Heritage Impact Assessment 6320 Pine Grove Avenue City of Niagara Falls April 2019
Leah D. Wallace, MA MCIP RPP Land Use & Heritage Planning Services Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario
INTRODUCTION...... 3
Subject Lands ...... 3
Surrounding Land Uses and Heritage Properties ...... 4
PROPOSAL ...... 5
EXISTING HERITAGE POLICY CONTEXT ...... 7
The Planning Act ...... 7
Provincial Policy Statement (PPS) ...... 7
Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe ...... 8
Ontario Heritage Act (OHA) ...... 9
Standards and Guidelines for Conservation of Historic Places in Canada ...... 10
Niagara Regional Official Plan ...... 10
City of Niagara Falls Official Plan ...... 11 1. Residential Designation ...... 11 2. Heritage Conservation ...... 12 3. Urban Design Strategy ...... 14
City of Niagara Falls Zoning By-law No. 79-200 ...... 14
HERITAGE IMPACT ANALYSIS ...... 15
Description of Proposed Development and Site Alteration ...... 15
Historical Research and Site Analysis ...... 15 1. History of Niagara Falls ...... 15 2. Site Analysis ...... 21
Identification and Significance and Heritage Attributes of Property ...... 25 1. 6320 Pine Grove Avenue (Earl A. Thomas House) ...... 25 2. Summary...... 26
Evaluation of Heritage Impacts ...... 27 1. Provincial, Regional and Local Policies ...... 28 2. Analysis of Heritage Impacts Based on Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport InfoSheet #5...... 28
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9. Analysis of Heritage Impacts Based on the General Standards for Preservation, Rehabilitation and Restoration, Standards and Guidelines for the Conservation of Historic Places in Canada ...... 30
MITIGATION AND CONSERVATION METHODS ...... 33
IMPLEMENTATION AND MONITORING ...... 34
CONCLUSION AND CONSERVATION RECOMMENDATIONS ...... 35
APPENDICES ...... 36
Appendix I Designation By-laws ...... 36
Appendix II Severance Sketch – 6320 Pine Grove Avenue, City of Niagara Falls ...... 36
BIBLIOGRAPHY ...... 37
Books ...... 37
Articles and Reports...... 37
Websites ...... 37
CURRICULUM VITAE – LEAH D. WALLACE ...... 38
PRESENT POSITION ...... 38
EDUCATION ...... 38
PROFESSIONAL ...... 38
MEMBERSHIPS ...... 38
CAREER HISTORY ...... 38
APPOINTMENTS ...... 39
AND AWARDS ...... 39
PUBLICATIONS AND ...... 40
PRESENTATIONS ...... 40
PROJECTS ...... 41
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Introduction
This Heritage Impact Assessment is produced as a requirement for a proposed consent to sever a lot from the property at 6320 Pine Grove Avenue (Earl A. Thomas House), Lots 132, 133, 134 and 135, Plan 315 in the City of Niagara Falls. The assessment provides historical background, identifies significant heritage resources and cultural heritage landscapes and analyses the impact of the proposed development on the protected and identified heritage resources on the subject property and its impact on cultural heritage landscape features and resources on the properties. Because the property is designated under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act (OHA) a Regulation 9/06 analysis and a draft Statement of Significance do not constitute part of this assessment (APPENDIX I). These were completed when the property was designated.
Figure 1: Subject Property 6320 Pine Grove Avenue Subject Lands
The subject property is located in a residential area on the northeast corner of Pine Grove Avenue and Murray Street a block east of Drummond Road, south of Symmes Street and west of Orchard Avenue. The house, which is centred on the lot, faces Pine Grove Avenue. The driveway and garage access is from Murray Street.
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Surrounding Land Uses and Heritage Properties
The surrounding land uses are residential. The streets are arranged in a tight grid pattern of lots of similar size and shape. The residential properties along Pine Grove Avenue are single detached dwellings of varying ages and styles located on properties of a consistent size and shape. The property at 6320 Pine Grove Road is the largest property on the street consisting of a number of lots purchased by Earl A. Thomas before the house was constructed. Along Murray Street there is a mix of houses to the west and east and low rise apartment buildings, mainly located on the south side of the street to the east. There is one apartment building located immediately east of the subject property on the north side of the street which effectively obscures views of the property looking west along Murray Street.
Figure 2: Subject Property: 6320 Pine Grove Avenue
There are no designated properties adjacent to the subject property. The closest properties designated under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act (OHA), are the J. Ingles House, an 1855 Gothic Revival cottage and the Orchard/Cadham House an 1850 house with Queen Anne details, both located three (3) blocks north of 6320 Pine Grove Avenue on the north side of Culp Street.
The closest listed property, the Mcglashan House, is located at 6395 Drummond Road. While it is not designated under Part IV of the OHA, the property is listed on the city’s Heritage Properties Database. This property and others on Culp Street are considered to be of significant cultural heritage value and interest.
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Figure 3: Designated and Listed Properties Near 6320 Pine Grove Avenue (City of Niagara Falls)
Proposal
The proposal is to sever a lot on the east side of the property (rear yard) and to construct a house on the severed lot. The proposed lot frontage is 13m (42.65 ft.) The building envelope is set back 16m (52.49 ft.) from Murray Street. Side yard set backs are 1.25m (4.10 ft.) and the rear yard is 7.59m (24.90 ft.) in depth. The existing dwelling, which is designated under Part IV of the OHA, will remain in its current location and the generous side yards and a portion of the rear yard will be maintained as existing. ( Fig. 3, APPENDIX II)
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Figure 4: Proposed Severance Sketch (APPENDIX II)
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Existing Heritage Policy Context
The Planning Act
Part 1 of the Planning Act includes a list of matters of provincial interest. Section 2(d) states that the Minister, the council of a municipality and the Ontario Municipal Board, in carrying out their responsibilities shall have regard to: The conservation of features of significant architectural, cultural, historical, archaeological or scientific interest.
In 2015, an additional clause, Section 2(r), was added. This clause provides for the promotion of built form that is well-designed, encourages a sense of place, and provides for public spaces that are of high quality, safe, accessible, attractive and vibrant.
Provincial Policy Statement (PPS)
Section 2.6 of the PPS, Cultural Heritage and Archaeology, contains the following policies for both built heritage resources and cultural heritage landscapes.
Policy 2.6.1: Significant built heritage resources and significant cultural landscapes shall be conserved. Policy 2.6.3: Planning authorities shall not permit development and site alterations on adjacent lands to protected heritage property unless the proposed development and any site alteration is evaluated and that evaluation demonstrates that the heritage attributes of the protected property will be conserved.
Policy 2.6.2: Development and site alteration on lands containing archaeological potential is not permitted unless any archaeological resources have been conserved.
The PPS provides the following definitions which assist in understanding and applying these cultural heritage and archaeology policies.
Significant built heritage resource means a building, structure, monument, installation or any manufactured remnant that contributes to a property’s cultural heritage value or interest as identified by a community. Built heritage resources are generally located on property that has been designated under Parts IV or V of the Ontario Heritage Act (OHA), or included on local, provincial and/or federal registers.
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Significant cultural landscape means a defined geographical area that may have been modified by human activity and is identified as having cultural heritage value or interest by a community. The area may involve features such as structures, spaces, archaeological sites or natural elements that are valued for their interrelationship, meaning or association. Examples may include, but are not limited to, heritage conservation districts, villages, parks, gardens, battlefields, main streets, neighbourhoods, cemeteries, trailways, view sheds, natural areas and industrial complexes.
Protected heritage property means a property designated under Parts IV, V or VI of the Ontario Heritage Act.
Adjacent means those lands contiguous to a protected heritage property or as otherwise defined in the municipal official plan.
Development means creation of a new lot, a change in land use, or the construction of buildings and structures requiring Planning Act approval.
Site alteration means activities such as grading, excavations and placement of fill.
Heritage attributes means the principal features or elements that contribute to a protected heritage property’s cultural heritage value or interest. These may include the property’s built elements as well as natural landforms, vegetation, water features and visual setting including views or vistas to or from a protected heritage property
Archaeological resources include artifacts and archaeological sites as defined under the Ontario Heritage Act. Identification and evaluation of these resources are based on archaeological fieldwork undertaken in accordance with that Act.
The property at 6320 Pine Grove Avenue is designated under Part IV of the OHA and is a protected heritage property in accordance with the policies in the PPS. There are no protected properties adjacent to this property. Because the property is a significant cultural heritage resource, a heritage impact assessment is required in accordance with the policies in the PPS. This requirement is affirmed in the Regional and local Official Plan policies.
Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe
The 2017 Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe was approved by an Order in Council in May 2017 and came into effect on July 1, 2017. Heritage conservation policies in the new Growth Plan have been enhanced to recognize the importance of cultural heritage resources for their contribution to a sense of identity; their support of a vibrant tourism industry; and their ability to attract investment based on cultural amenities. The Plan also recognizes that accommodating development growth can put pressure on these resources and that it is necessary to plan to protect and maximize the benefits of these resources for their ability to make communities unique and attractive places to live.
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Policy 4.2.7 states that cultural heritage resources will be conserved to foster a sense of place and encourages municipalities to prepare archaeological management plans and cultural plans to be considered in their decisions regarding development
Policy 4.2.9(d)iii, A Culture of Conservation, promotes building conservation and adaptive reuse and recycling of construction materials. The Plan also includes definitions for Built Heritage Resource, Cultural Heritage Landscape and Cultural Heritage Resources that align with the definitions in the PPS.
The heritage impacts of the proposed development will be assessed in accordance with Growth Plan policies in the PPS and the Regional and local official plans.
Ontario Heritage Act (OHA)
The OHA provides policies and regulations for the protection of built heritage resources, cultural landscapes such as heritage conservation districts, and archaeological resources through the process of identifying, listing and designating those resources.
Part IV of the Act deals with: Designation of individual properties; Alterations that are likely to affect the heritage attributes of those properties as specified in designation by-laws; Requests to demolish those properties; and Listing designated properties on the Register
Section 27(1.2) of the Act permits Council to include property on the Register that is not designated under Part IV; but that the municipality believes to be of cultural heritage value or interest.
Part V of the Act deals with: Designation of heritage conservation districts; Preparation of heritage conservation district plans and their contents; Alterations to any part of the property with the exception of the interior of buildings or structures; and Requests to demolish buildings or structures on those properties.
Part VI of the Act deals with:
Archaeological sites including activities of work on those sites; and Licensing of archaeologists.
Regulation 9/06 under the OHA provides criteria for determining cultural heritage value or interest.
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Standards and Guidelines for Conservation of Historic Places in Canada
The Standards and Guidelines for the Conservation of Historic Places in Canada were first published in 2003 and updated in 2010. These standards and guidelines, while they have no legislative authority, are a tool to help users decide how best to conserve historic places, their heritage value and character defining elements. They are used in partnership with statements of the significance of heritage resources, such as designation by-laws. Anyone carrying out an intervention that may impact the heritage values and character defining elements of a heritage resource must be mindful of the impacts on that resource.
The Standards and Guidelines indicate that it is important to know where the heritage value of the historic place lies, along with its condition, evolution over time, and past and current importance to its community.
Planning should consider all factors affecting the future of a historic place, including the needs of the owners and users, community interests, the potential for environmental impacts, available resources and external constraints. The most effective planning and design approach is an integrated one that combines heritage conservation with other planning and project goals, and engages all partners and stakeholders early in the process and throughout. For historic places, the conservation planning process also needs to be flexible to allow for discoveries and for an increased understanding along the way, such as information gained from archaeological investigations or impact assessments.
Any action or process that results in a physical change to the character-defining elements of a historic place must respect and protect its heritage value. A historic place’s heritage value and character-defining elements can be identified through formal recognition, such as designation under the OHA and by nomination to the Canadian Register of Historic Places. In assessing a proposed alteration to a designated property or any property of cultural heritage value and interest, the 14 Standards for the Conservation of Historic Places in Canada will be adhered to. The heritage value and character-defining elements of the property at 6320 Pine Grove Avenue must be conserved when the consent is granted..
Niagara Regional Official Plan
The Niagara Regional Official Plan, Section 10C, contains objectives and policies for the protection of built heritage resources and cultural heritage landscapes and requires a heritage impact assessment where development, site alteration and/or public works projects are proposed on, or adjacent to, a significant built heritage resource or cultural heritage landscape.
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Objectives include: Supporting the identification and conservation of significant built heritage resources and significant cultural heritage landscapes; Recognizing the aesthetic, cultural and economic value of open space and parks; Recognizing the importance of quality design; and Conserving significant built heritage resources and cultural heritage landscapes within the unique community context of every site.
City of Niagara Falls Official Plan
The intent of the City of Niagara Falls Official Plan is to focus new growth to accommodate people and jobs in a sustainable fashion that makes for an orderly and effective use of land and infrastructure, creates compact, livable communities and protects the City’s natural heritage and agricultural lands.
1. Residential Designation
The property at 6320 Pine Grove Avenue is designated Residential in the Niagara Falls Official Plan and is located in the Built-up Area. While it is in the Drummond Community Planning District, it is not in the Drummondville Node and is not subject to the policies specific to the Node.
The intent of the Plan with respect to the Residential designation is to provide for residential development that is sufficient to accommodate anticipated population growth and the need for various housing types and densities throughout the period of the Plan. Residential development should occur in a manner which is compatible with the surrounding neighbourhood.
The predominant use of land in the Residential designation is dwelling units of all types catering to a wide range of households. Predominant uses include single detached and semi-detached dwellings, duplexes, triplexes, quadraplexes, townhouses, apartments, group homes and other forms of residential accommodation.
Goals and objectives of the Residential designation include: To accommodate a variety of lifestyles by encouraging a broad range of housing types; To protect and enhance the character and image of existing residential neighbourhoods; and To encourage high quality design that is environmentally sustainable and is compatible with the character and image of the adjacent buildings.
The Official Plan recognizes that opportunities exist throughout the Built-Up Area to create new housing units. Intensification must be designed to integrate into the surrounding neighbourhood.
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The following policies will be considered in the design of residential development, intensification and infilling in the Built-Up Area. Retaining the character of the existing neighbourhoods within the Built-up Area; Blending residential development, intensification and infilling into the lot fabric, streetscape and built form of a neighbourhood; Creating a gradation of building heights and densities with sufficient horizontal separation distances between taller buildings and low rise dwellings in order to ensure a complementary arrangement of residential uses; and Encouraging a harmonious mix of single and multiple accommodation so that at any one time a variety of housing types will be available suitable for different age groups, household sizes and incomes.
The conservation and renewal of the existing housing stock is encouraged as an important element in meeting future housing needs. In addition, the maintenance and rehabilitation of existing housing is promoted.
2. Heritage Conservation
Part 3, Section 4 of the City of Niagara Falls Official Plan is devoted to objectives and policies for the conservation of cultural heritage resources in the Town.
Relevant general policies include: Appointing citizen representatives to a Municipal Heritage Committee (MHC) under the terms of the OHA to research and advise City Council on heritage matters relating to the identification, protection and/or management of properties of cultural heritage value or interest and advising and assisting Council on other heritage related matters as required. Maintaining a register of properties that are considered to be of cultural heritage value or interest containing both those lands that have been designated under Parts IV or V of the Ontario Heritage Act as well as listed properties believed to be worthy of future designation. Promoting the conservation of heritage resources, with advice from the MHC, by designating significant properties of cultural heritage value or interest under Parts IV or V of the OHA. Assessing, in consultation with the MHC, built heritage resources by use of studies, surveys or other methods using the following criteria. The property represents a rare, unique, or early example of a style, type, expression, and material or construction method. Built resources or design of the property displays exceptional craftsmanship or artistic merit. Elements of the property demonstrate a high degree of technical or scientific achievement.
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The property is significant to the community because of direct associations to a theme, event, belief, person, activity, organization or institution. The property contributes to the understanding of a community or culture. The property demonstrates/reflects the work or ideas of an architect, artist, builder, designer or theorist who is significant to a community. The property is important in defining, maintaining or supporting the character of an area. The landscape contains excellent craftsmanship or artistic merit. The landscape is representative of a high degree of technical or scientific achievement. The landscape has associations to a theme, event, belief, person, activity, organization or institution that is significant to the community,. The landscape contains elements that contribute to the understanding of a community or culture. The landscape demonstrates or reflects the work or ideas of an architect, artist, builder, designer or theorist who is significant to the community. The landscape is important in defining, maintaining or supporting the character of an area. The landscape is physically, functionally, visually or historically linked to its surroundings. The landscape is considered a landmark of the city. Recognizing the importance of archaeological sites in the municipality and making every effort to conserve and protect archaeological resources in situ. Requiring that archaeological fieldwork and an archaeological report be completed by a licensed archaeologist must be submitted before working on a property to the satisfaction of the Ministry of Culture Referring to the Niagara Falls Heritage Master Plan and the Region of Niagara to identify sites with potential archaeological resources. Developing various guidelines and plans such as heritage impact assessment guidelines, landscape guidelines and urban design guidelines to assist in identifying, evaluating and protecting properties of cultural heritage value or interest. Providing for other measures of heritage conservation such as heritage overlays, site specific zoning and site plan control. Developing heritage provisions in the City’s property standards by-law. Requiring that development adjacent to and surrounding significant heritage properties be designed to not adversely impact the character, quality or amenities associated with the protected heritage resource. Requiring a heritage impact assessment or archaeological survey and mitigative measures for any specific development proposal on a protected heritage resource.
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3. Urban Design Strategy
The City of Niagara Falls Official Plan includes polices that provide guidance with respect to urban design for new development and redevelopment. The purpose of these policies is to upgrade and maintain the city’s civic image and economic potential and to create a compact, interconnected, pedestrian-oriented and transit-supported community.
Relevant policies include: Utilizing building, streetscaping and landscaping designs to improve the built and social environment of the city that integrates and is compatible with the surrounding area including natural and cultural heritage features. Designing new development and redevelopment that specifically addresses the height, setbacks, massing, siting and architecture of existing buildings to provide a compatible relationship with exiting development in the area. Designing pedestrian oriented development. Minimizing parking areas in the front yard and locating it primarily in the rear or side yards with sufficient landscaping to create an effective buffer to abutting lands. Orienting landscaping within development sites towards public use areas to create attractive amenity areas and entranceways. Ensuring that the size and extent of new plantings is appropriate or the mass and size of the building and surrounding areas and selecting suitable tree types and plant species. Using landscaping to mitigate the impacts of development on surrounding lands and encouraging adequate buffering, screening and other landscaping measures. Encouraging the preservation and incorporation of existing tress, vegetation, green areas and topography into the design and landscaping plans of proposed developments.
City of Niagara Falls Zoning By-law No. 79-200
The property at 6320 Pine Grove Avenue is zoned Residential 1E Density Zone (R1E Zone) in Zoning By-law 79-200.
Permitted uses in the Residential 1E Density Zone include: A detached dwelling; A home occupation in a detached dwelling; Accessory buildings and accessory structures; A group home type 1.
In the Residential 1E Density Zone (R1E Zone) there are also specific requirements for lot area, minimum lot frontage, front and rear yard depths, interior side yard widths, maximum lot coverage, maximum building height, maximum number of dwellings on a lot and parking and access. The proposed severance has been designed to meet and, in some cases, exceed the regulations in Zoning By-law 79-200 (APPENDIX II).
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Heritage Impact Analysis
Description of Proposed Development and Site Alteration
The proposal is to sever a single residential lot on the east side of the property at 6320 Pine Grove Avenue in the City of Niagara Falls. The lot fronts on Murray Street with access to that street via a driveway on the east side of the lot. (APPENDIX II)
The following lot dimensions are proposed, all of which meet or exceed the regulations for lots in the Residential 1E Density Zone (R1E Zone) as follows . Lot frontage – 13m (42.65 ft.) Lot Depth – 37.436m (122.822 ft.) Lot Area – 486.7sq.m. (5238.80 sq.ft.) Front yard setback minimum – 15.91m (52.20 ft.) Rear yard setback minimum – 7.59m (24.90 ft.) Driveway width minimum – 4m (13.12 ft.)
Historical Research and Site Analysis1
1. History of Niagara Falls
1. Aboriginal Peoples
The earliest settlers in the Niagara area were the Mound Builders who settled in the Niagara region around 100 AD. By 1400, Neutrals occupied the area. The Iroquois defeated the Neutrals in the mid 1600’s and decimated both their numbers and their culture.
Over the past 40 to 50 years there has been considerable research about the Neutral demonstrating that their villages tended to cluster in distinct geographical areas. The City of Niagara Falls coincides with the most easterly cluster in Ontario. There is one village in this cluster known as the Stanley site located close to the northern municipal boundary of the city and the Niagara Escarpment.
During the later 17th and early 18th centuries the former Neutral territory was occupied by the Mississaugas whose economy was based on garden farming, hunting, fishing and gathering of wild plants. The British Crown, recognizing that these people were the “owners” of the western bank of the Niagara River, negotiated with them to facilitate settlement of the Loyalists and their Six Nations allies after the American Revolution.
1 Seibel, George A., The Niagara Portage Road (City of Niagara Falls, 1990), 19-29, 269 and Bray, Carl and Associates, Niagara Falls Heritage Master Plan, 31-36, 38-47
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2. First European Contact
The first documented visit by a European explorer to the area was Samuel de Champlain in 1615, who encountered the aboriginal peoples known as the Neutrals. The first description of these peoples, their villages and settlement patterns was in 1626, by Joseph de La Roche Daillon, a Recollet missionary. There were no new written records of contact until 1640 when the Jesuits, Jean De Brebeuf and Joseph Pierre-Marie Chaumonot attempted to establish a mission among the Neutral. Their superior, Jerome Lalement, transcribed their notes in the Jesuit Relations in 1641 and mentioned the village of Onguiaahra on the east side of the river of the same name.
3. United Empire Loyalists
While the French formally claimed possession of the Niagara River in the late 17th century, it was under British rule that permanent settlements were established. The first permanent settlers were United Empire Loyalists, predominantly from New York State. Those who remained loyal lost their homes and freedom. Some, such as Colonel John Butler, raised a corps of Rangers who fought alongside the Iroquois against the revolutionary forces.
Butler knew that losing the war would force Loyalist refugees, who were housed in Fort Niagara, to immigrate across the Niagara River. He suggested that a large tract of land should be purchased from the Mississaugas to facilitate settlement. The purchase was negotiated by Sir Guy Carleton in 1781 and included all of the land that now constitutes the City of Niagara Falls. In 1783, with the signing of the Treaty of Paris, permanent settlement began. Free land was granted to Loyalists and disbanded soldiers, though they were not owners of their land until the arrival of Governor Simcoe in 1792, when deeds to these properties were granted from the Crown. Niagara Township was the earliest township surveyed, in 1787. Stamford Township, which contained a large population of Rangers and Loyalists, was surveyed in 1788. The early roads used by the Loyalist settlers in the newly surveyed townships generally followed trails that were used by Aboriginal people. Drummond Road through Niagara Falls is one of these, providing a natural egress over the Escarpment to Lake Ontario.
4. Early Settlers and the Portage Road
The first settlers in the Niagara Falls area were Philip Bender and Thomas McMicken who arrived in 1782 with their families. The early settlers needed a way to get around the falls. They began using the trail from Isaac Dolson’s property in Queenston which led to the top of the Niagara Escarpment through the lands lowned by the McMickens and other families. The path then ran past the bottom of Drummond Hill through the Forsyth property and terminated at John Burtch’s mill on the banks of the Chippawa River. This was the forerunner of what came to know as the Portage Road. In 1788, Robert Hamilton, George Forsyth, John Burtch and Archibald Cunningham organized the first portage between Chippawa and Queenston. The
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road was a vital transportation line during the War of 1812-1814 and for future settlement in Niagara.2
Figure 5: Map of Stamford Military Reserve, 1807 - Brock University Map Library
5. The War of 1812 – 1814
The United States declared war on Great Britain in June 1812. The American government, aware that large numbers of Americans had settled in the Niagara Peninsula, felt that it would be easy to liberate Upper Canada. Major-General Sir Isaac Brock was aware of the possibility that some of the population would not be loyal to the Crown. However, many militia units remained loyal and Brock had the advantage of better trained British regulars and Aboriginal allies.
Brock was sure that an attack along the Niagara River was inevitable. To watch the border, he formed four (4) divisions composed of regulars and militia and located them at strategic crossing points along the river. Although Brock was killed at Queenston Heights in 1813, his strategy was justified and troops were able to inflict defeats on the invaders in the first two (2) years of the war.
2 Seibel, George A., The Niagara Portage Road, (City of Niagara Falls, 1990) 29 and http://www.niagarafallsinfo.com/niagara-falls-history/niagara-falls-municipal-history
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Lands within the current City of Niagara Falls were not greatly impacted by the war until 1814. Two devastating battles were fought that year, the Battle of Chippawa and the Battle of Lundy’s Lane. At Chippawa the Americans held the field. At Lundy’s Lane both armies suffered devastating losses in one of the bloodiest battles of the war exacerbated by the fact that it was fought at night. Casualties for the British numbered 800 while those for the Americans numbered 860 including the loss of many officers. The Americans withdrew to Chippawa and then to Fort Erie where they endured a two (2) month siege. They withdrew in November and made no further attempts to gain control of the west side of the river. Hostilities ceased and the Treaty of Ghent was signed on Christmas Eve 1814.
6. Settlement after the War of 1812 – 1814
The war disrupted the economy and halted the flow of immigrants into Upper Canada. However, the end of the war brought new interest in emigration from Europe and the United States. Population growth resulted in the reorganization of Welland County in 1856 to include the townships of Crowland, Bertie, Humberstone, Pelham, Willoughby, Thorold, Wainfleet and Stamford. This township organization lasted until 1970 when the Region of Niagara was created and the City of Niagara Falls was formed from four (4) of the former townships.
During the period after the war services in the area grew. In 1816 a regular stage coach service was established between Niagara and York and James Forsyth built the National Hotel on the Portage Road near the intersection of present-day Main Street.
Four early settlements or villages are illustrated in Tremaine Map of 1862 and the Historical Atlas of Lincoln and Welland of 1876, including Drummondville, Clifton, Chippawa, and Stamford Village. These villages contained churches, meeting halls, schools, blacksmith shops, stores, hotels and taverns serving the local communities and the surrounding countryside.
Drummondville was located where the Portage Road intersected with Lundy’s Lane and Ferry Street and was named for Sir Gordon Drummond, the leader to the British forces at the Battle of Lundy’s land. It received village status in 1831 and by 1859 the community had a population of 500 people. Prominent citizens included Adam Fralick, hotel owner; Samuel Falconbridge, postmaster and merchant; John Misner, wagon maker; Austin Morse, mortician and furniture maker; Robert Slater, hotel owner; Andrew Moss, cabinet maker; and James Skinner, harness maker. William Russell built a brewery in the village in 1844 and in 1849 Lord Elgin, Governor General of Canada, was a resident of Drummondville.
Drummondville’s location, close to the battlefield, attracted tourists and a number of commercially operated observation towers looking over the battlefield were constructed in the 19th century. The community was incorporated in 1882 and changed its name to the Village of Niagara Falls South.3
3 Niagara Falls Info, Village of Drummondville, www.niagarafallsinfo.com/nigarafalls-history/niagara-falls- municipal-history
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Figure 6: Royal Engineers Map of Drummondville, 1838 - Brock University Map Library
7. City of the Falls Plan
The City of the Falls Project was a real estate venture developed by some of the most influential men in Upper Canada. They founded the City of the Falls Company and sought to establish a large residential city within view of the Falls. The original shareholders included Lieutenant- General John Murray, Thomas Clark, Samuel Street, James Buchanan, William Allan, John Dunn, Thomas Dixon and James Robinson. While they wanted to make money, they also wanted to preserve the Falls from vandalism and commercial enterprises. In 1832, the shareholders of the company purchased 400 acres of land from William Forsyth, a prominent businessman who had built the Pavilion Hotel at Falls View. The land was surveyed into lots and streets in 1833. The shareholders reserved choice property for themselves and divided the rest into approximately 300 – 400 lots that were offered for sale by lottery in 1834. Individuals interested in obtaining property in the area were to be issued one ticket for every share which they purchased in the City of the Falls Company, and these tickets would later be drawn to determine ownership of the lots.
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Along with the proposed houses a number of community buildings and tourist attractions were planned for the area including public gardens, churches, schools, and a library. The main public building was a huge bathing complex on the south side of Murray Street. Water would be diverted from the Niagara River at Table Rock and flow by gravity in large wooden pipes to the bathing area. Unfortunately, water pressure caused the pipes to burst when the system was tested, and the bathing complex was never operational. The bath house was later used as a hotel, and as a girls' boarding school, and as a barracks for Canadian soldiers during the Rebellion of 1837. The bath house eventually burned down. Few lots in the City of the Falls Project were sold, and few houses were built. The venture was eventually abandoned. The financial projections had been based on the travelling patterns of tourists who crossed the Niagara River in ferry boats at Buffalo and then came to Niagara in stage-coaches, by way of the Portage Road. However, when the railway replaced the stage- coaches as the primary means of transportation for tourists, the number of people arriving in Niagara Falls via the Portage Road was drastically reduced, resulting in the failure of the City of the Falls Project. Although no trace of the City of the Falls Project has survived to the present, the names of the original shareholders of the project are still identified in the street names in the Falls View area.4
8. 6320 Pine Grove Avenue
Analysis of the Tremaine map of 1862, and the Historical Atlas of Lincoln and Welland of 1876, shows that the property at 6320 Pine Grove Avenue is located in the area of the proposed City of the Falls plan. This land, Township Lot 146, was owned as early as 1813 by James Forsyth and was purchased from his descendent, William Forsyth, by the partners in the planned Falls development.
Figure 7: Tremaine Map, 1862 - Brock University Map Library
4 https://www.niagarafallsmuseums.ca/discover-our-history-notes
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Figure 8: Page Atlas, Stamford Township, 1876 - Brock University Map Library
Designation By-law No.2009-191 indicates that the lands are part of Registered Plan 315 (originally Plan 17). The Plan was registered in 1913 as part of the outward growth of the Drummondville area of Niagara Falls. The original four (4) lots that constituted the subject property were vacant until the 1928 when they were purchased by Earl A. Thomas. Mr. Thomas and his wife, Doris Rosalind Thomas, owned the property for 37 years until 1965, when it was purchased by the Dunnett family who owned it for the next 27 years until 1992. Subsequently the property passed through a number of owners in relatively rapid succession. (APPENDIX I)
2. Site Analysis
a) 6320 Pine Grove Avenue
The property is designated under Part IV of the OHA (APPENDIX I). The subject site is located on the northeast corner of Pine Grove Avenue and Murray Street. It consists of four (4) former lots in Register Plan 315. The house faces Pine Grove Avenue with a centrally located driveway and garage access from Murray Street. The dwelling is oriented along the north/south axis of the lot and is generally sited in the centre of the property. The spacious, well-treed side yards are currently screened to the north and southeast by a high board-on-board wooden fence which is poor condition and which cuts off views to the landscape of the rear yard and the side yard space to the north and obscures the spacious open landscape that Earl A. Thomas desired for his home.
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The house was designed in the Tudor Revival style by the local architectural firm of Findlay and Foulis, c. 1929. This was one of the most popular revival styles of the early 20th century and is characterised by steeply pitched gable roofs, cross gables, stone or brick walls combined with half timbering on the upper floors, entrances highlighted by a Tudor arch or simple round arch and casement windows with small, multi-paned sash. Prominent and elaborate chimneys such as the brick chimney to the right of the round-arched entrance are also characteristic of this period style. The general sense is of a Figure 9: 6320 Pine Grove Avenue Front Facade picturesque composition.
While the Earl A. Thomas House is a particularly elaborate and well-designed example of the Tudor Revival style, it is by no means the only residence in Niagara Falls designed in that style. There is at least one other house on the street, across from the subject property at 6315 Pine Grove Avenue, that is designed in a similar, though much simpler, style and is set on a larger lot than the surrounding properties on the street.
As the designation by-law indicates, there are a number of mature specimen trees on the lot such as European Beech and Maple which create a wooded setting, particularly to the north and south of the house, though many of these trees are currently screened behind the existing wooden fence which detracts from the setting and obscures many of the landscaped features of the property.
Figure 10: 6320 Pine Grove Avenue Looking Northeast
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b) Pine Grove Avenue Streetscape
The streetscape on Pine Grove Avenue presents a pleasant and mature aspect that evolved in the early 20th century and has changed little over time. Houses are set relatively on attractively landscaped lawns and, while there is no boulevard, large trees dominate the street edge creating a shaded canopy in summer. Each house along the street is stylistically unique ranging in type from one storey simple cottages, two storey four-square Edwardians, one and a half storey Craftsman to modern bungalows. Though there are no Figure 11: Pine Grove Avenue Looking North to Culp Street identified individual properties of cultural heritage value or significance on the street with the exception of the subject property, when taken as a whole, it is a cultural landscape that requires some further evaluation.
Figure 12: Pine Grove Avenue East Side
Figure 13: Pine Grove Avenue West Side
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Figure 18: Pine Grove Avenue West Side Figure 15: Murray Street Looking West from Pine Grove Avenue
Figure 14: Murray Street Looking East from Pine Grove Avenue with Hotel and Street Termination
Figure 16: View of Apartment on North Side of Murray Street from Corner of Subject Property
Figure 17: Murray Street Looking West from Apartment to Subject Property c) Murray Street Streetscape
The Murray Street streetscape has suffered from considerable unsympathetic incursions in the recent past. The street between Pine Grove Avenue and Drummond Road contains a number of one and two storey frame dwellings dating from the first half of the 20th century. However, a number of small three and four storey apartment buildings of dubious architectural character were constructed on larger lots on the north and south sides of Murray Street between Locus and Orchard Avenues. These are in the immediate vicinity of the subject property and have a negative visual impact on views and vistas to and from the 6320 Pine Grove Avenue along the street, obscuring both the house and the property when viewed from the east.
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Adjacent to the Earl A. Thomas House on the east side is a long narrow lot. This lot was severed from the subject property in 2003 before the property was designated under Part IV of the OHA. It contains a large two storey frame dwelling facing Murray Street which is set forward of the side elevation of the subject house. This house is traditional in style and dominates the streetscape with little visual or stylistic connection to the Tudor Revival house.
Figure 19: New House on Murray Street Adjacent to Earl A. Thomas House The view at the eastern termination of Murray Street is of the Fallsview casino and hotel which rises up and towers above the smaller surrounding buildings. This skyscraper overlooking Niagara Falls is also visible from Pine Grove Avenue when the house is viewed from the street as are two of the four (4) storey apartment buildings on Murray Street. The visual incursion of these structures has a negative impact on views of the property.
Figure 20: North Portion of Earl A. Thomas House Property - Fence and Hotel in Background
Identification and Significance and Heritage Attributes of Property
1. 6320 Pine Grove Avenue (Earl A. Thomas House)
The property at 6320 Pine Grove Avenue is significant heritage resource and is designated under Part IV of the OHA. There are no designated properties adjacent to the subject property. The nearest properties designated under Part IV, are the J. Ingles House and the Orchard/Cadham House, both located three (3) blocks north of 6320 Pine Grove Avenue on the north side of Culp Street.
The closest listed property, the Mcglashan House, is located at 6395 Drummond Road. While it is not designated under Part IV of the OHA, the property is listed on the city’s Heritage Properties Database. It is considered to be of significant cultural heritage value and interest as acknowledged in the 9/06 review and the designation by-law.
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The identified heritage attributes of the 6320 Pine Grove Avenue as listed in Designation By-law No.2009-191 are: The four lots which create a significant setting; The Tudor Revival house which exhibiting a full range of architectural detail associated with the style; The steeply pitched roof with prominent gables; Original window openings with brick sills laid with headers facing outward, flat arch with soldier course; The round-headed front door made of vertical planks with black metal hardware enclosed in a projecting brick vestibule with bellcast roof and corbelled brick at the eaves; The red brick on the first storey; The dark half timber and light stucco exterior cladding on the second storey; The large dominant chimney, in a central location on the front of the house; The exterior sunroom red brick laid in a herringbone pattern; and Several significant mature specimen trees planted on the property.
In addition the by-law associates the house with several prominent people including the architects Claude Findlay and James Foulis, who designed the house and several other significant buildings in Niagara Falls including the Refectory and Administration Building in Queen Victoria Park and Oak Hall; and Earl A. Thomas who became president of T.G. Brights Wines and president of the Canadian Wine Institute. He was also chairman of the Niagara Falls and Suburban Area Planning Board.
2. Summary
As the designation by-law states, the property at 6320 Pine Grove Avenue has historical associative value for its association with Earl A. Thomas, a prominent local citizen and president of T.G. Bright’s Wines in the early 20th century and the fact that it was designed by the prominent local architectural firm of Findlay and Foulis. It has design value for its Tudor Revival style, indicative of its 1920’s construction date and the fact that its architectural details have survived intact. The setting of the house on a large corner lot containing several large specimen trees is also significant though it is spoiled by the existing fence which is a barrier to views of the landscape setting and by development along Murray Street and hotel development at the Falls. It does, however contribute to and enforce, the pleasant, mature nature of Pine Grove Avenue with its tree-lined street and stylistically varied houses, most of which were constructed in the first half of the 20th century.
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Evaluation of Heritage Impacts
Policy 2.6.3 of the PPS states that planning authorities shall not permit development and site alterations on adjacent lands to protected heritage property unless the proposed development and any site alteration is evaluated and that evaluation demonstrates that the heritage attributes of the protected property will be conserved.
The Planning Act, the Growth Plan, 2017 and the Region of Niagara Official Plan also contain policies that encourage the conservation of significant and protected heritage properties. The Region’s Official Plan includes additional policies for requiring heritage impact assessments to evaluate the impact of new development on cultural heritage resources.
The Regional Official Plan supports the identification and conservation of significant built heritage resources and significant cultural heritage landscapes and recognizes the importance of quality design. Significant built heritage resources such as those designated in districts or as individual properties should be conserved within their unique community contexts.
The City of Niagara Falls Official Plan contains several relevant goals with respect to the Residential designation. These include protecting and enhancing the character of existing residential neighbourhoods and encouraging high quality design.
The Official Plan also recognizes opportunities to create new housing units that blend into the lot fabric, streetscape and built form of the neighbourhood. Heritage conservation policies recognize the requirement for heritage impact assessments, landscape guidelines and urban design guidelines and the use of such planning tools as heritage overlays, site specific zoning and site plan control to ensure appropriate development and protection of heritage resources. In addition, development adjacent to and surrounding significant heritage properties such as 6320 Pine Grove Avenue must be designed to not adversely impact the character or amenities of that resource.
Finally the Official Plan contains an urban design strategy that includes policies to ensure that new development is compatible with cultural heritage features and addresses height, setbacks, massing, siting and architecture of existing buildings to provide for a compatible relationship with existing development. Landscaping should also be used to mitigate the impacts of development.
The Standards and Guidelines for the Conservation of Historic Places in Canada states that any action or process that results in a physical change to the character-defining elements of an historic place must respect and protect its heritage value and provides a number of general standards for the preservation, rehabilitation and restoration of historic places in Canada.
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The Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport has provided InfoSheet #5 to assist in the analysis of heritage impacts including destruction of significant heritage attributes; unsympathetic alterations; alterations that create shadows; isolation of heritage attributes, obstruction of significant views; change in land use; new development in open spaces; land disturbances that may affect archaeological resources. The impact of the proposed severance on the 6320 Pine Grove Avenue which is designated under Part IV of the OHA is assessed in relation to these policies and documents.
1. Provincial, Regional and Local Policies
With respect to the provincial, regional and local policies relating to the conservation of the heritage attributes of protected heritage property and the conservation of significant heritage properties that are designated under the OHA or may have archaeological significance; the heritage attributes of the property at 6320 Pine Grove Avenue will be impacted by the proposed severance. However, those impacts will be mitigated by locating the proposed consent on the east side of the existing lot to ensure that the important views of the house and landscaped open space from Murray Street looking north are maintained. The proposed new house is located behind the south elevation of the Earl A. Thomas House and the new lot and proposed house will not be visible from Pine Grove Avenue. The house will not encroach on the landscaped setting to the north and views from Pine Grove Avenue looking south will be conserved. The yard and garden to the south will be maintained and the view of the house, from this vantage point will not be impacted. Previous unsympathetic development along Murray Street which has already obscured important views to and from the property will not be further exacerbated. The Official Plan design strategy and heritage policies will be used to assist in developing plans, elevations and landscaping for the new lot and the proposed house.
2. Analysis of Heritage Impacts Based on Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport InfoSheet #5
1. Destruction of any, or part of any, No significant heritage attributes will be significant heritage attributes or destroyed. The house will remain in its features. original position. Development will be confined to the rear of the property behind the house. The large specimen trees which are located to the south and north of the house will be maintained and conserved. The view from Murray Street looking directly north will be conserved as will the view from Pine Grove Avenue. 2. Unsympathetic or incompatible The house will not be altered. alterations Development will be confined to the rear of the property and the new house will be designed to be compatible in scale, height and mass to ensure that it does not overshadow or compete with the existing
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building. Impacts on the significant heritage landscape setting, view and vistas will be mitigated by careful placement of the new house. 3. Alterations that create shadows that The proposed development may create alter the appearance of a heritage some additional shadowing of the rear attribute or change the viability of a elevation of the house. However, there natural feature or plantings will not be additional shadows created to the north and south of the house. None of the natural features or significant plantings which are located to the north and south of the house will be altered and will remain viable. Some existing pine trees will be removed; but these are not significant specimen trees. 4. Isolation of a heritage attributes No significant heritage attributes will be from the surrounding environment isolated from the surrounding environment. or context 5. Direct or indirect obstruction of There will not be any obstruction of significant views or vistas within, existing significant views or vistas from or from or of built and natural features to Murray Street and Pine Grove Avenue. Currently the view of the rear of the house is obscured by fencing and is not visible from the street. It is already obscured from Murray Street by previous development. 6. Change in land use The land use will not change. Both the existing property and the new lot will continue to be residential with single- detached dwellings. 7. New development or site alteration The proposed consent will fill in a portion to fill in formerly open spaces of the previously open space to the rear of the house which currently acts as a small rear amenity area at 6320 Pine Grove Avenue. However the new lot has been located to conserve a portion of the rear yard to the on the north side of the property. This portion of the yard contains a number of significant specimen trees which will be conserved and will assist in maintaining open views and vistas in this area when looking south along Pine Grove Avenue.
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8. Land disturbances that may affect The city may require an archaeological an archaeological resource survey and has official plan policies relating to that requirement and to the Niagara Falls Heritage Master Plan. If a survey is required and, if deeply buried archaeological resources are discovered during excavation, all work will stop and a licensed archaeologist will be engaged in accordance with Section 48(1) of the Ontario Heritage Act to carry out additional archaeological field work.
9. Analysis of Heritage Impacts Based on the General Standards for Preservation, Rehabilitation and Restoration, Standards and Guidelines for the Conservation of Historic Places in Canada
1. Conserve the heritage value of an No character-defining elements of any historic place. Do not move, significant cultural heritage resources will replace of substantially alter its be altered. No buildings will be moved. intact or repairable character- defining elements. Do not move a part of an historic place if its current location is a character defining element. 2. Conserve changes to an historic There will be no changes to the character- place that, over time, have become defining elements as noted above. The character-defining elements. identified significant specimen trees in the landscape will be conserved. 3. Conserve heritage value by Intervention will be limited to the rear of adopting an approach calling for the property. This area will be severed. minimal intervention. The size and configuration of the proposed lot, the placement of the building envelope and the proposed setbacks will conserve the significant landscape features and the character of the property when viewed from Pine Grove Avenue and Murray Street.
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4. Recognize each historic place as a Not applicable. physical record of its time, place and use. Do not create a false sense of historical development by adding elements from other historic places or other properties, or by combining features of the same property that never existed. 5. Find a use for an historic place that The use will remain the same. There will requires minimal or no change to its be no changes to character-defining character-defining elements. elements of the Pine Grove Avenue streetscape. 6. Protect and, if necessary, stabilize Mitigation measures will be used to protect an historic place until any significant built heritage resources during subsequent intervention is construction, if required. undertaken. Protect and preserve archaeological resources in place. An archaeological survey will be Where there is potential for completed if required. disturbing archaeological resources, take mitigation measures to limit damage and loss of information. 7. Evaluate the existing condition of Not applicable to the house. Specimen the character-defining elements to trees will be assessed by a qualified determine the appropriate arborist. intervention. Respect heritage value when undertaking an intervention. 8. Maintain character-defining Not applicable. elements on an ongoing basis. Repair character-defining elements by reinforcing their materials using recognized conservation methods. Replace in kind any extensively deteriorated or missing parts where there are surviving prototypes. 9. Make any intervention needed to Not applicable. preserve character-defining elements physically and visually compatible with the historic place and identifiable on close inspection. Document any intervention.
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10. Repair rather than replace Not applicable. character-defining elements. 11. Conserve the heritage value and The heritage value of the defining character-defining elements when elements of 6320 Pine Grove Avenue will creating any new additions to an be conserved. The house will not be historic place or any related new altered and development will be confined construction. Make the new work to an area of the property that does not physically and visually compatible contain any valuable specimen trees. with, subordinate to and The designation should not be removed distinguishable from the historic from the property if the consent is granted place. in order to ensure that there is control through the heritage permit process. When the owner submits a design for the house the MHC and staff will ensure that the house constructed on the severed portion is physically and visually compatible with the existing house and is subordinate to that house. 12. Create any new additions or related The new building will be on a separate lot new constructions so that the and will not impact the essential form and essential form and integrity of an integrity of the existing house. historic place will not be impaired if the new work is removed in the future.
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Mitigation and Conservation Methods
Following are the mitigation and conservation recommendations for the proposed consent. 1. An archaeological may be required for the property to ensure that any archaeological resources are properly identified and appropriate mitigation is completed. 2. The designation should remain on the entire property when the consent is granted to ensure that the construction and design of the new house is reviewed through the heritage permit process and that it is compatible in scale, mass, height and design with the existing house and grounds and is subordinate to the existing house. Designation of the new lot should only be removed after the heritage permit is granted, the house is completed and the grounds are landscaped to the satisfaction of the city. 3. An arborist should be engaged to assess the existing specimen trees on the lot and to provide for any protection for these trees that may be required during construction of the new house. 4. A landscape designer should be engaged to provide for sufficient natural landscape and screening between the new lot and the existing house and to ensure that the new house is located in a well-landscaped setting that assists in maintaining the views to the existing house and grounds. 5. The existing wooden fence which currently screens most of the lot on both the north and south sides of the house should be removed and replaced with natural screening elements. Currently it cuts off views into the lot and grounds, is in poor condition, is incompatible with the naturalistic landscape and has a negative impact on the setting of the house. 6. If significant disturbance of the area adjacent to the built heritage resource at 6320 Pine Grove Avenue is anticipated, a temporary protection plan will be developed in concert with members of the construction team, a heritage consultant, an arborist and staff to ensure that excavation and other construction work does not impact the significant built heritage and cultural landscape resources.
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Implementation and Monitoring
The proposed development will be assessed, reviewed and monitored by local agencies including the building department and planning staff and by the MHC. This will ensure that the significant built heritage resources and the cultural heritage landscape setting is conserved. If required a temporary protection plan will be developed in concert with the City of Niagara Falls and the MHC.
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Conclusion and Conservation Recommendations
The property at 6320 Pine Grove Avenue has significant cultural heritage value and interest and is designated under Part IV of the OHA (APPENDIX I). The by-law stresses the importance of the first two owners of the property including Earl A. Thomas who purchased four (4) lots and engaged Findlay and Foulis, prominent local architects, to design the house in the Tudor Revival style that was popular in the 1920’s. The list of significant heritage attributes is primarily concentrated on the Tudor Revival exterior of the house; but also lists the several mature specimen trees, though it does not specifically identify them.
Based on the analysis of the significant heritage attributes of this property and surrounding properties, the impact of the proposed severance has been assessed and mitigation is proposed to provide for appropriate and compatible development. There are no significant built heritage resources adjacent or close to the proposed development that are impacted. All impacts are related to the subject property. The proposed house will be confined to the area immediately behind the existing house when viewed from Pine Grove Avenue. Judicious design and height control will ensure that the house is not visible from Pine Grove. The new lot will not extend to the northern lot line of the existing property, leaving a 12.478m (41ft.) deep section of the rear amenity space for the existing property and conserving important specimen trees and the spacious setting. Removal of the existing fence will open up the setting and improve the views and vistas resulting in a property that more closely resembles the one the Earl A. Thomas and his architects originally conceived for the house.
Views and vistas to and from Murray Street have already been adversely impacted by apartment developments and by the visibility of the high rise development adjacent to the Falls. It is not possible to mitigate these impacts which occurred before the property was designated. However, any additional impacts the proposed house may have from Murray Street will be mitigated by setting the proposed house a maximum of 16m (52.49ft.) from the street and providing for naturalized screening between the designated property and the new lot and in the front yard of the new house.
A Regulation 9/06 analysis and a Statement of Significance for 6320 Pine Grove Avenue is not included in the heritage impact assessment because the property is already designated and the analysis and Statement of Significance were completed at that time.
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Appendices
Appendix I Designation By-law
Appendix II Severance Sketch – 6320 Pine Grove Avenue, City of Niagara Falls
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APPENDIX I
APPENDIX II
Bibliography
Books
Blumenson, John, Ontario Architecture: A Guide to Style and Building Terms 1784 to the Present. Fitzhenry and Whiteside, 1990.
McAlester, Virginia and Lee, A Field Guide to American Houses. New York, N.Y. Alfred A. Knopf, 1997.
Seibel, George A., The Niagara Portage Road, 200 Years 1790-1980. City of Niagara Falls Canada, 1990.
Articles and Reports
Bray, Carl & Associates, Niagara Falls Heritage Master Plan, September 2005.
Websites http://www.niagarafallsinfo.com/niagara-falls-history/niagara-falls-municipal-history https://www.niagarafallsmuseums.ca/discover-our-history-notes
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Curriculum Vitae – Leah D. Wallace
LEAH D. WALLACE, MA MCIP RPP
47B Garrison Village Drive, RR#3, NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE, ONTARIO LOS 1J0
CURRICULUM VITAE
PRESENT POSITION Consulting Heritage Planner Niagara-on-the-Lake
EDUCATION University of British Columbia Master of Arts, 1978
University of Guelph Honours B.A., 1973
PROFESSIONAL Ontario Professional Planners Institute (OPPI) MEMBERSHIPS Canadian Institute of Planners (MCIP)
CAREER HISTORY
2016 – Present Consulting Heritage Planner
2012 – 2016 Senior Planner, Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake
2000 – 2012 Planner, Heritage & Urban Design, Town of Niagara-on-the- Lake
1994 – 2000 Contract Heritage Planner Hynde Paul Associates Incorporated, St. Catharines
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1984 – 1994 Planning Consultant Robert J. Miller & Associates Ltd., Mississauga
1979 – 1984 Editor and Division Manager Longmans Canada, Toronto
APPOINTMENTS AND AWARDS
2017 Member, Board of Directors, Lower Grand River Land Trust, Cayuga Ontario (Ruthven Park)
2007 - 2014 Member, Niagara-on-the-Lake Citizens’ War of 1812 Bicentennial Committee and the Niagara Region Bi-national Bicentennial Working Group
2006 – Present Faculty Member, Willowbank School of Restoration Arts, Queenston
2002 – 2004 Municipal Sector Focus Group on Changes to the Ontario Heritage Act, Provincial Consultations, Ministry of Culture
2002 Member, Bi-national Coordinating Committee, First Bi- national Doors Open, Niagara Region
2000 – Present Chair, Ruthven Park Building Conservation Committee Lower Grand River Land Trust
1999 Heritage Community Program Recognition Award, Ontario Heritage Foundation
1997 – 2000 Member, Ruthven Park Building Conservation Committee Lower Grand River Land Trust, Cayuga
1997 – 2002 Member, Bay Area Artists for Women’s Art Hamilton-Burlington
1989 – 2000 Member and Chair (1991–1997), Local Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee Town of Flamborough
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PUBLICATIONS AND PRESENTATIONS
Presenter, Ontario Heritage Conference (Ottawa), Municipal Grant Programs and Bill C323, Ontario Heritage Trust Session
Article, Up in Flames, Ontario Planning Journal, January/February 2015
Session Manager, National Trust for Historic Preservation (Buffalo, New York National Conference), Mobile Workshop – Adaptive Re-use of Culturally Sensitive Properties, Canadian Experiences
CIDA Sponsored Walking Tour and Public Planning Session, Niagara-on-the-Lake for Visitors from Xi’an, China Studying the Reconstruction of an Ancient Urban Area
Article, Heritage Conservation Districts, Heritage Matters Journal, March 2010
Presenter, Heritage Planning in Niagara-on-the-Lake in association with the Ministry of Culture and the Regional Municipality of Niagara, Association of Municipal Clerks and Treasurers of Ontario Conference
Restoration Case Study: Ruthven Park National Historic Site – Course Presented to Students at the School of Restoration Arts, Willowbank
Presenter, Heritage Conservation Districts – The Good, the Bad & the Ugly Canadian Association of Professional Heritage Consultants Conference
Presenter, Protecting Special Places: Tax Relief Incentives for Heritage Properties, OPPI/OALA Conference – Power of Place
Presenter, Co-curator, The Sacred Sites Tour, Art Gallery of Hamilton, An Architectural Evaluation of the Sacred Sites, The Art Gallery of Hamilton, Lecture Series
The Sacred Site Project, Research Project Exploring the Contemporary and Historical Relationships between Artists and Faith Communities in Hamilton-Wentworth, Art Gallery of Hamilton
Presenter, ARCHINET, An Interactive Guide to Canadian Building Styles Paper presented at Continuity with Change, the 1997 Community Heritage Ontario Conference, Huronia
Presenter, Flamborough and Its Community Identity, Wentworth North Riding Association Town Hall Meeting
Presenter, Suitable Housing for Arts Groups: The Planning Process, The Art of Coming Together Conference, Hamilton Artists Inc.
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PROJECTS
ARCHINET, An Interactive Guide to Canadian Building Styles
Architectural and Historical Appraisal of the National Fireproofing Company of Canada (Halton Ceramics Limited) Burlington, Ontario, Architectural Conservancy of Ontario and the Burlington Local Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee
Municipal Register of Properties of Cultural Heritage Value or Interest (inclusion of non-designated properties), Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake, Project Manager,
Community Vision Statement, Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake, Project Manager
Queen-Picton Streets Heritage Conservation District Expansion Study and Preliminary Plan, Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake
Dock Area Public Realm and Urban Design Master Plan, Project Manager Official Plan Review; Community Engagement Sessions, Background Reports, Heritage Policies, Third Draft of Official Plan, Project Manager
Heritage Impact Assessment, Plan of Subdivision, 1382 Decew Road, City of Thorold
Heritage Impact Assessment, Hotel Expansion, 124 on Queen Hotel and Spa, Old Town, Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake
Heritage Impact Assessment, Randwood Estate, Hotel Development, 144-176 John Street, Old Town, Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake
Heritage Impact Report, 1317 York Road, Consent Application, St. Davids, Town of Niagara-on-the- Lake
Heritage Impact Assessment, Niagara Escarpment Commission Development Permit Application, 95-97 Cline Mountain Road, Town of Grimsby, Ontario
Heritage Impact Assessment, Plan of Subdivision, 242, 244 and 246 Main Street East, Town of Grimsby, Ontario
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