Buildings at Risk
HCF uses three primary criteria to determine the 10 final sites for inclusion on the list:
Click here for the Top Ten Endangered Places List Form. Feel free to contact us if you’re considering a nomination or have any questions. By email: heritagecanada@heritagecanada.org or phone: (613) 237-1066. 2010 Top 10 Endangered Places List 2009 Top 10 Endangered Places List 2008 Top 10 Endangered Places List Heritage Canada Foundation 2008 Worst Losses List Brantford, Ontario Update South Side of Colborne Street – Expropriation/ Development. Motions passed by City Council Brantford Council - Civic Funds For Demolition Resolution Read “The Block Battle” in the National Post TAKE ACTION! Email Michael Chan, Ontario’s Minister of Tourism and Culture: mchan.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org
Update on HCF’s Past Top Ten Endangered Places Costs of Saving Hamilton’s Landmark Lister Block Change Again Rare Rail Roundhouse on Demolition Track HCF’s 2010 Top Ten Most Endangered Places List The Heritage Canada Foundation released its sixth annual Top Ten Most Endangered Places List on August 11, 2010. The selection—presented here from the West to East Coast—was compiled from the results of HCF’s call for nominations as well as those stories and news items followed throughout the year.
The Heritage Canada Foundation released its fourth annual Top Ten Most Endangered Places List on April 30, 2008. The selection—presented here from the West to East Coast—was compiled from the results of HCF’s call for nominations as well as those stories and news items followed throughout the year.
Although the federal government is engaged in commemorating Canada’s national historic sites, its cost-sharing program to support non-federally-owned national historic sites is nearly dormant and badly under-funded. Since being declared a National Historic Site in 198a1, there have been no federal funds to provide support, emergency or otherwise, to the Church of the Holy Cross. Background
Meanwhile, with every wind or ice storm pieces of siding and decorative woodwork are torn off the church; in April an entire stained glass window and frame fell out of the church tower, but, miraculously, sustained no damage.
“People who visit the church talk of the incredible sense of peace and power in it,” says local resident Sharon Syrette. “There is a tangible presence in that place, whatever your beliefs.” Five generations of the Syrette family have been baptized there. Old St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church The future of the church is dependent upon finding adequate restoration funding, the willingness of the Catholic Diocese to support the efforts of the parishioners and community members, and Mountain View Memorial Gardens to be accommodating in the treatment of this historic property.
The church building—a Provincial Historic Resource—remains the property of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Calgary which has demonstrated little interest in preserving it. The land, however, is owned by Mountain View Memorial Gardens and Funeral Home which hopes to remove the church and erect a mausoleum on the site. Currently, the building is boarded up, deteriorating, and subject to vandalism. Unlike many of the early Catholic churches in Alberta which followed Neo-Classical or Romanesque styles, St. Patrick’s is built in the Carpenter Gothic style and features wood siding and a pyramidal wooden steeple. In 1874, Father Joseph Jean-Marie Lestanc was sent to St. Albert, where, under the direction of Bishop Grandin, he began a series of postings, mainly to missions in the southern foothills. In 1903, he proposed the construction of a church at Fish Creek (Midnapore), a community that had recently developed along the transportation route between Calgary and Fort Macleod. In 1904 area Catholics erected the church on land donated by Patrick Glenn, son of John Glenn, one of Calgary’s pioneer farmers. The 75-seat church building continued to serve the parish until 1983 when the congregation moved into a new and larger church building. In the early 1990s the land on which the church sits and the cemetery around it were sold to Mountain View Memorial Gardens and Funeral Home with the agreement was that the Catholic diocese would move or demolish the church. The diocese applied for a demolition permit in 2000, but that process was stopped when the province declared the church a Provincial Historic Resource in 2001. Beginning in the late 1990s, a group trying to protect and preserve St. Patrick’s repeatedly tried to gain the support of the Catholic Diocese for their aims. The Old St. Patrick’s Preservation Society, a registered non-profit group, was formed in 2006 with the purpose of restoring and preserving the church. Their efforts have been made more difficult by the slow movement of the Catholic Diocese and the undisclosed intentions of Mountain View Memorial Gardens. As yet no structural assessment study has been done on the building, but vandalism is evident and the possibility of fire threatens the building’s survival. The Grand Trunk Pacific Railway Roundhouse (later CNR Roundhouse) Biggar, Saskatchewan – RARE ROUNDHOUSE ON DEMOLITION TRACK
Background
The 4,300-square-metre roundhouse has 12-metre fir beams, more than one million bricks and 18 stalls for locomotives. Tunnels have recently been discovered, presumably leading to the nearby railway station. With the advent of diesel engines, and the consolidation of repair and maintenance services at larger Canadian centres, most roundhouses fell into disuse (at one point, Biggar’s was used for grain storage) and were torn down. The only remaining prairie roundhouse similar to Biggar’s is in Hanna, Alberta; this 1919 structure, however, is severely dilapidated and half-collapsed. In the early 1970s the roundhouse was slated for demolition, but the Mayor convinced the CNR to delay for 2 years while a new tenant for the building was sought. The building’s long-term future was secured in the winter of 1973-74 when local resident Kevin Kuruluk signed a lease agreement on the use of the land from CNR and purchased the building for $1 to operate a turkey farm. The Kuruluk family sold the turkey operation in 2005. Their lease on the roundhouse runs out in early 2009 and a clause in it requires the owner to demolish the building at that time. While the CNR may be open to a new potential lease on the roundhouse, it has made no commitments at this point.
The Kuruluk family has spent nearly $500,000 over the years on repair and maintenance to the roundhouse. Using the historic building for food production did not require modifications other than the erection of a few artificial walls, leaving it completely intact. Located on its own 4.3 acre plot of land away from the main CNR line, the roundhouse does not presently impede railway operations. This separation also makes the roundhouse more adaptable to public uses. The Mayor of Biggar, Ray Sadler, and many others in the surrounding area, including railway preservationist Tom Cholowski, are mobilizing to save the roundhouse because of its great historical value to the community and the building’s uniqueness on the prairies. Current plans envision the roundhouse as a museum, and a collection of artifacts has already been amassed, including the roundhouse’s original 1908 blueprints. An organization is currently being formed to try and find a solution for the future of the roundhouse. Mayor Sadler and Cholowski have collected over 3,000 signatures—more than the town of Biggar’s population—to petition federal protection for the building. Support has also come from railroad societies across Canada. Local MP Carol Skelton (Saskatoon-Rosetown-Biggar) has brought the petition forward to the House of Commons calling on the federal government to designate the roundhouse as a National Historic Site. Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport Winnipeg, Manitoba – AIRPORT HEADING FOR CRASH LANDING
Background Originally part of a national network of sophisticated, art-filled air terminals built between 1958 and 1964, Winnipeg remains the only major terminal that has not been either renovated beyond recognition or demolished. Its future however is in jeopardy. Its owner, Transport Canada, is currently building a new air terminal that is scheduled to open in 2009. Meanwhile, no solid plans for the reuse of the old terminal have come forward, rumours circulate about possible demolition threats, and as yet the building has no heritage designation protection from any level of government. The Winnipeg International Airport was built as part of a nation-wide program (including Edmonton, Toronto and Gander) to show Canadians and the world—through the creation of striking architecture—that Canada was a forward-thinking, cosmopolitan nation. Inspired by the 1951 Massey Commission’s call for a recognizable expression of “true Canadianism,” each terminal was resolutely modern in design, incorporated the latest in Canadian furniture, and evoked the interior of an art gallery by displaying the largest public art projects ever realized in Canada. Of particular significance in Winnipeg are two massive murals commissioned for the terminal: Eli Bornstein’s “Structuralist Relief in Fifteen Parts”; and John Graham’s “Northern Lights.” The result is a powerful public space which symbolized the national aspirations to make airports into cultural institutions. The most memorable part of the airport is the passenger concourse, a rectangular pavilion with a clear-span steel structure, glazed on the east and west sides, with solid walls on the north and south ends. Between 1986 and 1994, a renovation and expansion of the building was undertaken, but the approach was very sensitive to the original design and did not impair the character of the building. A recently issued Request for Proposals to reuse the terminal building garnered no response from the private or public sectors. There is growing alarm amongst local architects, heritage advocates and the broader Winnipeg community that this building is on track for demolition. Currently, the Winnipeg terminal is being considered for federal heritage building designation by the Federal Heritage Buildings Review Office (FHBRO). A decision will be made this coming June. Transport Canada has not demonstrated an eagerness to designate any of its buildings. Out of the 1,413 buildings in its Airport Programs, only three have received heritage designation: a hanger in Port Hardy, British Columbia, a hanger in Churchill, Manitoba, and a historic house on the Pickering Airport Lands in Ontario. But even if the airport receives federal heritage status, its protection is not ensured. FHBRO exists to evaluate heritage value and make recommendations regarding proposed changes or demolition. The policy, however, is non-binding, and is not monitored or reported on and FHBRO does not follow up to determine if its recommendations are followed. The onus is on custodian departments, like Transport Canada, to establish their own processes and standards for compliance.
In spite of massive public opposition, the Riverdale Hospital will be demolished to make way for a driveway and a future development site upon completion of a new health facility. The Citizens for Riverdale Hospital continues to look for a solution that is a win for all concerned. The efforts to prevent the demolition of Riverdale Hospital have focused on three areas:
Background Although two engineering studies (Yolles Engineers and Perkins Eastman Black Architects, both in 2001) have determined that it is structurally sound and well-maintained and adaptable to new uses, the Riverdale Hospital will be demolished to make way for a driveway and a future development site upon completion of the new facility. Architects Howard Chapman and Len Hurst used the curved semi-circular design of the Riverdale Hospital on the rectangular shaped lot to maximize patient interaction with the adjacent park. The building showcases many other important modernist architectural elements including a Japanese terrace garden (designed by landscape architect George Tanaka), steel mushroom-shaped canopies, a 600,000-piece Saico glass mosaic (hand-cut and assembled by the Czech-Canadian artist Margit Gatterbauer), exterior walls of multi-coloured Belgian glass, and projecting triangular bay windows—among others. It remains unique when compared to the design of the city’s other institutional buildings.
Known for its great aesthetic appeal, the Riverdale is considered a landmark building city-wide. It is also a well-preserved landmark—with all major characteristic elements intact. Architect Jon Van Nostrand evaluated the building and determined it could be renovated to create 200 much needed housing units, ideal for students, seniors or nurses. Other uses that have been proposed include administrative offices for Bridgepoint Health, medical offices and community facilities. None of these uses has been considered by the building owners. (See http://www.torarchcons.org/riv.html)
Concerned citizens, architects, environmentalists and heritage advocates formed the “Citizens for Riverdale Hospital” group. The Architectural Conservancy of Ontario supported the efforts of the group in their unsuccessful Ontario Municipal Board appeal of the hospital plans in the fall of 2007. This nomination was submitted by the Toronto branch of the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario. The Old Grand Trunk Railway Station (later CNR Station) Kingston’s first train station remains in critical condition. If the present level of neglect continues, this historically significant site will be lost.
It is an all too common example of:
Background
The limestone station and a brick passenger refreshment building, constructed in 1895 to replace a previously existing wooden one, are all that remain on the site. The Kingston station, also known as “the outer station” remained a critical element in the Canadian National Railway’s operations when it succeeded the Grand Trunk in 1923. The site also reflected the importance of Kingston as a commercial and industrial centre in its own right. Located two miles north of the city’s downtown (to avoid the land speculation prices of the day), it became the centre of a new sub-community known as Kingston Junction. Houses, stores, schools and churches sprang up to serve railway employees and their families. The original station buildings are counted among the few structures that remain.
The Pig & Whistle renovated the interior of both buildings to operate a restaurant from 1987 to 1992. It has remained vacant and abandoned since then. A fire occurred in 1996 while the City was prosecuting CN for violating property standards due to its failure to maintain the premises. The fine was set at $5,000. After failing to meet two deadlines to make emergency repairs to the 1855 building, the City unilaterally ordered the work to be completed, and charged CN an additional $10,000 for the expenses it incurred. In 2003, the City commissioned heritage preservation consultants (André Scheinman and the McCormick Rankin Corporation) to develop a conservation master plan for the site. Although the original limestone was judged to be in “relatively good condition” it was determined that the extensive damage to the roof, dormer windows and most of the second storey would require reconstruction. The restoration costs were estimated at $1.6 million, resulting in a proposed “gifting agreement” that would have CN sell the property to the City for $1, rejected by a newly elected municipal council in 2004. This nomination was submitted by the Frontenac Heritage Foundation located in Kingston, Ontario. Contact information: Andrew Hill, Director at 613-483-0269.
BENS Delicatessen, a Montréal Art Deco landmark with its famous wrap-around illuminated corner sign, is facing the wrecking ball. Situated on prime real estate, the building has been sold to a developer who has submitted plans to the city for a new 14-storey hotel with a restaurant on the new building’s ground floor. In spite of consistent efforts by Héritage Montréal and the Art Deco Society of Montréal to designate the building, it remains unprotected.
“If the developer had any sense he would just preserve it and build around it. The proposed design has a restaurant on the ground floor anyway,” says Ms. Sandra Cohen Rose of Art Deco Montréal. The public has until May 21st to contest the committee’s decision to their municipal elected officials. Ben and Franny Kravitz opened BENS Delicatessen after their arrival from Lithuania in 1908. It moved to its current building designed by Charles Davis Goodman in 1950, where it remained open until 2006. Visited by thousands of tourists, BENS became the meeting place favoured by luminaries such as Leonard Cohen, former Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau, René Levesque and the Montreal Canadians hockey team. Until 2007, Ben’s headed the National Geographic Society’s 10 best delicatessens list. Autographed celebrity photos that decorated the yellow Formica and chrome deli, were a significant part of the restaurant’s appeal. While the McCord Museum has agreed to preserve the famous restaurant’s memorabilia, the Art Deco Society insists this is not enough.
Montréal’s famous deli remains a classic example of Streamlined Modern design as it retains most of its original interior finishes, from the stainless steel coat racks to the sleek deli counter and stools. “The real estate tycoon who bought it has no idea of what Ben’s means to the city,” says Pop Montréal’s Dan Seligman. “They’re just hoping to go in there, destroy it, and that nobody will care. But if people actually do something, we can prevent this from happening. It would be a shame if it is demolished.” Montréal is the first North American city to join the UNESCO City of Design network. Reducing this Art Deco landmark to a few commemorative photos in a replacement building brings into question the city’s commitment to urban design values. Ironically, the International Coalition of Art Deco Societies will be holding their 2009 World Congress in Montréal, May 24-30. Winter Street Prison The future of the Winter Prison complex remains uncertain. This unique historic landmark is succumbing to decay and neglect. Due to its advanced state of disrepair, the I condemned the building in April 2007.
Financial incentives from all levels of government are needed to ensure the landmark’s future viability. Background
The prison is the oldest stone structure in Sherbrooke and the city’s third oldest public building. It continued its original function until 1990, when the prison was moved to more modern facilities. The Société de sauvegarde de la vieille prison de Sherbrooke was created in 1989 in reaction to the threat of its demolition at the time of the prison’s closure. The society is mandated to work with the city and the public to find solutions to ensure the site’s long-term survival and adaptive reuse. In 1997, to ensure its protection, the group bought the prison for 1$ from the provincial Ministry of culture. [Ministère de la culture et des communications]. Even though the local group has been working for almost 20 years to prevent deterioration, neglect and vandalism, it is overwhelmed by the current state of the prison’s significant heritage elements such as the penitentiary wall, the exterior masonry wall and the roof. The society wishes to raise awareness of the urgency of the building’s condition and engage all levels of government as well as the public in helping to bring it up to code.
Although the Ministry has invested in numerous studies, the prison is not protected under Quebec’s Cultural Property Act. [Loi sur les biens culturels] Sensitive to the heritage character of the site and the public’s appreciation of the complex, the City of Sherbrooke has moved ahead by integrating it into the municipality’s official plans: Plan d’implantation et d’intégration architecturale de la Ville de Sherbrooke. The local population has become quite familiar with the location as it housed activities of an arts group, Art Libre until its recent closure. Located next to the Magog River in the heart of the old Sherbrooke heritage district, the prison could become the catalyst for the revitalization of the surrounding area for the benefit of tourists and the community. The Conseil des monuments et des sites du Québec has already urged local stakeholders, such as elected officials, the public and the corporation Sherbrooke, Cité des rivières to integrate the prison in future revitalization plans. There is a strong will among community members and the municipality to revitalize the area in order to make it “tourist-ready.” St. Patrick’s Church
Background
Despite a variety of resourceful fundraising activities, the Society is still only half-way to its goal. If unsuccessful, the Archdiocese is free to sell the St. Patrick’s property to developers who, it is feared, will apply to have the church’s provincial and municipal heritage designations removed to enable the demolition of the building for new development. St. Patrick’s remains a vibrant place of worship with the congregation performing social justice and charity work in the community, renting its basement as a homeless shelter in the winter months and utilizing its sanctuary as a performance space. Built between 1883 and 1885 with the volunteer labour of Irish immigrants, this richly decorated Victorian Gothic church was designed by architects Henry Peters and George Henry Jost. It houses an 1898 Casavant organ (one of only two remaining from the firm’s first 100 instruments) stained glass (four panels of which withstood the Halifax explosion of 1917) and other important art works. This nomination was made by the parishioners and members of the Saint Patrick’s Church Restoration Society. Alexander Bridge House
“In the past, far too many structures with ties to our rich historical legacy have been taken for granted and allowed to vanish from our midst; with their significance being lost to future generations,” explains the Speaker of Newfoundland and Labrador’s House of Assembly, Roger Fitzgerald. “The Bridge House should be protected to signify the importance of the community’s glory as a major commercial centre, and to stand as a keystone of the heritage district that many residents and groups are striving so hard to preserve.”
Accented by a natural stone foundation, the Alexander home features gable end chimneys, a central hallway, and a highly symmetrical design. The house is situated on Walkham's hill and was owned by William Alexander who came from Argylshire, Scotland to start a mercantile business (Alexander and Co.) in Bonavista. He died in 1828 and was laid to rest in the family plot in the old Anglican Cemetery nearby. The building was designated by the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador as a Registered Heritage Structure in 1986, and emergency funding was approved to stabilize the building and to install a temporary roof until further restoration efforts could be made. The temporary repairs, however, eventually failed and water penetration continued to damage the structure. “It is indeed a significant part of Bonavista’s history,” notes Bonavista’s mayor, Betty Fitzgerald. “If it is not preserved in the very near future, it will be beyond repair.”
In an effort to prevent further water damage to the foundations, Sheppard Case recommended excavating around the site for the installation of a new drainage system. Recognizing the potential damage this could cause to the historic site, the Society delayed in order to arrange an archaeological survey. Financial support finally came through the provincial government under it Cultural Economic Development Program. The work on the survey and the new French drain will proceed this spring. Gordon Bradley, president of the Bonavista Historical Society, stresses however that the Bridge House needs much more. “It requires significant resources to properly address this structure and to ensure that its is conserved and redeveloped in the best possible manner. The province’s oldest surviving house deserves nothing less.” Heritage Canada Foundation – 2008 Worst Losses List Armoury, Québec City, Quebec – LOST TO FIRE Bata Shoe Headquarters, Toronto, Ontario – DEMOLISHED IN THE NAME OF CULTURE Walnut Hall, Toronto, Ontario – A CASE OF ARCHITECTURAL EUTHANASIA Seagraves Building, Windsor, Ontario – LOST TO LANDFILL DUE TO PERMIT OFFICE OVERSIGHT Balfour Building, Hamilton, Ontario – COLLAPSED DUE TO NEGLECT Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Rothesay, New Brunswick Legion Building, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan – DEMOLISHED FOR LACK OF VISION Central Pentecostal Tabernacle, Edmonton, Alberta – LOST TO CONDO DEVELOPMENT David Graham House, Vancouver, British Columbia – LOST TO WEAK LEGISLATION Dominion Atlantic Railway Roundhouse, Kentville, Nova Scotia Over the past 30 years, Canada has lost 20% of its historic buildings to demolition - and the destruction continues. The time is now for the federal government to include financial incentives in the next federal budget to encourage private sector investment in the rehabilitation of historic places. Send a postcard demonstrating your support for heritage buildings to Jim Flaherty, the Minister of Finance, Treasury Board President Vic Toews, and Rob Merrifield, Chair of the Standing Committee on Finance: Update on HCF’s Past Top Ten Endangered Places
Costs of Saving Hamilton’s Landmark Lister Block Change Again Costs of Saving Hamilton’s Landmark Lister Block Change Again The 84-year-old vacant Lister Block, a landmark in downtown Hamilton, is like a cat with nine lives. After rejecting the Ontario government’s offer to inject $7 million into the redevelopment of the site—because it couldn’t meet the long-term leasing condition placed on the deal—Hamilton city council has voted to negotiate the building’s purchase. It’s a complicated story. In January, councillors balked at the “exorbitant” leasing costs of $37 a square foot, or $44 million over 20 years, to lease space in the downtown building. The provincial grant was to offset the city’s leasing costs of about $40 million. (Council also asked the province to let the city keep the $7 million for other downtown initiatives.) “That’s just not a rational deal for taxpayers,” said Mayor Fred Eisenberger. “It’s a non-starter.” Mayor Eisenberger indicated that he still wanted the city to be part of the Lister project. He asked the building’s owner, Labourers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA), if it would consider replicating the façade after demolition—the same plan first approved by council and stopped by the province. The Heritage Canada Foundation and others urged council to reconsider. In a letter to the Ontario Minister of Culture, Aileen Carroll, dated January 8, 2008, the foundation requested “prompt enactment of provincial heritage designation,” and urged the province to discourage the replication option since “replication runs counter to the principles of heritage conservation and sustainable development.” HCF encouraged the mayor and council to freeze the demolition permit for the Lister Block. It also recommended a peer review of the proposed renovation and the owner’s leasing estimate. In February, city council did just that. MHPM Project Managers Inc. was hired to undertake an independent peer review of the project costing. LIUNA is partnering with the Hi-Rise Group of Toronto to rehabilitate the vacant 1923 heritage building into high-grade office space. They blame the higher lease price on the increased costs of renovating versus building new. The consultant’s report estimated the cost of purchase at $38.60 a square foot—$5 more than the leasing arrangement. The consultant concluded that the city had underbudgeted for operating costs and tenant improvements, stating that the cost of leasing would be higher now. “The new square-foot cost is higher than the lease cost, … but does offer the city an asset in the end,” noted Mayor Eisenberger. Council voted on February 27 to continue negotiations to buy the downtown landmark, but want a guarantee the project will have a second residential phase to justify the high price tag. City staff has been instructed to report back on the potential economic spinoffs. Hamilton Spectator, Ont., 01/07/08 and 01/11/08; MountainNews.com, 02/15/08; Heritage magazine, Vol. X, No 3, 2007. Rare Rail Roundhouse on Demolition Track A rare locomotive roundhouse that helped establish the town of Biggar, Sask., nearly 100 years ago is facing demolition. The efforts to preserve it have reached Parliament Hill.
The circular building, used for servicing and storing locomotives, was constructed by the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway in 1908. The structure is so well preserved “it’s like the railroad just pulled out,” said resident Tom Cholowski, a conductor with CP Rail and a railway preservationist. “This is one heck of a rare gem. . . . These things just don’t exist anymore.” Mr. Cholowski and Mayor Ray Sadler have collected 2,500 signatures—more than the town’s population—to petition federal protection for the building. Support has also come from railroad societies across the country. The 1990 Heritage Railway Stations Protection Act (HRSPA) protects heritage railway stations, such as Biggar’s CNR station, which was designated in 1995. However, the Act does not extend protection to locomotive roundhouses. On October 24, MP Carol Skelton tabled a petition in the House of Commons calling on the federal government to designate the 4,300-square-metre building a national historic site. The government has 45 calendar days to respond. “The Mayor of Biggar as well as many people within the community and surrounding area are mobilizing to save the CNR locomotive roundhouse because of its unique structure and historical value to the community, and I wholeheartedly support their campaign,” said Ms. Skelton. The roundhouse is capable of holding 21 locomotives, has 12-metre fir beams, more than one million bricks and 18 stalls. Mr. Cholowski said that the recently discovered tunnels presumably lead to the nearby rail station. The Biggar settlement was chosen for the largest Grand Trunk station in Western Canada a century ago. The town was then made a divisional point, which necessitated the roundhouse and prompted a construction and population boom. While the town thrived, the GTPR was beset by financial troubles and absorbed by CN Rail in 1920. With the emergence of diesel engines, and consolidation of repair and maintenance services at larger Canadian centres, most roundhouses fell into disuse and were torn down. Biggar’s was slated for demolition in the 1970s, but saved in 1974, when Kevin Kurulak’s family leased it from CN as a turkey barn. “Their lease runs out in 2009 and now, because of a clause in the lease, it is once again slated for demolition,” explained Ms. Skelton. CN still owns the land but has no interest in the building, said a CN spokesperson. Saskatchewan construction historian Frank Korvemaker thinks CN Rail itself should support the roundhouse. “After all, it is their heritage we are endeavouring to preserve…. It’s not like we have dozens of these impressive roundhouses scattered all over the prairie.” Bernard Flaman, heritage architect with Saskatchewan’s Heritage Resources branch, said the more complicated question is what happens if the roundhouse does receive designation. “The train station in downtown Biggar is an excellent GTPR/CN example, but it’s empty and deteriorating without a use or access to adequate funding even though it is protected by the HRSPA,” he said. There is, he added, “a lack of follow-up after designation, to provide incentives for conservation and advice on how to incorporate a new use so that the property can get to the point of generating its own resources.” This is where the cancelled Commercial Heritage Property Incentive Fund (CHPIF) could have come in handy. (CHPIF was a federal program designed to encourage private sector investment in heritage which, in turn, resulted in the rehabilitation of buildings for commercial uses.) Mr. Flaman also noted that the federal cost-share program for national historic sites has not been adequately funded for several years. Both the mayor and Mr. Cholowski want to turn the roundhouse into a museum. They have already amassed a collection of artefacts, including the original 1908 blueprints. Mr. Korvemaker said that “unquestionably, a viable future use needs to be found for the building, and that use may require acquisition by the town and negotiation of an agreement with CN Rail. However, this is not an insurmountable task. Such agreements have been successful elsewhere in Saskatchewan and across the country.” The Leader-Post, Regina, 10/30/07; MP Carol Skelton (www.carolskelton. ca); and Encyclopaedia of Saskatchewan. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Top Ten Endangered Places List is released annually to bring national attention to sites at risk due to neglect, lack of funding, inappropriate development and weak legislation. It has become a powerful tool in the fight to make landmarks, not landfill. 
Church of the Holy Cross
In recent months a new foundation has been put under the building and the steeples temporarily braced, completing the emergency stabilization phase of the restoration. Almost all of the $200,000 for this emergency work came from small donations from across Canada. The final three phases of work will address the wooden exterior of the building, safety and sprinkler systems, and roofing, but fundraising for the approximately $450,000 required is going slowly—the remote location of the church has limited its public profile. 
Between the mid-1890s and 1905, the people of the Stl’al’imx Nation built this Gothic Revival “cathedral in the wilderness” out of local cedar. None of them had formal carpentry training. Instead, they relied on photographs of the French Gothic cathedrals of Chartres and St. Denis for inspiration. They crafted three delicate steeples, hand-carved the altar, pews and interior detailing, and imported stained glass windows from Europe. 
Background
The future of the roundhouse is dependent upon:
The roundhouse’s current owner and property leaseholder has ensured that it remains in very good structural condition. However, its landowner, the CNR, intends to demolish the building in early 2009 when the lease expires. 
In 1995, Biggar’s large GTPR station was designated under the Heritage Railway Stations Protection Act (HRSPA). The Act, however, does not extend protection to other important railway buildings, including locomotive roundhouses.
The future of this extraordinary public building is dependent upon it overcoming inadequate protective legislation at the federal level, and the willingness of Transport Canada to support efforts to find an ongoing sympathetic use. 
In recent decades, the aims of Canadian airport management have shifted away from the “cultural institution” model, to much more pragmatic imperatives like revenue generation and efficiency. Changes in the air transportation industry as well as higher passenger and freight volumes have further undermined the perceived utility of the Winnipeg terminal. Presently, the Winnipeg Airport Authority—which manages the property—claims the building is in poor shape due to years of limited capital investment by Transport Canada. 
Riverdale Hospital
No analysis of either the financial costs of retrofit versus demolition or the environmental impacts have been considered.
The building also has the city’s only completely accessible community theatre, allowing the disabled to participate in performances and as audience. 
Bridgepoint Health has submitted applications for rezoning and official plan amendments that will facilitate the demolition of Riverdale Hospital. All have been approved by the City of Toronto.
Despite the recognition of the station’s importance by all levels of government, concerned citizens, and community groups, a satisfactory arrangement that would lead to the intelligent, adaptive reuse of this site has not been found. The survival of the station and its premises has reached the point where some form of action is critical.
As well as the landmark limestone station with its distinctive mansard roof, the site included a number of maintenance buildings, a Royal Mail building, its own water tower and a turntable. Its importance was reflected in the architectural scale and design of the main buildings; by the diverse array of related operational buildings; and by the multiple engineering and maintenance related functions that the site served.
BENS Deli Restaurant
Background
“BENS must be preserved in its entirety, within the framework of any proposed new development,” Ms. Cohen Rose states. “Whether used as a restaurant, or any other number of innovative uses, it is an asset to Montréal in history and in revenue as a tourist attraction and movie set.”
The Winter Prison was saved from the wrecking ball by a local group committed to its rehabilitation and continued community use. Local groups often end up burdened with high maintenance and restoration costs of municipally and provincially significant heritage places. 
The prison complex consists of a main building, a unique stone fence penitentiary wall, an interior court, green spaces, the jailor’s house, and a brick building dating from 1940. 
Although the group has submitted several applications for heritage designation to the Ministry of Culture, little has been done. “The Winter Prison does not seem to be a priority for the provincial government,” notes Daniel Quirion from the society. “It’s now time to act, or else it will be too late for the prison.”
The church’s predicament underscores the pressures exerted on places of worship by declining numbers of congregants, high maintenance and restoration costs and rising land values in urban areas. The parishioners have taken it upon themselves to save the historic St. Patrick’s Church by raising enough funds to prevent its sale to developers.
In 2007, the Archdiocese gave the group until June 30 of this year to raise $300,000 in cash and $300,000 in pledges—one fifth of the $3 million it has determined will be required for the repair, future maintenance, and operation of the building. If this fundraising goal is met, negotiations will take place to have the church placed in trust to the Society.
All too often, local preservation and historical societies which are mostly run by volunteers are faced with the pressure of saving Canada’s built heritage treasures without critical government funding support.
Background
Hoping to prevent a demolition by neglect, the Bonavista Historic Townscape Foundation bought the designated historic site in 2001. A short time later, the Society engaged Newfoundland architects Sheppard Case Ltd. to complete “as found” drawings of the structure and to consider options for conservation and redevelopment. With the assistance of the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and the former Human Resources Development Canada, the Bonavista Historic Townscape Foundation replaced all the deteriorated roof sheathing with new pine and replaced rotting timbers. The decaying chimneys were removed to the roof line and the fragile third storey dormer windows were dismantled and placed inside the building.
