Events
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Architectural Conservancy of Ontario Conference
Rural Roots, Rural Routes
June 11, 2010 to June 13, 2010
Three days of celebrating the unique rural and urban architectural heritage of Chatham-Kent. Main themes will be places of worship (conservation, preservation, reuse), barns and other rural buildings, Kent County Architecture (historic and contemporary: designated and destroyed)
Doors Open Clarington
June 6, 2010
The First annual Doors Open Clarington, featuring 14 sites in the Municipality of Clarington, including Camp 30.
HERITAGE CAMBRIDGE HOUSE TOUR 2010
Saturday, May 1, 2010 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
May 1, 2010
Heritage Cambridge is proud to present its 2010 Heritage House Tour on Saturday, May 1, 2010 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Tickets: $20.00 per person
For further inquiries call 519-621-8588 after April 5, 2010
(click on highlighted event title for more information)
News
David Borenstein's Barnburner Speech in Brantford
neatly summed up in a great presentation
I have not been at a march on City Hall in many years, and this one started off with a speech by David Borenstein, a charter member of the Brantford ACO chapter. I am pleased to publish it here.
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
DND Reneges on Delay for Negotiations, Starts Demolition
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
46-Storey Tower Threatens View - No Legislation Protects It
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
The Executive Director of the Heritage Canada Foundation addresses the issue
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
ACO Demands Stop to Demolition
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
10 Awards Presented at Annual Gala November 6th
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.
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| Muskoka Student Art Contest - For details on how to enter see the attached pdf |
STUDENT ART CONTEST 2009/2010
Prizes for Best Artwork Reflecting an Example of Muskoka built Heritage
The Muskoka branch is holding an art contest for high school students to celebrate Muskoka heritage. Cash prizes will be awarded for the best entries.
Catherine Nasmith Reviews Heritage Canada Conference
The Heritage Canada Conference over the weekend in Toronto brought environmentalists and heritage advocates face to face. An important dialogue on heritage and sustainability has begun. There was a sense that there were shared values and goals for the planet, but not as much consensus on how to get there.
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
Download it by clicking the link to the summary report at the bottom of this page
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
Port Abino Lightstation Preservation Society (PALPS) taken by surprise
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 Post on the Need to Protect our Heritage
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
They are charming, informative and important
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
Alma College tops list of losses
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
ACO President Lloyd Alter responds to Paul Wells column in Maclean's
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
Call for Nominations
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.
NORTH WATERLOO REGION BRANCH MEMBERS RECEIVE AWARDS FROM THE WATERLOO REGIONAL HERITAGE FOUNDATION
Congratulations are extended to the following members of the North Waterloo Region Branch of ACO, who, on June 9, received Awards from the Waterloo Regional Heritage Foundation.
Marion Roes, Dr. Frances Stewart, Dr. Gail Pool and John Arndt received the 2008 AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE. This Award recognizes the outstanding contributions by individuals, institutions and organizations to heritage in the Waterloo Region.
Warren Stauch received the Dr. Jean Steckle Award for Heritage Education. This Award is presented to an individual who has demonstrated leadership in heritage through teaching, writing, or by example, and who has encouraged and mentored others in the understanding and appreciation of the natural or cultural heritage of the Waterloo Region.
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
Report on workshop held April 25, 2009 at Fort York
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.
2010 ACO Provincial Conference to be held in Chatham-Kent
Rural Roots, Rural Routes
The 2010 Provincial Conference will be held in Chatham-Kent from June 11-13th, 2010. The conference will focus on the unique rural architectural heritage of Chatham-Kent, one of the earliest parts of Ontario to be settled.
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| Typical twitter messages |
ACO is on Twitter
The latest heritage news as it breaks @arconserve
Follow events and news @arconserve.
Port Dalhousie OMB Decision - ACO Supports Review
Urgent need for review because of conflicting OMB decisions
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.
PROUD Requesting OMB Review of Port Tower Decision
Request Based on New Information
PROUD Port Dalhousie will be filing a request for the OMB to review the Port tower decision based on the fact that another OMB decision, issued just days prior, directly contradicts the Port ruling. Click to see their media release with full details.
We're on Facebook now!
Do you Facebook? The ACO does, in our new group.
Garland Award Presented to Joan and Gerry Tooke
The annual Marion Garland Heritage Award was presented to Joan and Gerry Tooke at the Port Hope Branch of the ACO's annual general meeting held February 19th.
