Heritage in the City of Guelph

Presentation byHeritage Guelph

toGuelph City Council

April 2007

• Museums, archives and library collections

• Buildings and monuments• Streetscapes and landscapes• Bridges and railway stations• Cemeteries• Archaeological sites• Artefacts, documents and

photographs• Stories and folktales• Traditional arts, crafts and

skills

What is cultural heritage?Cultural heritage is not just about the past – it is about the places, spaces and stories that we value today that we want to build on for the future

A sense of place: what makes Guelph unique?(according to Professor Gil Stelter)

• a planned company town • an old-world country town dominated

by the Church on the hill• a limestone town with a homogenous

look• an agricultural town and major stock

breeding centre• an industrial city in the late Victorian

era• a town settled by people of British

origin• Canadian Heritage River

• contributes to quality of life in our communities

• stimulates revitalization• brings tourist dollars• is economically viable and

environmentally responsible

Cultural heritage is a valuable cultural and social resource: it

How does cultural heritage benefit our community?

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The economic value of heritageNon-residential historic rehabilitation

New construction

Generated 38.5 jobs Generated 36.1 jobs

$1,302,000 in income $1,223,000 in income

$1,711,000 in gross domestic product

$1,600,000 in gross domestic product

$202,000 in taxes $189,000 in taxesInformation from Heritage Canada Foundation

for every $1,000,000

The business case for supporting Heritage

• The Panet House• The City of Ottawa sold the

house to Andrex Holdings for $260,000 in exchange for the developer agreeing to spend a minimum of $160,000 on specific heritage work

• Andrex Holdings actually spent about $440,000 on both heritage and non-heritage renovations

• In 1990, the property was sold for about $1.5 million, resulting in a 200% profit for Andrex Holdings

The former Panet House, located in a historic neighbourhood, was built by Colonel Charles-Eugène Panet, Deputy Minister of Militia and Defence, in 1876.

Information from Heritage Canada Foundation,

The Lazarus Effect (Robert Shipley, University of Waterloo)

• Is it typically cheaper or easier to demolish a structure and build anew than it is to adapt an existing structure to a new use?

We've all often heard the expression, "It's cheaper to build new than it is to reconstruct." That's not true. I've always found that it's much cheaper to use an existing structure. Now, doing so is more complicated, and you actually have to be a better builder to do that kind of work, but if you know what you're doing, it costs you less money. A lot of the building is already done - you already have your structure - so that's why it's much cheaper.

- Donald Trump

The business case for supporting Heritage• Heritage pays• Restoration and rehabilitation

using local materials and workers keeps money in the community

• Restored heritage buildings could be centrepieces for revitalization

• Heritage is Green• Saving heritage buildings saves

natural resources

• About 35% of Canadian landfill content is from demolition (used construction material)

22 Oxford St.

The Mill Lofts

The environmental case for heritage conservation

•According to Donovan Rypkema, principal of Place Economics, Washington, D.C.:•Demolishing a typical two-storey downtown building wipes out the entire environmental benefits of the last 1,344,000 recycled cans•Embodied energy in heritage buildings equals money in the bank

✓ the embodied energy in the shell of a two-storey, three-unit, brick apartment building = 32,000 litres of gasoline

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The business case for supporting Heritage

• Cultural tourism• Authenticity• Historic architecture• Family history• Learning and enrichment

• Doors Open Ontario• Since Doors Open Ontario was

launched in 2002, nearly two million visits have been made to participating heritage sites

• From 2002 - 2005, the visitor spending during DOG was $112,595

• There were an average of 6,000 visitors per year, 25% from out of town

What attracts tourists?

Heritage is more than economic benefits• Our cultural heritage is a big part

of what makes our community unique

• Well-maintained historic buildings, streetscapes and landscapes contribute to safe and comfortable neighbourhoods and foster local identity and pride

• Heritage reflects the distinct expressions and aspirations of our community

Courthouse garden

Youth music centre and Goldie mill

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Heritage legislative tools• Ontario Heritage Act, 1975

– empowers Municipal governments to enhance and protect properties of architectural and historic value

• Amendments 2001, 2005– standard designation criteria– prohibits demolition– cultural heritage

• Planning Act• Provincial Policy Statement• Municipal Act

Municipal responsibilities for Heritage• Establish a Municipal Heritage Committee to

advise on local heritage issues

• Identify and designate properties or districts that have heritage value

• Issue or refuse permits to alter or demolish heritage properties

• Amend or repeal designation by-laws

• Enforce building standards

• Buy or lease designated property

• Provide grants or loans to designated property owners

• Enter into easement agreements with owners to maintain their heritage properties

What Guelph has done. . .Guelph City Council:

• Established LACAC -1977, Heritage Guelph (Municipal Heritage Committee) -2003• 12 members, 1 Councillor, and staff resources

• Designated 81 heritage properties

• Included Heritage in Strategic Directions and Smart Guelph principles

• Included Heritage policies and procedures in Official Plan

• Included Urban design standards in policy review

• Created tax relief and brownfield funding for the Mill Lofts and Stewart Mill projects

Responsibilities of the Municipal Heritage Committee

Heritage Guelph

• Researches and compiles inventories of heritage resources, including more than 3000 buildings

• Couling Inventory, completed 1970s• Burcher-Stokes inventory, 1993 - 2003

with over 1900 entries

• Advises council on local heritage issues, including designation, alteration and demolition of heritage properties

• Assists in heritage planning

• Provides information and education

• Acts as liaison between property owners and council

Paul Ross, HG Chair

Doug Haines

Martin Bosch

Ian PanabakerBetty Lou Clarke

Joan Jylanne

Ongoing challenges

How do we provide incentives to encourage re-investment and improve property standards?

How do we develop effective policies to deal with intensification pressures involving demolition, infill and streetscape alterations?

Petrie Building

Harrison Street

Raising awareness: promote and educate• Celebration and promotion are among the most effective tools for helping to

conserve our heritage

Ken Irvine helps kids at the Civic Museum

Spirit Walk at Woodlawn Cemetary DOG at 49 Albert St.

•Local and Provincial–Walking tours(GAC)–Heritage fairs(Museum)–Publications (GHS)–Recognition programs: GAC, ACO, City –Doors Open Ontario (DOG April 28, 2007)–Rogers Heritage Minutes–Heritage Week–Plaque programs–Heritage awards–Websites –Displays•National–Canadian Register

of Historic Places

Resources for Heritage

• Ministry Tool Kit

• Local History Collections:– Guelph Public Library Archives– Guelph Museums– University of Guelph local history collection– Guelph Historical Society archives– individual Church archives

• Guelph Arts Council reference collection• Guelph Historical Society publications

– Historic Guelph (annual issues)– Leo Johnston, History of Guelph– Don Coulman, Perspectives on a Century of Change: 1900 - 2000

• Land Registry office• Heritage Guelph files

Opportunities for the next four yearsHeritage Guelph Work Plan 2007

• Heritage Conference : May 4 - 6, 2007

• Heritage Conservation District

• Municipal Register

• Ongoing research and designation

• Financial Incentives

• Official Plan Update

• Input into City initiatives

Designations in process

264 Crawley Road

Chalmers Church

Marcolongo Farm

British Methodist Episcopalian Church

14 Neeve St.The Hanlon farm

What council can do

•Support Cultural Heritage•Support Workplan initiatives•Update policies and regulations: • Official Plan• Strategic Plan• Places to Grow•Increase and enhance Heritage Guelph Resources•Staff•Funding

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Our heritage tells us who we are, where we have come from, and

what we have accomplished. It is a source of strength and confidence that puts the changes of society into perspective and helps us to

build a better future.

Making a present of the past . . .

for the future