News
PROTECT VIEWS OF THE LEGISLATURE, SYMBOL OF OUR DEMOCRATIC HERITAGE
An op-ed piece in the Toronto Star by our President and Past President makes a strong plea that views of the provincial legislature, the prime symbol of provincial democracy, be protected. Proposals for new high rise developments threaten to block views of the legislature.
DOWNSVIEW HANGARS: STOP THOSE EMAILS!
Discussions have reopened about the possibility of saving the hangars at Downsview Airport. We are awaiting the outcome.
In the meantime, our recent electronic newsletter about the hangars at Downsview Airport triggered a barrage of emails to the Department of National Defence. We have been asked by high ranking officers at DND not to send more emails as they have got the message. We ask you to honour their request.
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| Photo credit: Paul Oberman |
NO HAPPY NEW YEAR AT DOWNSVIEW AIRPORT
Canada’s Department of National Defence has reneged on a 60-day delay on demolition to allow for negotiation to save the site, despite the fact that a prominent Toronto developer, Paul Oberman of Woodcliffe Corporation, was willing to make a major investment in their restoration and reuse. The Architectural Conservancy of Ontario deplores DND’s refusal to negotiate in good faith.
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| View of Queen's Park, taken from north of College Street |
PROTECTING THE VIEW OF THE ONTARIO LEGISLATURE
The Legislative Assembly and its surrounding precinct is an extremely important cultural heritage landscape in the Province of Ontario. Looking up University Avenue, one can see a magnificent vista with the Legislative Assembly at its centre. This view is now threatened by proposed developments north of the legislature, in particular of the proposed development at 21 Avenue Road, the site of the Four Seasons Hotel at Avenue Road and Yorkville.
Natalie Bull on Marcus Gee
Natalie Bull didn't think much of Marcus Gee's article Some Reminders Of The Past Don’t Deserve To Be Rescued either and responded:
Responding to Marcus Gee On Heritage
The Globe and Mail's Marcus Gee wrote a profoundly silly article with the title
"Some reminders of the past just don't deserve to be rescued" and subbed "Let's not tie ourselves into knots trying to rescue unremarkable or simply ugly buildings." I wrote a letter to the editor that has not been published, so I do so below.
HISTORIC HANGARS AT DOWNSVIEW AIRPORT COMING DOWN
Tomorrow the Department of National Defence plans to knock down the two iconic historic hangars at Downsview Airport - buildings which have been federally recognized for their architectural merit and which could be reused for a variety of purposes.
Lloyd Alter, President of the ACO, urges DND not to "destroy an important piece of our city’s history on a whim.”
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| Stephen Otto receives the Eric Arthur Lifetime Achievement Award from George Rust-D'Eye, of WeirFoulds, Presenting Sponsor, and Lloyd Alter, President of the ACO. |
A CELEBRATION OF EXCELLENCE: ACO’S THIRD ANNUAL AWARDS PRESENTATION
The Architectural Conservancy of Ontario met at the Arts and Letters Club of Toronto on Friday, November 6 for a celebration of excellence, its third annual awards presentation. This year ten awards were presented in five categories. Please see the full item for details. A gallery of the winners will be posted soon.
ON-LINE DONATION NOW AVAILABLE
Now you can donate to the ACO on-line by clicking the e-donate button on the left-hand side of this page. It will take you to a secure portal for on-line donations, maintained by CanadaHelps.
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| Heritage Conservation District Study Summary Report |
Heritage Districts Work! – Reports Now Available
A major project on Heritage Conservation Districts (HCDs) undertaken by the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario is now complete. The purpose of the project was to examine 32 HCDs created before 1992 and determine whether they were meeting their goals. The answer is a resounding yes – Heritage Conservation Districts work!
ACO partnered with several other volunteer groups to carry out the study, including Community Heritage Ontario and the Heritage Resources Centre (HRC) at the University of Waterloo.
The study was funded by a grant from the Trillium Foundation. We are pleased to thank them for their generous support.
Town of Fort Erie to sell Port Abino Lighthouse Keeper’s Dwelling
Last week the Town of Fort Erie blindsided the Port Abino Lightstation Preservation Society (PALPS) and the community with the revelation that the Town is selling the 1918-1921 Arts and Crafts lightkeeper’s dwelling in order to come up with the Town’s share of the National Historic Sites of Canada Cost-Sharing Program to restore the 1917 lighthouse.
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National Post’s Response to Top Ten Endangered Places List
The greenest brick is the one already in the wall. I was pleased to see the National Post echo this sentiment in an editorial published on July 9th in response to the release by Heritage Canada of its Top Ten Endangered Places and Worst Losses List and have responded on behalf of the ACO with a letter to the editor.
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Support Your Local Museum
I attended Heritage Day at the Dorset Heritage Museum; it is a charming place, built is a modernist structure that for years was the Ministry of Natural Resources.
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| Erie Street United Church comes down |
Heritage Canada Foundation Releases 2009 Top Ten Endangered Places and Worst Losses Lists
Heritage Canada has released its annual lists of top ten endangered places and worst losses. Ontario's top representative on the endangered list is the David Dunlap Observatory and its surrounding park. Alma College tops the list for worst losses; other Ontario losses were Erie Streeet United Church and Marygrove Resort.
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| North facade of 24 Sussex Drive |
It's NOT time to tear down 24 Sussex
In the July 6 issue of Maclean's Magazine, columnist Paul Wells calls for the replacement of 24 Sussex Avenue ("it's time to tear the sucker down"). Here is ACO President Lloyd Alter's response to his arguments.
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| Nina Chapple, one of the recipients of the 2008 Award for Special Contributions. |
2009 ACO PROVINCIAL AWARDS
We invite you to submit nominations for the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario's 2009 Annual Awards, which will be presented at our Annual Gala Dinner on November 6, 2009. Go to the full news item for a description of the awards and a downloadable nomination form. The deadline for nominations is September 11, 2009.
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Lloyd Alter Becomes President of the ACO
Lloyd takes over from Catherine Nasmith at Annual General Meeting. He comments on the position:
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| James Howard Kunstler predicting doom |
Notes from the Ontario Heritage Conference in Peterborough
Writing for TreeHugger, a Discovery network website covering green design, I covered James Howard Kunstler's presentation and a panel discussion in the afternoon.
THE ROAD AHEAD FOR ONTARIO'S CONSERVATION DISTRICTS
On April 25th, representatives of Ontario’s heritage sector met at Fort York to discuss two conflicting OMB decisions relating to heritage conservation districts (HCDs): Susan Campbell’s decision regarding Port Dalhousie and Marc Denhez’s decision on an application in Vaughan. Both decisions have major implications for Heritage Conservation District Planning in Ontario.
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| Typical twitter messages |
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Port Dalhousie OMB Decision - ACO Supports Review
Two conflicting decisions, issued days apart, on developments proposed for Heritage Conservation Districts have triggered requests for review of the February 26 decision permitting the Port Tower project in Port Dalhousie. The ACO supports the review. Given two fundamentally different interpretations of the Act, clarification is essential.
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