future,” architectural historian John Summerson (1904-92) offered this description of an old building. He was speaking...
![One noteworthy example of a successful adaptive reuse project was the conversion of this former post office into 91 market-rate units](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/Hanson-Peterborough-post-office-web.jpg)
- 11 Sep 2008
- Buildings and architecture
Community
Adaptive reuse - Author: Erik R. Hanson,
Second chances for Peterborough’s priceless heritage
One of the greatest challenges to creating a healthy downtown is getting people to live there. While Peterborough’s historic centre is full of beautiful heritage...
![The Jami Mosque in Toronto was formerly a Presbyterian church, converted in 1969](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/Fraser-Jami-Mosque-web.jpg)
- 11 Sep 2008
- Buildings and architecture
- Author: Sean Fraser,
The heritage of faith – Ontario’s places of worship
In 2006, the Ontario Heritage Trust began compiling an inventory of significant pre-1982 purpose-built places of worship located throughout the province. These remarkable cultural treasures...
![A study is being conducted that will hopefully result in the establishment of the Old Sydenham Heritage Area (representing approximately 550 properties) as a heritage conservation district](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/Letourneau-Old-Sydenham-Heritage-Area-web.jpg)
- 11 Sep 2008
- Buildings and architecture
Community - Author: Marcus R. Létourneau,
Kingston’s heritage: Time and again
The City of Kingston sits at a strategic location, halfway between Montreal and Toronto, where Lake Ontario meets the western end of the St. Lawrence...
![Alma College, 1891 (Photo courtesy of Elgin County Archives)](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/Mendes-Semande-Alma-College-1891-web.jpg)
- 11 Sep 2008
- Buildings and architecture
- Author: Beth Anne Mendes and Erin Semande,
Alma College remembered
By mid-afternoon on Wednesday, May 28, 2008, Alma College in St. Thomas was reduced to a smouldering ruin. The loss of this significant site to...
![The former Bank of Montreal in Hamilton was converted for use as the Gowlings Law Office](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/Fraser-Bank-of-Montreal-Gowlings-web.jpg)
- 11 Sep 2008
- Buildings and architecture
Adaptive reuse - Author: Sean Fraser,
Understanding adaptive reuse
In our efforts to conserve heritage properties, finding a use can be our greatest challenge and our greatest opportunity. An unused, vacant heritage building is...
![Thunder Bay’s Tourist Pagoda](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/Wicks-Thunder-Bay-Tourist-Pagoda-web.jpg)
- 12 Jun 2008
- Buildings and architecture
Community - Author: Thomas Wicks,
A renaissance of northern heritage
After railway development connected this once-isolated area to the rest of the province at the end of the 19th century, the abundant natural resources attracted...
![Sir Harry Oakes Chateau, Kirkland Lake](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/Heroux-Sir-Harry-Oakes-web.jpg)
- 12 Jun 2008
- Buildings and architecture
Community - Author: Denis Héroux,
Adventurous workers wanted for remote locations – Housing provided
The exploration, settlement and development of northern Ontario were motivated by the exploitation of the region’s natural resources – primarily fur, timber, gold and silver...
![McIntyre Mine Headframe, Timmins](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/Bubelis-DO-Timmins-McIntyre-Headframe-web.jpg)
- 12 Jun 2008
- Buildings and architecture
Community - Author: Romas Bubelis,
Northern icons
The towering McIntyre Mine Headframe in Timmins. The Clergue Block House and Powder Magazine in Sault Ste Marie. St. Francis of Assisi Anglican Church in...
![1907 Right of Way Mine with growing community in background](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/Fraser-Cobalt-1907-image-web.jpg)
- 12 Jun 2008
- Buildings and architecture
Community
Cultural landscapes - Author: Sean Fraser,
The historical Cobalt Mining District – A community resource
At the turn of the 20th century, Cobalt was a small and isolated lumber camp. In August 1903, two lumbermen – James McKinley and Ernest...
![Volunteers play an important role at the Niagara Apothecary](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/Dixon-Niagara-Apothecary-web.jpg)
- 14 Feb 2008
- Buildings and architecture
Cultural objects - Author: Kathryn Dixon,
Friends of the Trust
Throughout its 40 years, the Ontario Heritage Trust has developed strong partnerships with local communities. Among these partnerships are those with the groups whose efforts...
![The Winter Garden Theatre, George Pelekis](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/Pim-Winter-Garden-Photo-George-Pelekis.jpg)
- 14 Feb 2008
- Buildings and architecture
Arts and creativity
Adaptive reuse - Author: Gordon Pim,
Raising the curtain: How the Winter Garden Theatre was rediscovered
In December 1913, Loew’s Yonge Street Theatre – the Canadian flagship of the mighty Loew’s empire – opened in Toronto. Two months later, the opulent...
![Fort York, Toronto. © Ontario Tourism 2008](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/Fraser-Fort-York-OTMPC-web.jpg)
- 14 Feb 2008
- Buildings and architecture
- Author: Sean Fraser,
The past empowered
The buildings, structures and landscapes that comprise our cultural heritage are products of the intricate interplay between people and place over time. What is preserved...
![The Sir Aemilius Irving House, Hamilton](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/Fraser-Irving-House-Hamilton-web.jpg)
- 14 Feb 2008
- Buildings and architecture
- Author: Sean Fraser,
Have you seen this building?
In November 2007, the Sir Aemilius Irving House in Hamilton was demolished by its owner to make way for a new building. Unfortunately, local heritage...
![Enoch Turner Schoolhouse](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/Hanna-Enoch-Turner-Schoolhouse-facade-web.jpg)
- 14 Feb 2008
- Buildings and architecture
- Author: Beth Hanna,
Enoch Turner Schoolhouse – a citizen’s legacy
When the province of Ontario introduced the 1847 Common Schools Act, municipalities were given the power to introduce taxes to fund public education. Toronto city...
![St. Raphael’s Ruins](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/Hatcher-St-Raphaels-exterior-web.jpg)
- 14 Feb 2008
- Buildings and architecture
- Author: Laura Hatcher,
Counting our blessings
Built in Glengarry in 1821, St. Raphael’s Church was one of Ontario’s earliest Roman Catholic churches. Constructed under the supervision of Alexander Macdonell – Upper...
![Traditional building materials (McMartin House, Perth)](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/Bubelis-McMartin-web.jpg)
- 15 Nov 2007
- Buildings and architecture
Environment - Author: Romas Bubelis,
Building assets
Which is more sustainable – an artificial or live Christmas tree? This is an environmentalist’s conundrum, and it illustrates the paradox of “sustainable” building materials...
![Repairs to the Gordon Block, Stratford (2007)](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/Fraser-Gordon-Block-web.jpg)
- 15 Nov 2007
- Buildings and architecture
Environment
Adaptive reuse - Author: Sean Fraser,
The guiding principles of sustainable architecture
In the late 1990s, the Ontario Ministry of Culture introduced Eight Guiding Principles in the Conservation of Built Heritage Properties, which are in common use...
![Sheppard’s Bush, main house](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/Fraser-Abel-Sheppards-Bush-main-house-web.jpg)
- 15 Nov 2007
- Buildings and architecture
Environment - Author: Sean Fraser and Karen Abel,
Inside Sheppard’s Bush
Charles Sheppard (1876-1967) moved to the Town of Aurora in 1921, after making his fortune in the Simcoe County lumber industry. Brooklands, his modest estate...
![View of the Don Valley Brick Works site, looking south (Photo courtesy of Evergreen)](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/Plitt-Fraser-Evergreen-Brickworks-web.jpg)
Evergreen Brick Works: Rethinking space
Evergreen – a national charity – builds the relationship between nature, culture and community in urban spaces. With its revitalization of Toronto’s Don Valley Brick...
![A 1930s view of the town site taken from the north, looking towards the mill (Photo courtesy of The Ron Morel Memorial Museum, Kapuskasing)](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/Mendes-Kapuskasing-Photo-Ron-Morel-Museum-web.jpg)
- 15 Nov 2007
- Buildings and architecture
Community - Author: Beth Anne Mendes,
Discovering the City Beautiful
On July 25, 2007, the Ontario Heritage Trust and the Town of Kapuskasing unveiled a provincial plaque to commemorate the town plan that helped shape...
![401 Richmond Street, Toronto – an example of a green roof](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/Fraser-401-Richmond-green-roof-web.jpg)
- 15 Nov 2007
- Buildings and architecture
Environment - Author: Sean Fraser,
Fact or fiction: Demystifying the myths around going green – Moving toward a more sustainable architecture
Sustainable: able to be maintained at a certain rate or level . . . conserving an ecological balance by avoiding a depletion of natural resources...
![Tip Top Lofts, Toronto (Photo: Context Development)](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/Spiegel-Tip-Top-Lofts-web.jpg)
- 15 Nov 2007
- Buildings and architecture
Environment
Adaptive reuse - Author: Alex Speigel,
Sustainability for old buildings: A developer’s perspective
Adaptive reuse provides a sound and sustainable approach to the renewal of our urban fabric, as illustrated by the conversion of three Toronto buildings to...
![Casement windows of the Oval Boardroom](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/Bubelis-OHC-Oval-Boardroom-windows-web.jpg)
- 15 Nov 2007
- Buildings and architecture
- Author: Romas Bubelis,
In praise of older windows
Façade: a word of double-edged meaning. Architecturally, it refers to the face of a building. In literature, more often than not, it connotes a front...
![Fraserfield, South Glengarry](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/Fraser-Fraserfield-web.jpg)
- 10 May 2007
- Buildings and architecture
- Author: Sean Fraser,
Building on our successes
The Ontario Heritage Trust’s heritage conservation easements conserve some of Ontario’s most significant heritage sites. Good stewardship of easement properties includes regular maintenance and periodic...
![Barnum House](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/Dixon-Barnum-House.jpg)
- 10 May 2007
- Buildings and architecture
Adaptive reuse - Author: Kathryn Dixon,
The story of Barnum House
Barnum House, on the north side of Highway 2 (Danforth Road), west of Grafton is historically significant for its association with the Barnum family. It...
![$29 million restoration of the Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre Centre by the Trust in 1987-89 (Photo: George Pelekis)](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/Hanna-EWG-024-web.jpg)
- 10 May 2007
- Buildings and architecture
Community
Tools for conservation - Author: Beth Hanna,
The R’s of conservation
An earlier generation spoke of the three R’s as “Reading, ‘riting and ‘rithmetic.” They were the fundamentals of education in the 19th century and considered...
![Battlefield House](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/Ramsay-Maslin-Battlefield-House-web.jpg)
- 10 May 2007
- Military heritage
Buildings and architecture - Author: Susan Ramsay and Marnie Maslin,
Battlefield House Museum and Park – A pioneer in the history of preservation
Nestled under the Niagara Escarpment and situated in a park connected to the Bruce Trail, Battlefield House Museum National Historic Site in Stoney Creek is...
![The Mason-Girardot House – a Victorian Italianate house built c. 1879 in the former town of Sandwich – is one of the properties participating in Windsor’s heritage property tax relief program](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/Fraser-Mason-Girardot-web.jpg)
- 10 May 2007
- Buildings and architecture
Community
Tools for conservation - Author: Sean Fraser,
Leading the way in municipal heritage planning
What’s happening in your community? With significant amendments to the Ontario Heritage Act in April 2005 and a strengthening of the Provincial Policy Statement (PPS)...
![Clark-McCleary House, rear elevation](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/Aravopoulos-Clark-McCleary-House-web.jpg)
- 15 Feb 2007
- Buildings and architecture
Community - Author: Kiki Aravopoulos,
Exploring Country Heritage Park
In March 2006, the Ontario Heritage Trust acquired a cultural conservation easement on Country Heritage Park. Located in Milton, this designed heritage attraction was created...
![Maintaining balance: The modern architecture of the Toronto-Dominion Centre is part of Ontario’s varied architectural heritage. (Copyright permission provided by The Cadillac Fairview Corporation Ltd.)](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/Moorhouse-TD-Centre-Photo-Cadillac-Fairview-web.jpg)
- 15 Feb 2007
- Economics of heritage
Tools for conservation
Communication - Author: Richard Moorhouse,
The future of heritage: The next 40 years
With this anniversary, the Ontario Heritage Trust is celebrating its accomplishments while also looking to the future. Preserving our heritage is an ongoing endeavour; the...
![Fulford Place](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/Bubelis-Holman-Fulford-Place-web.jpg)
- 15 Feb 2007
- Buildings and architecture
Cultural objects
Tools for conservation - Author: Romas Bubelis and Nick Holman,
Heritage conservation at our front door
The term “porte-cochère” has continental flair, though humble origins. In French, it means “carriage door” and originally referred to a covered entryway into a courtyard...
![Homewood Museum in Maitland](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/Pim-Homewood-exterior-web.jpg)
- 15 Feb 2007
- Black heritage
Buildings and architecture
Natural heritage - Author: Gordon Pim,
Heritage by numbers
Ontario’s heritage is an immense and complex jigsaw puzzle. Every individual element of heritage creates a whole . . . a sort of heritage by...
![Parading into the Spencerville Mill grounds is the Glengarry Pipe Band (Photo: The Spencerville Mill Foundation)](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/Burchell-Spencerville-Mill-Photo-Spencerville-Mill-Foundation-web.jpg)
- 07 Sep 2006
- Buildings and architecture
Community - Author: Louise Burchell,
Saving the Spencerville Mill – Preserving community heritage
The Spencerville Mill, a fine cut-stone flour and grist mill, is located on the bank of the South Nation River in the small rural village...
![Today, the Ashbridge Estate is widely known in Toronto’s east end for its lush gardens. The Estate is owned and operated by the Ontario Heritage Trust. Its extensive collection of artifacts and archaeological discoveries celebrate the evolution of the Ashbridge family.](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/Semande-Ashbridge-Estate-web.jpg)
- 07 Sep 2006
- Buildings and architecture
Community
Cultural objects - Author: Erin Semande,
The biography of a house: If these walls could speak
Researching family history is a popular pastime for many who want to uncover their family’s unique past and discover how they contributed to Ontario’s growth...
![Peterborough's Market Hall, before](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/Pim-Peterborough-Market-Hall-before-web.jpg)
- 16 Feb 2006
- Buildings and architecture
Community
Tools for conservation - Author: Gordon Pim,
Winning the battle
There are countless examples across the province of successful restorations of Ontario’s treasured heritage sites. Although the challenges are great – funding being the primary...
![Peel Heritage Complex, Brampton](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/Cultural-heritage-places-cover-Brampton-Peel-Heritage-Complex-web.jpg)
- 16 Feb 2006
- Buildings and architecture
Community
Adaptive reuse - Author: Sean Fraser,
Our cultural heritage places: how heritage buildings adapt
Although heritage remains a year-round activity for many of us, Heritage Day is celebrated annually on the third Monday in February. This year’s theme speaks...
![George Brown House](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/Pim-GBH-web.jpg)
- 16 Feb 2006
- Buildings and architecture
- Author: Gordon Pim,
Snapshots of the past
A flash of phosphorus. A whiff of smoke. And an image is captured. Photographs have chronicled our lives for over 150 years, remaining one of...
![Detail of reproduced George Brown House central hall wallpaper](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/Bubelis-GBH-wallpaper-web.jpg)
- 16 Feb 2006
- Archaeology
Buildings and architecture
Cultural objects
Tools for conservation - Author: Romas Bubelis,
Historic wallpaper: Finding what’s beneath
Wallpapers first appeared in Canada as early as the mid-17th century. These oldest papers were block-printed, hand-painted or stenciled. Pattern and colour was applied to...
![Penetanguishene Centennial Museum and Archives](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/Mallon-Penetanguishene-Centennial-Museum-web.jpg)
- 16 Feb 2006
- Buildings and architecture
Community - Author: Tim Mallon,
Small-town museums key to small-town success
For 18 years, my wife and I raised our two sons in the Town of Richmond Hill just north of Toronto. When we moved to...
![Upper Canada’s first parliament buildings](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/Kelly-EFH-watercolourlarge-web.jpg)
- 16 Feb 2006
- Archaeology
Buildings and architecture - Author: Ontario Heritage Trust,
Breaking news: Saving our First Parliament
It was announced on December 21, 2005 that the site of Ontario’s first parliament buildings in Toronto has been saved. The Ontario Government, in partnership...
![Macdonell-Williamson House](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/Doroszenko-Macdonell-Williamson-House-web.jpg)
- 08 Sep 2005
- Archaeology
Buildings and architecture - Author: Dena Doroszenko,
Unearthing the past: Discoveries at Macdonell-Williamson House
Built in 1817, Macdonell-Williamson House in eastern Ontario reflects the ambitions and aspirations of retired fur trader, John Macdonell. His life was fraught with financial...
![The earliest brick structure in the City of Hamilton – the Book House, located in Ancaster – was recently lost to a suspected case of arson. (Photo: Sharon Vattay, City of Hamilton)](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/Cuming-Book-House-Photo-Sharon-Vattay-web.jpg)
- 08 Sep 2005
- Buildings and architecture
Community - Author: David Cuming,
Moving forward with heritage conservation
Thirty years ago, when the Ontario Heritage Act was new, I was a young planner with about a year’s experience working in London, England and...
![This decorative cupola adorns McMartin House, a Foundation property in Perth](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/Well-Preserved-McMartin-House-cupola-web.jpg)
- 08 Sep 2005
- Buildings and architecture
Tools for conservation - Author: Ontario Heritage Trust,
The healthy roof: Staying on top of heritage preservation
The following excerpt appears in Well-Preserved: The Ontario Heritage Foundationʼs Manual of Principles and Practice for Architectural Conservation (Third Revised Edition), by Mark Fram (Boston...
![Mrs. Greenwood donated this property in the memory of her late husband; it will be known as the John Edward (Ted) Greenwood Sanctuary (Photo: Sylvia Barkman)](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/Heidenreich-Collins-Greenwood-Photo-Sylvia-Barkman-web.jpg)
- 08 Sep 2005
- Buildings and architecture
Tools for conservation - Author: Barbara Heidenreich and Jeremy Collins,
New natural heritage easement properties
John Edward (Ted) Greenwood Sanctuary On March 30, 2005, the Ontario Heritage Foundation received – from Mary Greenwood of Nakara, Australia – a 100-acre (40-...
![Coldwater Grist Mill – serving the community since 1833; an active part of Doors Open Huronia since 2002](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/Moorhouse-Hanna-Coldwater-Grist-Mill-web.jpg)
- 08 Sep 2005
- Buildings and architecture
Natural heritage
Community
Cultural landscapes - Author: Richard Moorhouse and Beth Hanna,
The new Ontario Heritage Act: The evolution of heritage conservation
An important shift has occurred in Ontario’s legislative framework for heritage conservation. On April 28, 2005, the Ontario Heritage Amendment Act (Bill 60) received royal...
![Trent University, Peterborough](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/Richards-Trent-University-01-web.jpg)
- 19 May 2005
- Buildings and architecture
- Author: Larry Wayne Richards,
Trent University under the modernist microscope
Throughout the developed world, attention is being given to the built heritage of the modern era. Organizations such as UNESCO's World Heritage Center, the International...
![The Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre Centre (Toronto). In 1987, a basement is excavated under the lobby corridor, and the grand staircase is suspended in the air.](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/OHT-EWG-restoration.jpg)
- 19 May 2005
- Buildings and architecture
Tools for conservation - Author: Ontario Heritage Trust,
Working with superstructures: The framework for Ontario's heritage buildings
Last issue, we discussed the importance of a solid foundation when preserving heritage structures. In this issue, we see how a buildingʼs skeleton holds everything...
![Leidra Lodge](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/OHT-Leidra-Lodge-web.jpg)
- 19 May 2005
- Buildings and architecture
- Author: Ontario Heritage Trust,
Leidra Lodge – A new conservation easement
June Ardiel has been a patron and leader in Ontario's arts community all her life. She has authored a book on the public art of...
![Toronto-Dominion Centre (Photo: The Cadillac Fairview Corporation Ltd.)](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/Behar-TD-Centre-01-web.jpg)
- 19 May 2005
- Buildings and architecture
- Author: Moiz Behar,
The changing face of heritage: The International Style – Toronto’s Toronto-Dominion Centre
In the second quarter of the 20th century following the First World War, Europe saw the emergence of a significant movement in architecture. This “modern”...
![Homewood Museum in Maitland](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/Pim-Homewood-exterior-web.jpg)
- 19 May 2005
- Buildings and architecture
Cultural objects - Author: Ontario Heritage Trust,
The Homewood collection
As you drive east along Highway 2 between Brockville and Prescott, you will find the robust Georgian Homewood Museum deeply set back from the road...
![Uncle Tom's Cabin Historic Site](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/UTCHS-Summer-1000px.jpg)
- 12 Feb 2005
- Black heritage
Buildings and architecture - Author: Wayne Kelly,
Inside Uncle Tom's Cabin
At a bend in the Sydenham River near the town of Dresden stands Uncle Tom’s Cabin Historic Site. The museum – built on the site...
![The Sharon Temple](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/Fraser-Sharon-Temple-web.jpg)
- 12 Feb 2005
- Buildings and architecture
- Author: Sean Fraser,
The Sharon Temple and the heritage of faith
While most of Canada celebrates Heritage Day on the third Monday in February, Ontario celebrates Heritage Week. The theme developed for Ontario Heritage Week 200...
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- Accessibility
- Privacy statement
- Terms of use
- © King's Printer for Ontario, 2023
- Photos © Ontario Heritage Trust, unless otherwise indicated.