Sudbury is currently home to two iconic water towers, one on Pine street and the other on Pearl street. Both towers are in a state of disrepair and a debate over their restoration or demolition has been ongoing since 2008.The Pine street tower was built in 1946 and was used for 50 years. The city's … Continue reading Sudbury’s water towers
Spanish Residential School
During my trip down to Southern Ontario during the holidays I stopped at the former site of the Indian Residential School in Spanish, Ontario. This site was once home to St. Peter Claver's Residential School for Boys, St. Joseph's Girls Residential School. Eventually St. Peter Claver's was turned into the Garnier Residential School.The site is … Continue reading Spanish Residential School
Younge Street Built Heritage Loss
Yesterday, the heritage building once known as William Reynold's Block at Younge and Gould Streets in Toronto burnt to the ground. The building was built in 1888 and last year suffered major damage to its facade. A great concise history of the building was posted on BlogTO in May 2010.Following the collapse of a portion … Continue reading Younge Street Built Heritage Loss
Heritage Travel
The #reverb10 prompt for December 22nd was:Travel. How did you travel in 2010? How and or where would you like to travel next year?In 2011 I would like to visit Mackinac Island in Michigan. The island is rich in built heritage and is relatively close to my home. Mackinac Island has prohibited the use of … Continue reading Heritage Travel
Heritage reading
December 20th's #reverb10 prompt:Beyond avoidance. What should you have done this year but didn't because you were too scared, worried, unsure, busy or otherwise deterred from doing? (Bonus: Will you do it?)In 2010 I have avoided dedicating more time to reading academic writing relevant to my field. The majority of the material I have read … Continue reading Heritage reading
Healing and restoration
December 19th's #reverb10 prompt was:Healing. What healed you this year? Was it sudden, or a drip-by-drip evolution? How would you like to be healed in 2011?This prompt brought to mind heritage restoration and the 'healing' of heritage buildings. Ideally, heritage preservation comes prior to extreme restoration efforts. Depending on the state of the building, heritage … Continue reading Healing and restoration
The Literary and Historical Society of Quebec
A recent Ideas episode on CBC radio examined the history of the Literary and Historical Society of Quebec. Established in 1824, by the Earl of Dalhousie, the society is the oldest historic society in Canada. In addition to the age of the society, the society is historically significant based on its original status as an … Continue reading The Literary and Historical Society of Quebec
Letting go of built heritage
The December 5th #reverb10 prompt is: Let Go. What (or whom) did you let go of this year? Why?A number of Ontario communities let go of valuable built heritage this year. Old buildings have been damaged by neglect, torn down by cities, or 'renovated' in the name of modernization. Earlier this year the Heritage Canada … Continue reading Letting go of built heritage
Built Heritage in Danger: Sudbury’s Flour Mill
The Moulin à Fleur neighbourhood Sudbury located immediately north of the downtown core was one of the first neighbourhoods to develop outside of the original settlement. The most well known landmark in the area is the flour mill which gave the community its name. The mill silos will be 100 this year.This mill has long … Continue reading Built Heritage in Danger: Sudbury’s Flour Mill
Built Heritage: Round Barns
There are reportedly only three 12-sided round barns in Canada. Two of which happen to be located not far from where I'm currently living. One is found just outside of Thessalon, Ontario is currently being used as a gift shop. This building was built in 1928 by local resident Alex Campbell, Jr.. The barn's roof … Continue reading Built Heritage: Round Barns