Brian Marshall, Author at Niagara Now

Arch-i-text: Guardians of a 19th-century treasure

Owning a historic house is like a marriage, it’s a labour of love. Along the way there are many compromises to be made, given an old home’s unique and sometimes limiting characteristics, but

Arch-i-text: Managing change through design guidelines

I suggested in last week’s column that the instituting design guidelines in Niagara-on-the-Lake should be a priority. Further, these guidelines would need to be supported by an infrastructure that would record and archive

Arch-i-text: Town’s lack of design guidelines needs action now

Back in the early 1980s, I attended a presentation recommending the organization invest in and install an emergency preparedness plan. During that session, one of my colleagues asked a question along the lines

Arch-i-text: Brought back from the brink

The threatened historic houses of Niagara-on-the-Lake is a topic this column has spoken about many times over the past few years. I find it unconscionable that irreplaceable pieces of our shared built-heritage are

Arch-i-text: The history of garage dominance

In his 1928 seminal book “Propaganda,” Edward Bernays, the “father of public relations,” wrote: “The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in

Arch-i-text: It’s all about context

One of my favourite sayings goes: “Good design costs no more than bad design, but bad design scars the streetscape for generations.” And, in my opinion, good design is fundamentally directed toward achieving

Arch-i-text: Marching backward on heritage protection

Way back in 1972, UNESCO published the World Heritage Convention. This document called on countries around the world to not only protect built-heritage, but to also give “heritage a function in the life

Arch-i-text: The NOTL Craftsman

When the British Arts & Crafts style made its entre into North America, it generated a wave of creativity among architects. On the east coast, Arts & Crafts found its expression in Shingle

Arch-i-text: Another ghost in NOTL

Since its settlement, Niagara-on-the-Lake (aka Newark, Niagara) has witnessed the loss of many fine pieces of architecture. We all know of the burning of the town during the War of 1812 and in

Arch-i-text: Knobs, locks and knockers

You are a gentleman of the late 18th century who is calling upon the impressive home of Mr. D.W. Smith Esq. Mounting the stairs to the front entrance, the decorative iron ring knocker is

Arch-i-text: Insights into saving a community

A few days ago I watched a 2014 video entitled “Strange & Familiar,” which revolved around one woman’s crusade to save and revitalize the community of Fogo Island in Newfoundland. Initially my interest

Arch-i-text: Not what it looked like

In the past few days, I had occasion to take a fairly long walk along the streets of Old Town. As is my wont, this stroll provided the opportunity to do some “house-watching” at

Arch-i-text: The restoration question

When it comes to our built heritage, I am first and foremost a preservationist. In cases where historic materials, elements or details still exist, it is always my preference to save and preserve the old

Arch-i-text: A treasure that needs saving

I was channel surfing recently and stumbled upon a program that caught my attention. It was an American story about an individual who has made a career of being a preservationist. In this

Arch-i-text: Niagaras Neo-Classical

During the rebuilding phase immediately after the War of 1812, a new architectural expression captured the attention of the monied folks here in Canada. This style was buoyed by the public fascination with

Arch-i-text: Signs of your future

Over the last 50 years Niagara-on-the-Lake has charted a path to make the health of our town’s economy dependent on tourism. This is not anything new as tourism has played a vital role in

Arch-i-text: Capturing a sense of place

For many reasons, I am a huge fan of adaptive reuse of our old buildings. Not only does this practice preserve the history and architecture of our shared built heritage, it makes sense

Arch-i-text: Blindsided again

While investigating the whereabouts of a client’s heritage grant I discovered that with no advanced warning or announcement the Region of Niagara had quietly eliminated its heritage grant program. Apparently not to be

Arch-i-text: A reflection of change

Renovations can change the face of a house. Sometimes for the better, too often for the worse and occasionally, as many decades pass, create a curiosity for those with modern eyes who ask

Arch-i-text: Things that make me wonder

From time to time I come across information about Niagara-on-the-Lake that makes me sit back, scratch my head and wonder. Take, for example, William Street. Other than the fact this street dead-ends at

Arch-i-text: A final argument for livability and affordability

For several weeks now we have been considering the issues facing our towns and cities to build affordable housing in a form that is human scaled and supports livability. Decades of car-centric development

Arch-i-text: One piece of the puzzle

My son is thrilled to pieces with his recently acquired property in an old turn-of-the 20th-century neighbourhood. This is not because it is all he ever wanted in a house. On the contrary,

Arch-i-text: ‘Cellular’ neighbourhoods

What can be done with cities that have grown based on automobile dependency? Sprawling across many square miles, we have created urban environments that have little (or nothing) to do with community. Your

Arch-i-text: 60 years of Modernism

Living in a community that is known for its relative concentration of surviving buildings from the 19th century, it is sometimes easy to neglect the fact that the majority of our dwellings actually

Op-ed: Where do we stand on questions of personal freedom?

There is something ugly rising within my country. Something that I never would have believed that a populace, which has traditionally been a model of inclusivity based upon a live-and-let-live ethos, might be subject

Author's Latest