Heritage of Sacred Sites / Patrimoine religieux et sacré

$1M boost to help restore convent The Guelph Mercury, Guelph, ON - 01/03
After much anticipation, the federal government announced yesterday it was giving Guelph $1 million to help move the Civic Museum into the dilapidated Loretto Convent. The entire project is expected to cost $12.7 million. Councillors decided in the fall they would go ahead with the move if they could get $6 million from other levels of government. They are expecting to hear this month whether they are getting the $5 million they requested from the province. In 2004, the diocese, finding no use for the Loretto Convent, filed for a demolition permit. At the same time, though museum staff expressed a desire to expand, and the two projects were eventually paired up.

Heritage Issues / Enjeux du patrimoine

Housing conference to take place at CBU this week Cape Breton Post, Sydney, NS - 03/03
The political science department at Cape Breton University, in partnership with the Cape Breton Regional Municipality, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation and the Canadian Committee of the International Council on Monuments and Sites, will host Options for Housing Revitalization on Thursday. Persons interested in housing, community economic development, crime prevention, real estate, heritage conservation, environmental policy and poverty alleviation are invited to attend. Discussions and presentations will take place in the morning. A lunch and bus tour of Cape Breton Regional Municipality neighbourhoods will follow in the afternoon.

Preservationists object to plans for former bank The Record, Kitchener, ON - 06/03
Architectural preservationists are moving quickly to save key features that could be lost in the renovation of an iconic downtown building. The limestone and marble building at 70 King Street East used to be a branch of the Toronto Dominion Bank. But the owner, The Cora Group, is negotiating with a potential tenant who wants to renovate the 1959 building to accommodate a Crabby Joe’s Tap and Grill. A new entrance on the King Street side of the building will eliminate all of the vertical fins from that wall, and a new entrance on the Frederick Street side will eliminate some of the fins from that wall too, Leon Bensason, the city’s heritage planner, told a meeting of Heritage Kitchener on Tuesday. “Staff is concerned that these and other alterations may irreversibly alter the architectural heritage of the building,” he added. Without designating the building under the Ontario Heritage Act, the city does not have the authority to influence the alterations. A city staff report said the structure is one of the best examples of modern movement architecture in Waterloo Region. Heritage Kitchener’s recommendation to designate the former bank building goes to city council for approval on March 17.

Fire hall worth saving? The Tribune, Welland, ON - 06/03
Welland city council passed a motion Tuesday night to spend $12,600 to hire IRC Niagara Group Inc. to assess the feasibility of the preservation of the Central Fire Station. The consultant will look at the condition of the building and provide a structural assessment to determine any costs that may be associated with its renovation and preservation. After the four-week inspection, a report will be presented to council, outlining the consultant’s findings. Public consultations will also be held. Plans to transform the old fire hall into a museum have been in discussion in council chambers for more than a decade.

Heritage Projects / Projets de patrimoine

Burying wires and getting new lamp posts put in The Record, Sherbrooke, QC - 05/03
Lennoxville’s downtown core is getting a makeover meant to embrace its heritage and “college town” feel. Sherbrooke city council adopted a plan Monday night that will see the Queen and College street area revitalized, from new lamp posts to the restoration of local buildings and pedestrian and cycle paths. The plan, estimated to cost the city more than $6 million, is the latest Programme particulier d’urbanisme (PPU) which aims to enhance the community’s historical character. Funding for the project is yet to be secured, but will come from the municipality and a variety of grant sources.