Heritage Action Plan in Banff: Preserving the Canadian Rockies’ Built Heritage
In the breathtaking Canadian Rockies of Banff, a concerted effort is underway to preserve the region’s rich built heritage. The town has recently adopted a comprehensive heritage action plan that outlines strategies and provisions to conserve its architectural treasures over the next five to ten years. One of the key components of this plan is […]
Bradford Homes Under Consideration for Heritage Designation
Bradford, a town rich in history and charm, may soon see almost 100 homes get heritage property designation, following a scoring process by the heritage committee. This move comes after provincial Bill 23, which could remove protections for potential heritage sites not designated by Jan. 1, 2025. The heritage committee in Bradford has been diligently […]
Heritage Keepers: Ensuring the Future of your Home
Heritage Home demolished without permit…
In what can only be described as a horrible precedent, a Toronto heritage home was demolished without warning, approval and definitely not a permit. Is this the new “cost of doing business?” With land prices skyrocketing and housing prices even higher, it looks as though toothless heritage community guardians will have even less […]
Newfoundland’s Heritage Homes
Newfoundland and Labrador is the only province where the primary building material is wood—a tradition that dates back almost four centuries. In the 1600s, a wave of—mostly Scottish—settlers moved onto the island of Newfoundland, and set to work building new towns out of the most abundant material available to them—wood. This is not to […]
Designation Reservations
Is heritage designation worth the trouble? By Johanne Yakula Nothing is more gratifying to old home lovers than a drive through a neighbourhood filled with well-preserved heritage homes. Beautifully restored to their former elegance, these buildings are the result of many dollars spent and hours worked. It is only natural for the owners of these […]
Insurance Assurance
A guide to insuring your heritage home By Marlene Campbell So, your historic building just received heritage designation and you are now one proud homeowner doing your part to preserve Canada’s built heritage. But just a moment, have you thought about what this means for your insurance policy? It does change things, but don’t panic. […]
Paint from the Past
The Vancouver Heritage Foundation sets an example for finding historic homes’ true colours. By Diane Switzer & Donald Luxton One of the most baffling questions heritage homeowners face is how to choose an appropriate colour scheme for the home’s exterior. There are hundreds of colours available, but until there were recently few places to turn […]
Gustav Stickley: The Wisconsin Farm Boy and His Ethical Chair
What is an ethical chair? What gives a chair its “chairness”? Gustav Stickley pondered such things and led us to modern aesthetics. By Kerry Lange You know Gustav Stickley. You’ve brushed past him many times. He winks through contemporary architecture. He’s the naked grain and natural shapes of Danish furniture; the chrome tubular framed chairs; […]
The Many Faces of Thornhill’s Library
This local landmark stands as a beautiful architectural gem, a reminder of our past, and as a testament to the adaptability of heritage structures. By Adam Birrell The Thornhill Village Library, located at 10 Colborne Street in historic Thornhill, Ontario, does not look like a library. If it weren’t for the small wooden sign at […]
