Visitors can once again climb Brock’s Monument after Parks Canada completed the main phase of a restoration project to preserve one of Niagara’s best-known historic landmarks.
The nearly 200-year-old monument at Queenston Heights reopened July 13 following months of conservation work focused on repairing weather-related deterioration and preventing future damage.
Landscaping around the site is continuing and is expected to wrap up this fall, said Maia Aqui, spokesperson for Parks Canada, in a written statement.
The federal government has invested $2.2 million in the rehabilitation project, including planning, design and assessments, along with about $1.1 million in restoration work announced last October. The final cost will be determined once the remaining work is complete, she said.
The project centred on repairing the monument’s aging masonry, affected by decades of weather exposure and water infiltration.
Restoration work began at the site in mid-October last year. Workers repointed mortar joints throughout the structure, replaced deteriorated stone and installed a new lead membrane roofing system designed to keep water from penetrating the masonry.
Five damaged limestone blocks were replaced with stone sourced from the Queenston Quarry to match the monument’s original material.
The most noticeable change for visitors is a narrow lip near the monument’s lion sculptures. It is part of the new waterproofing system and is designed to direct rain and melting snow away from the stonework, reducing the risk of future deterioration.
To complete the work, crews erected a 56-metre scaffold that reached the top of the monument’s spire, allowing conservators to access every section of the structure safely.
The restoration was carried out primarily during the winter to reduce disruptions for visitors. Aqui said the workers needed suitable weather conditions to complete specialized masonry work, so there were minor delays.
She said inspections carried out during the project confirmed expected deterioration caused by the monument’s age and exposure to the elements, but found no significant structural concerns.
Brock’s Monument is regularly inspected and maintained through Parks Canada’s conservation program, Aqui said. Major rehabilitation projects have taken place about every 12 years since 1971, with the last major restoration completed in 2009 and 2010.
The current monument was built between 1853 and 1856 through public subscriptions after the original monument, completed in 1827, was destroyed in 1840.
