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February 22, 2007
Fredericton Heritage Icons
Fredericton Heritage Trust announces the Fredericton Heritage Icons List, a listing of familiar items that are a significant part of our cultural heritage. The annual listing will add four to six Icons that represent an important part of our history or will have contributed to our cultural identity and will have won a lasting place in our minds and memories.
The list of icons will recognize significant aspects of our social, economic, cultural and natural heritage. It is intended the recognition of these Icons will promote a broader awareness of our heritage and a full understanding of our cultural identity. Such increased awareness, it is hoped, will encourage their protection and preservation.
Nominate your favourite Icon of Fredericton's rich cultural heritage. It's easy! Click here for details and here for a copy of the nomination form.
Posted by editor at 08:54 PM | Comments (0)
February 04, 2007
2007 schedule
The Board is delighted to present three public talks for Winter/Spring 2007. All are on Saturdays to enable greater access to these special speakers. All venues are wheelchair accessible.
February 17, 2007 Saturday 1-4pm Gibson Memorial United Church, Gibson St.
"Discover the Heritage of Fredericton North". Ted and Anita Jones will share some of their research on the history and heritage of Nashwaaksis, Devon, Barker's Point, and Marysville, from their forthcoming book on Fredericton North. Ted and Anita are highly respected for their years of meticulous and sustained research into the city’s history.
Presentation of the Trust's Awards for heritage advocacy and restoration/renovation work.
A display of heritage treasures by anyone who cares to contribute. Contact Liz Burge 455 3964
Refreshments. Easy parking. Free admission.
March 24, 2007 Saturday 2-4pm Unitarian Fellowship (874 York St)
(changed location as of Jan 30, 2007)
"Building for Success: Heritage Preservation, Urban Design, and City Building in the 21st Century". Juan Estepa holds two masters degrees (Landscape Architecture and History), plus other university qualifications in Urban Design, History, and Landscape Architectural Technology. He is the Manager of Heritage and Cultural Affairs at the City of Fredericton. He will focus on issues broadly linking urban design and heritage (not on City-related business).
Refreshments. Free admission. Parking OK.
April 14, 2007 Saturday 2-4pm Memorial Hall, UNB Campus
Dr Margaret Conrad will speak on "History and Heritage at the Crossroads: How New Brunswickers Consume Their Past." She will focus on "some of the developments in public history over the past two decades and ask some pertinent questions about where we fit into the larger picture". Dr Conrad is the Canada Research Chair in Atlantic Canada Studies at UNB –Fredericton, and an internationally known researcher and author. www.unbf.ca/arts/History/conrad_000.html .
Refreshments. Free admission. Parking OK.
Posted by editor at 10:39 PM | Comments (0)
The Fredericton Heritage Trust tribute to William Wellington (Bill) Thorpe
A founder of the Trust in 1972, who died on December 21, 2006
Fredericton Heritage Trust Award to Bill Thorpe
Annual General Meeting, November 16, 2006 (Beaverbrook Art Gallery)
Your Honour, Madame President, Mr. Riordon, Ladies and Gentleman.
In addition to promoting the importance of our heritage resources - particularly our significant buildings - Fredericton Heritage Trust also tries to make a point of recognizing individuals who are a part of this process.
Our award recipient tonight is known to many Frederictonians for many things.
Some will know him as an educator, with an extensive career at Fredericton High School as a teacher and assistant principal.
Others will know him as a sports enthusiast and participant, particularly with respect to playing, coaching and promoting rugby.
Others still, will know him as a municipal politician, serving as city councilor and deputy mayor of Fredericton.
Many others will know him as an advocate of walking trails throughout our city and province.
Indeed, Bill Thorpe is a man of many interests and talents.
For the past 10 or 12 years, I have known Bill as a fellow member of the board of Fredericton Heritage Trust, where his passion for history and heritage has always come to the fore, whether it entailed escorting the Prince of Wales on a motor vehicle tour of our heritage buildings here in Fredericton, or staunchly advocating the rehabilitation of the York Street train station. [On a personal note, Bill, and another Trust colleague – Bob Dallison – initiated me into the Trust's "plaques and awards" committee. Prior to setting out to review the candidate buildings, the committee convened at a local pub to review our notes. At the end of this session, I - as the "rookie" - was called upon by Bill and Bob to pay the tab. Additionally, my working knowledge of the proper procedures for conducting meetings (as vice-president/president of the Trust) was not very extensive, but Bill could be counted on return me to the correct course.]
In the 1970's and 80's, Bill was a key figure in preserving the very core of downtown Fredericton from less-than-sensitive developers. Part of our display in the lobby includes an article from a (fall) 1980 issue of Maclean’s magazine, outlining the events/outcome surrounding development pressures in Fredericton which many thought threatened the core of the downtown area. The article ends with a quote from Bill (as deputy mayor): "Downtown Canada is a little richer for this decision." Fredericton is much richer for people such as Bill Thorpe.
Please join me in a round of applause for Bill.
Posted by editor at 10:31 PM | Comments (0)
President's Report for 2005-2006
Submitted to the Annual General Meeting at the Beaverbrook Art Gallery, November 16, 2006
The Trust operates now in a fast-moving, well-connected, multi-skilled national network of organizations and individuals. The challenges we have to meet are societally significant. As one of our chief colleagues, the Heritage Canada Foundation (HCF) in Ottawa (www.heritagecanada.org) argues, we face "four important aspects of heritage conservation today: the economics of heritage preservation - showing that heritage pays, heritage tourism - a fast growing phenomenon, heritage preservation in the sustainable development context, and the heritage workforce - a human resources issue."(www.advocacyaction.org)
Fredericton therefore may continue to celebrate and use its remaining magnificent inheritance of a built environment, on both sides of the river, but it is evident from many conversations I had around Fredericton that we, as citizens of a growing city, could be more pro-active, especially with education, research and advocacy efforts. The 22nd century's legacy of built heritage is being constructed now, so how might such construction literally build in heritage components to link the past and the future? Children are growing into adults, but with what understanding of how a visible respect for heritage helps create their communal and individual identities? How might the various 21st century generations respectfully enhance, via policies and incentives, our built legacy opportunities? Mindful of such questions, the Trust designed a programme for 2006 to address some of them and to strengthen partnerships with other organisations.
The Trust and the Provincial Archives teamed up to provide a workshop (January 11) on how to research a privately owned heritage property. In late January, we hosted a short visit to the city by the new Executive Director of Heritage Canada Foundation, the internationally respected Natalie Bull (ex NB).
February 16, 2006 saw the celebration of Heritage Week with the Lt. Governor presenting the Trust's Awards for outstanding heritage work, with the Trust's gift to the City for the planting of ten large trees during Arbor Day in May, and a talk by the Clerk of the Legislature about the heritage restoration work in the Legislature she continues to supervise.
March 18 and April 29 saw a duo of well-attended, well-presented lecture/workshops by Dr. Renee Losier on design and colour issues for heritage interiors and exteriors.
In May, for Arbor Day, the Trust, with the City's Recreation Department and Parks and Trees Division, held a successful tree planting on both sides of the river followed by heritage quizzes about the bridge and surrounding houses and the unveiling of new heritage photographs for the Trail Hub building on Station St. The Provincial Archives was a third partner for the trail project.
From April to June the Board worked on arrangements for the first, community-wide heritage photo contest. November16th is the finale -- the prize giving. The top 28 images will be exhibited publicly, beginning in the City Hall Gallery. The contest attracted 80 entrants with 150 (approx) images eligible for judging.
In July, the Garden Tour was again a sell-out, thanks to the work of Barbara Hughes Campbell, John Welling, and garden owners.
The fall period saw intensive, partnership-based planning with the Heritage Branch for the Provincial Heritage Forum, November 1-3. Noteworthy in that event were the ideas and experience that experts from across Canada brought and what they took away; for example, admiration for the Legislature and Old Government House restorations and their hopes that more heritage-minded citizens of Fredericton will assert the economic and cultural importance of heritage. One key result from the Forum was the intention to explore the planning for a provincial heritage trust umbrella organisation, thus bringing NB into the ambits of similar organizations across Canada.
Regarding information sources, the website (www.heritagefredericton.org) continues to garner praise. Thanks to several Trust members, and especially John Leroux, a revised edition of Building capital was prepared and copies printed for sale on/after November 16th.
A review of Heritage Canada Foundation recommended heritage legislation from municipalities and a few provinces is now underway, thanks to the UNB Law School's pro bono programme. Prof. Richard Bird is supervising two Law students, with input from Trust members.
The 2007 year will see more activity that builds on what is needed here and what is happening across Canada. Today’s technology helps us enormously in learning how to mesh with the national scene, but it also raises the bar somewhat in terms of keeping up with new ideas and designing realistic strategies for heritage as community economics, heritage as local tourism, and heritage as regional sustainable community development.
Many people worked hard this year to create what you've just read about. Thank you, and especially to Board members, for those great contributions. In particular, and because of the Trust's award to him on November 15, I pay particular tribute to Bill Thorpe, who never hesitated to respond to my requests for advice or help, and whose keen eye on the clock and the conversations kept Trust Board meetings moving along most expeditiously.
Liz Burge
Posted by editor at 01:53 PM | Comments (0)