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Perserving our history

When looking at the high-traffic tourist spots around the world, there’s almost always a common denominator: historical sites. Many of these sites date back hundreds or even thousands of years.

When looking at the high-traffic tourist spots around the world, there’s almost always a common denominator: historical sites. Many of these sites date back hundreds or even thousands of years. Newer nations such as Canada and United States, however, are limited in those sites. If North America wants to have its historical sites preserved, then residents are going to have to step forward to protect those spots.

“I think that a lot of times a lot of cities across North America are starting to look very similar to each other,” said Jennifer Hoesgen, curator of the Humboldt & District Museum and Gallery. “We’re building a lot of glass and squares and a lot of times your community will look different because of the historic buildings in your community. It’s that unique sense of place that each community needs to decide for itself how they want to preserve it and how much they want to move on to a modern look.”

When someone wants to preserve a building or a site, he or she would need to first go through a public process within the community to get it designated. In Canada, there are three levels of designation: the first is a municipal designation bestowed by the leaders of the municipality. The next is a provincial or territorial designation, which is conferred by the province. The last level is a national designation. Other external bodies such as the National Trust for Canada would recognize sites deemed worthy of this designation. The Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada is in charge of these sites.

“National historic site designation is strictly a stamp recognizing the value of this place in terms for all Canadians, but it doesn’t necessarily have any military support associated with it,” said Carolyn Quinn, director of communications for the National Trust.

Nationally historic sites are usually the only situations in which the National Trust takes a more proactive approach in preserving the site. This is why they publish a “Top Ten Endangered Places and Worst Losses” list every year. For 2015, places such as Point Grey Secondary School in Vancouver, Peace River Valley in Northeast B.C., East Coulee Truss Bridge in Alberta, and the Barber Paper Mill in Georgetown, Ont. are at the top of the list. All of the places or buildings on the list are in endanger of being torn down or falling into disrepair because of lack of funding.

Likewise, smaller historical sites in towns and municipalities also face the same dangers, but they don’t have the support of the National Trust. Protection and preservation of those sites requires initiative by the community. Even after designation, it’s up to the community to maintain and protect it.

“Just because the City designates a building, they become the regulatory authority, but they don’t own the building,” said Hoesgen. “They become the regulatory authority on any alterations or changes.”

In order to designate a building, someone has to write a statement of significance that illustrates what’s important about the building or site (it doesn’t even have to be a structure; it could just be a piece of land). According to Hoesgen, the process of designation looks at the “character-defining elements” that reflect the heritage value. Those elements are what get written down as worthy of conserving.

“You look at what’s important in a building, whether it’s the architecture of a building, whether it’s the intangible stories that go with the building, whether it’s the history of the building and what happened there,” said Hoesgen. “Maybe it’s associated with a famous author or people and you look at all those together, and then that’s the heritage value of a building.”

The structure doesn’t always have to be 100 years old. It can even be a relatively new building, but because it’s got a unique backstory, people will find it worth preserving. Sometimes the architecture is one-of-a-kind.

Once designated, the elements that were defined in the statement as being important will be enshrined, so to speak, meaning that nobody will be allowed to destroy or alter those elements in any way. Sometimes this can cause problems because it gives the impression that historical structures can’t be modified for modern use with conveniences such as wheelchair ramps and air conditioning.

However, Hoesgen says this isn’t necessarily the case. Usually, one would just have to look at what the essential use of the building is and what its character-defining elements are. Usually, modifications can be made around these elements. For example, a wheelchair ramp can be installed at the back of the building if the front aesthetic is what’s important. Interiors usually aren’t covered too extensively in the designation, so modifying for air conditioning isn’t often a problem.

“A lot of times, the entire building won’t be (designated). You have to look at what the essential use is. Whatever that essential use is is not going to be found in every nook and cranny of every corner,” said Hoesgen. “So you still have to weigh accessibility and heritage values and nine times out of 10, you can find a way that works for everyone.”

In spite of the potential benefits, even a designation doesn’t guarantee the preservation of a historical site. If nobody is willing to invest the money to support it, time will eventually erase that bit of history. Quinn termed it “demolition by neglect.” When the owner of a historical building either can’t or won’t invest in regular maintenance, it will degrade until it’s condemned and there’s no choice but to demolish it.

Some developers are interested in these types of properties because they provide interesting venues for a variety of purposes. Hoesgen says repurposing an historical building is actually one of the best ways to preserve it since it provides regular maintenance and use.

To aid in these endeavours, that’s where the National Trust comes in. When residents in a community are seeking a heritage designation, the National Trust will provide advice and support in the best means of doing that. In cases where the banks won’t provide loans, they’ll work with municipalities and planners to help reduce costs or garner financial support.

“Our organization gives a cornerstone award to organizations that have rehabilitated a building or restored it for new use,” said Quinn. “When you talk to developers who want to do this kind of work, they go to a bank to invest in a restoration project. The bank sees the project has more risk associated with it than a brand new build, so financing can be a challenge.”

The National Trust works with municipalities to create or increase tax or financial incentives to offer property owners so as to encourage restoration projects. For example, after upgrading a building, the value of the building will go up. The municipality might delay demanding the equivalent tax increase or work out an agreement that increases it incrementally over time.

“Many municipalities are putting these incentives into place because they want to see historic downtowns preserved and they recognize the potential value in terms of tourism, making the historic downtown viable  and attracting businesses, visitors,” said Quinn. “They want to have a very dynamic area built around a historic downtown.”