Quaint Quebec City and Magical Montreal

Landmark Society’s  Spring 2009 Overnight Tour

I realize that I have been a little late in writing this blog, but trust me I had such a hangover of this trip that it took me this long. It was a four day long motor coach trip. If you are fascinated by architecture, this trip is perhaps the best architectural treat one can get. The combination of the choice of the cities was remarkable. Although settled around the same time and colonial reign, there was such a stark difference in the architectural fabric of the two cities; this difference was something that added the special zing to this trip.

The first stop of the trip was at Quinn’s Inn- historic 1865 built stone building in Ontario. We reached Quebec City that evening around 7pm and checked into grand Le Chateau Frontenac Hotel. Staying in this hotel was the most exhilarating aspect of the trip. Standing high on a bluff with its castle like architecture, the hotel overlooks the mighty St. Lawrence River.

The next morning we started our exploration with a wonderful introductory lecture on the history of World heritage Quebec City by 

Dr. David Mendel, a PhD in art history from Laval University. The word

Quebec means where the river narrows. He mentioned that the City was founded as a Trading Post because of its strategic location on a cliff; it was the Gibraltar of North America. Quebec City was the capital of New France, then capital of British North America and today the capital of the province of Quebec. The heart of French culture in North America, with its impregnable fortification walls, the City was divided into upper and lower town. These walls are 60 feet thick with densely packed earth to take the impact of canon fire. Besieged six times in history, Quebec was finally conquered by the British in the Battle of the Plains of Abraham in 1759. 

It was an extremely stimulating talk richly illustrated with historic maps, 

illustrations and photographs.

Following the talk we did a tour of majestic 1893 built Chateau Frontenac, one of a series of "château" style hotels built for the Canadian Pacific Railway company at the end of the 19th and the start of the 20th century. Additions were made to the hotel in 1908 and 1920. This chateau very much had the ancient city character which seeks a promontory. Mr. Mendel also pointed us to the archaeological dig on the site of Governor’s palace right next to the river. 

After this we did a walking tour of Upper town which included the Holy Trinity Anglican Cathedral, inspired by St Martin’s church in London, built according to the plans of British officers between 1800 and 1804. Our guide mentioned about the preservation issues involved when restoring such a building. 

Our next stop was Seminary of Quebec, founded in 1663, now occupied by the School of Architecture of Laval University. It was fascinating to see the courtyard of this institution around which buildings were designed. It was a beautiful public urban space where school students were playing volley ball.

After this all of us headed to various lunch stops in lower

 town and then gathered together for the highlight stop of the day

-Place Royale. This public square, with its houses

 for the most part were rebuilt following a fire in lower town in 1682, became known as Place Royale in 1686. 

Around 1960’s following an economic downturn the Government of Quebec

 launched a major initiative aimed at giving the square the appearance it might have had at the end of French Regime. Being a preservationist, I understand that this could potentially be a controversial topic and many would feel that such a restoration is an insult to the history of the place and is like a Disneyland, creating an artificial world. Personally, I find this approach to be extremely fascinating, I felt it was an architectural marvel and was very intelligently done. All the buildings around the square have different roofing materials ranging from wooden shingles to metal sheeting and showed an evolution in building construction. This space can be treated as a didactic laboratory to illustrate a historical era, a reminder of this period. I felt this approach very much had the potential to be one of the defining guidelines in the rule book of preservation.

 

Quebec City felt like the closest city to Europe in North America, it was fascinating to see narrow winding streets, historic buildings, criss- crossing multi colored rooflines and alleys leading to landmarks. Although, we are in 21st century, but being in this place was reminiscent of a bygone era. After this, we headed for our architectural tour of the Parliament Building and said goodbye to our guide. This building derives inspiration from the Louvre in Paris and is a fine example of French and English architectural styles. After a break in the evening for an hour, we had a four course extravagant dinner at the hotel at their Le Champlain Restaurant.

The next morning we departed for a new adventure into the city of Montreal. We met our guide Ronaldo (he specialized in food tours and was a major in Sociology) around 11:30 in the morning. He gave us a swift history of Montreal and then we walked through Old Montreal via Place Jacques Cartier, a beautiful public urban space, built by the City in early 19th century. Although there is no trace of a fortified wall now in Montreal, but one existed in mid 1600s.

Following this, we went on a whirlwind bus ride of various neighborhoods of Montreal. We started our tour with St Jacques St- the wall street of Canada leading into Ville Marie, where we went through the Chinatown, Gay Village, Latin Quarter and Le Plateau-Mont-Royal. The most interesting feature of the Le Plateau neighborhood was the Montreal trademark beautifully designed curved exterior staircase. We also made a stop at legendary landscape architect Frederick law Olmstead designed Mount Royale Park and Expo 67 Buckminster Fuller’s geodesic dome site. This tour seemed like a peek into the extensive and eclectic city of Montreal, enough to motivate us to come back again. The third day of the trip ended with laughter, singing and making merry at the Cabaret Du Roy, a theme restaurant in Old Montreal that recaptured the spirit of New France, through its colorful period characters and musicians that played traditional festive music.

For the last day of the trip we still had two visual treats left, CCA – Center for Canadian Architecture and Notre Dame De Montreal. We had guided tours of both the places. CCA is one of its kind research centre and museum founded on the conviction that architecture is a public concern. The CCA shares the site of the historic Shaughnessy House built in 1874 with a new building integrated in 1989. It is a very sensitive design respectful to its past in terms of mass and design vocabulary. Our tour ended with breathtaking Basilique Notre Dame De Montreal, finest examples of Gothic Revival architecture in North America with a lunch at Restaurant Bonaparte.

To me, Montreal felt like the New York City of Canada. The most striking aspect of the city was its vibrancy in all aspects of culture, architecture, demographics, street character, connectivity and life of the city. Although it’s much smaller in scale both in terms of size and population compared to NYC, but its multi-faceted nature makes the city very likable and intriguing.

Overall this tour was certainly one of the best architectural tours one can get. On behalf of the Landmark Society, I would like to thank all the people who took this tour and made it so special. We look forward to having you for many more of our forthcoming trips!

Posted by Nimisha Thakur, Preservation Associate

2009 Preservation Conference - Just 10 Days Away!

“Maintaining Hometown Character in the 21st Century”

Register Today for The Landmark Society of Western New York’s 23nd Annual Regional Preservation Conference

Saturday, May 2, 2009

Medina High School, 2 Mustang Drive (off Route 31), Medina, NY

If you work with, live in, or want to save a historic property, you won’t want to miss The Landmark Society’s 23rd Annual Regional Preservation Conference on Saturday, May 2. With an eye to national trends, this year’s conference is all about economics: from the economic benefits of reusing historic downtown buildings to the ways homeowners can save money by preserving their homes’ original features, you’ll learn how historic buildings and landscapes contribute to economically and environmentally healthy, sustainable communities.

The one-day conference includes these four concurrent sessions:

	Track A: Where's the Money? Restoring Economic Vitality in Your Community In this practical, timely track you’ll learn where to find grants, loans, and tax credits for historic preservation, how to use market analysis to enhance your Main Street’s economic viability, and tour successful rehabilitation projects in downtown Medina to learn what has worked for local business owners. Please note: This session may fulfill the training requirements for members of local planning and zoning boards. Please check with your municipality for details.
	Track B: Preserving and Maintaining Your Old House from Top to Bottom: Owners of older houses will find answers to some of their most vexing questions at these sessions, which feature functional and handy information on the best ways to maintain and preserve the distinctive features of historic houses.
	Track C: Historic Preservation Planning 101 Confused by the lingo of preservation planning? Dreaming of a preservation project, but unsure where to start? This session will set you straight on the various private and public entities who “do” historic preservation, the services they can offer you and your community, and how you can take advantage of their expertise. If you are preparing (or hope to prepare) a National Register nomination, bring your works in progress for hands-on help.
	Track D: Preservation Board and Commission Training This full-day session is geared toward new and experienced board members, as well as the interested public. Topics will include the role of the preservation commission, procedures for running efficient and legally sound meetings, and the standards to be used in design review. Workshop includes a working lunch; participants are expected to remain in the session for the entire day. Please note: This session may fulfill the training requirements for members of local planning and zoning boards. Please check with your municipality for details. Special registration rate for Preservation Board and Commission members! See below for details.

Registration fee: $45 ($40 for Landmark Society members) before April 27, 2009. Lunch included with all registrations received by April 27. Registration (space permitting) after April 27 is $50 for everyone and does NOT include lunch.

Preservation Board/Commission members SPECIAL REGISTRATION RATE OF $40 PER PERSON if you register by April 27, 2009!

At least 7 days advance notice of withdrawal from a program is required to receive a refund (minus $5 processing fee). The day will conclude with a tour and reception.

ONLINE REGISTRATION now available; or, to register by mail, download the printable registration form here.

Or, register by calling (585) 546-7029 x10.

Posted by Katie Eggers Comeau, Director of Preservation Services

Oodles of preservation events!

If you would like to learn more about historic preservation, we've got just the event for you. Our preservation education events coming up in April through June offer something for everyone from homeowners to design professionals.

This isn't a full listing of all upcoming Landmark Society events, just those that are geared specifically toward historic preservation education (as opposed to our many tours and other events, which, of course, are also educational!). For other upcoming events, including local and out-of-town tours, be sure to check out the Events section of our website.

April 6, 13, 27, and May 5 and 12: Your Old House workshops - learn to care for your house by preparing your garden for spring, repairing your windows, taking care of hardwood floors, and more! All sessions start at 6 p.m. at the Stone-Tolan Barn, 2370 East Avenue in Brighton; these sell out early, so register in advance to reserve your spot for one session or the full series.

April 18: Birthday party for Frederick Law Olmsted in Highland Park (Lamberton Conservatory, 180 Reservoir Avenue), at 5:00 p.m. Enjoy cake and punch while learning about Rochester's remarkable Olmsted legacy.

April 23: Preservation Night at the Opera House - while not our event (this one is sponsored by the Village of Lancaster Historic Preservation Commission), this looks like a great opportunity to hear about the newly created Preservation Buffalo Niagara, and to learn about the Certified Local Government (CLG) program. The program will be held at the historic Lancaster Opera House, 21 Central Avenue, Lancaster.

May is National Preservation Month! This year's theme is "This Place Matters" - a powerful theme, since the historic places we care about do matter, for so many reasons.

May 2: Regional Preservation Conference in Medina, NY: Homeowners, Realtors, elected officials, zoning/planning/preservation board members, community activists, and anyone else with an interest in older buildings and neighborhoods won't want to miss it! Medina High School, 2 Mustang Drive (off Route 31), Medina.

May, date TBA: Marketing Historic Houses Successfully: This class, a joint effort of the Landmark Society's Rochestercityliving.com initiative and the Greater Rochester Association of Realtors, educates Realtors about the attributes of older housing stock, helping them to sell these special properties. The class includes two bus tours of city neighborhoods. Registration will be handled by GRAR, with classes taught by Cynthia Howk, Steve Jordan, and Jean France.

June 4: Green Strategies for Historic Buildings: This day-long workshop, presented by the National Preservation Institute, will demonstrate how the environmental goal of “reduce, reuse, recycle” can enhance the capital cost competitiveness of preservation projects. We are really excited to be cosponsoring this event, along with the Preservation League of NYS and AIA New York State. The workshop will be held at the Eisenhart Auditorium of the Rochester Museum & Science Center, 657 East Avenue.

Posted by Katie Eggers Comeau, Director of Preservation Services

Preservation Boards Mingle in Perinton

Last night the town of Perinton hosted the first annual Preservation Boards & Commissions Fall Networking Event, planned by the Landmark Society’s small but active Boards & Commissions committee. We had a tremendous turnout of about 60 preservation board and commission members. After introductions and welcoming remarks from our executive director, Joanne Arany, Perinton town supervisor Jim Smith, and Perinton Historic Architecture Commission chair Ann Parks, we heard a whirlwind overview of architectural styles from Cynthia Howk, followed by a quick game of “stump the expert” in which we threw a few surprise images at Cynthia to see how she and the group did at identifying their style and date. Before and after the formal program, the room was full of energetic conversation as board and commission members mingled and shared experiences. From the feedback we’ve received so far, the event was a hit, leaving everyone eager for more training and more networking opportunities.

Almost 30 municipalities in our region have local preservation ordinances, and in each of these there is an appointed group of community residents that may be called a preservation board, preservation commission, architectural review board, historic sites committee, or something similar. (This is not to be confused with a historical society or the town historian, although in some case the local historian is an ex officio member of or advisor to the board.) This is the group charged with identifying and designating local landmarks, reviewing proposed alterations to individual properties and properties in designated districts, and issuing Certificates of Appropriateness to verify that such alterations will be done in conformance with preservation standards.

Each municipality’s ordinance is slightly different, ranging from purely voluntary ordinances with no enforcement powers to stricter controls that seek to maintain the historic character of a property or district. The details of how each board or commission operates vary as well. Each individual board or commission has a different set of specific duties: some are at an early stage of identifying local landmarks and building support for designations, while others have long-established lists of designated landmarks and districts and spend most of their time on design review. Perinton was a great place to hold this event since town leaders have demonstrated strong support for preservation and a long track record of proactive, sophisticated work on behalf of historic resources. When we advise newer boards on how best to conduct themselves, we often recommend that they visit the Perinton board.

The members of these boards and commissions are volunteers who have some level of expertise in the subject of historic preservation. Most ordinances require that board membership include such categories as a Realtor, an architect, and a preservation district resident. They make their judgments on the basis of design guidelines, federal standards, and accepted preservation practice. In their makeup and role within municipal structure, the boards are similar to zoning and planning boards, and indeed all three boards function best when they are in regular contact with one another.

Last night’s event provided a taste of what we intend will be a regular series of opportunities for board/commission members to convene for training and networking. To continue the discussion between these events, we invite all preservation board and commission members in western New York to join our online discussion group where you can share your experiences, ask one another questions, and gain access to a variety of helpful information. Learn more and join the group at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LSWNY_Pres_Board_Network/. (If you don’t already have a Yahoo ID, you will be asked to create one, but you can participate in the group using your regular email address if you prefer. To ensure that its group members do not receive spam, Yahoo has stringent anti-spam measures, which you can read about here.) If you are a member of a preservation board or commission, or are just interested in the subject, please join the group - we need a few more members to get real conversations going!

Posted by Katie Eggers Comeau, Advocacy Coordinator