The following statement was released by the Niagara Foundation on Tuesday, Aug. 5. It was forwarded to The Lake Report for publication.

As with many of the recent development projects in town, a flood of comments followed the Shaw’s recently announced plans to create a “centre for communication, creativity and curiosity,” replacing the Royal George with a “historically inspired, world-class jewel-box theatre” (i.e. a more intimate setting of 350 seats, similar to the current capacity).

While much of the community feedback has been negative (e.g., too big, too modern), almost universal support exists for the Shaw, given its importance in the cultural, business and social makeup of Niagara-on-the-Lake.

Continuation of a live-performance theatre on the main street is also seen, by many, as a positive attribute for the town.

The Niagara Foundation supports the Shaw Festival and understands its desire to replace the Royal George in its current location — and to build a new theatre that enables sustained success in the face of the evolving nature of live theatre and associated programming.

We also recognize the Shaw’s requirement to meet today’s building codes and provide accessibility, as well as the wish to create an efficiently co-located rehearsal/programming space.

All of this, however, adds significant footprint and mass to the site, which is why we believe greater effort is required to minimize the heritage impact and create a more sympathetic design.

The Niagara Foundation acknowledges that while located within the existing Queen Picton heritage conservation district (with a boundary expansion currently under consideration by the Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake), neither the Royal George nor the adjacent residential properties are individually designated as heritage structures.

However, this diminishes neither their value nor their role as part of established heritage streetscapes.

Further, as part of the designated “National Historic District” — the first to be so recognized in Ontario — the importance of these streetscapes should not be overlooked.

With the future role of the Royal George in mind, and before the next submission to the municipal heritage committee and council, we encourage the Shaw to:

• Further reduce and soften the massing of the proposed structure with the intent to lessen the negative impacts on the Queen Street corridor and adjacent neighbours.
• Ensure the building exteriors/facades complement the adjacent heritage structures, including both the Queen Street commercial and Victoria Street residential buildings.
• Consider some form of commemoration within the new structure that addresses the history of the Royal George, its original name and use for soldiers and early 20th-century history in Niagara-on-the-Lake.

In addition, we believe the Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake should ensure that the new Royal George theatre is not used as a precedent for any future redevelopment within the Queen Picton heritage conservation district (current or expanded).

Maintenance of the existing heritage streetscapes should be the goal. A new Royal George theatre should be clearly identified as a one-time-only approval, not the basis for general commercial expansion.

To get ahead of speculative land assemblies and the fear of commercial creep, the town and Shaw should convert the site zoning to a non-commercial/institutional use, aligned with the Shaw’s non-profit mandate and its role as a valued cultural institution.

The Niagara Foundation was established to champion and safeguard the architectural, cultural and environmental integrity of Niagara-on-the-Lake.

We recognize and value the Shaw Festival as a core cultural element and encourage it to be equally respectful of the heritage elements of this town, ensuring the Royal George “fits” within our heritage district.