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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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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
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
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
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
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
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,
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
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
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
Spurred by the housing crisis that has fully blossomed over the past few years, during the last couple of weeks I have attempted to present an argument for a co-ordinated address based on
Far too often when the term “affordable housing” is used, our minds draw an equivalent to the subsidized housing projects that proliferated across this province during the third quarter of the 20th century.
Housing Quandary As I was listening to talk radio one day last week, I heard a caller state: “I’m 33 years old and make $130K per year. I have been looking to purchase
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