Community Heritage
The benefits of heritage conservation for communities and municipalities are wide ranging. Economic benefits can include increased property values, tourism and local job creation. There are also the social benefits of the improved quality of life that meaningful architecture and landscapes can contribute to a place. Environmentally, the re-use and re-adaptation of historic structures reduces both landfill waste and the significant energy required for new materials and construction. Culturally, heritage led revitalization which recognizes the unique history of a place leads to a strong local identity, cultural diversity and community engagement.
Community Heritage Projects
Local community and municipal heritage projects can include:
- A comprehensive survey of all the buildings within a community provides valuable information about its architectural trends, context and development, and can inform context papers, statements of significance and POIL’s.
- A POIL (Places of Interest List) is a subset of buildings which represent significant individuals, landmarks, themes, activities, events, institutions, architectural styles and design in a community.
- Inventory of historic sites - places on the list can be prioritized to be researched and evaluated for inclusion on an inventory.
- Management plans identify the actions that will conserve the heritage value of historic places and the team which will implement them.
The Ramsay project for one of Calgary’s three earliest inner city communities included a context paper, a community statement of significance, a places of interest list and the research and evaluations for 20 sites for the city’s inventory.
Context Papers
A context paper is often the best starting point for a community heritage project. It lays the groundwork by identifying the significant cultural and historical themes, events and people associated with the area. The paper characterizes how the community has been shaped by its geography, natural and pre-contact history, archaeology and town planning influences, land use and transportation patterns and trends in building styles and design. It can also serve as a reference and framework for the evaluation of the community’s heritage resources, the selection of Places of Interest and the community statement of significance.
Community Statements of Significance
The natural and man-made heritage in historic communities have the ability to convey significant cultural information and historical associations, referred to as heritage value. The important elements which display this heritage value - like geographical features, indigenous flora, historic transportation routes, special streetscapes and significant collections of architecture - are called character defining elements. These elements must possess integrity, that is be sufficiently intact to convey their associations. Evaluations and statements of significance (SOS’s) include these three components, heritage value, character defining elements and integrity, and follow the processes of the local heritage bodies.
SOS’s are excellent tools for heritage-led planning and revitalizing communities without losing their special character and sense of place.
Community statement of significance projects
Site Evaluations and Statements of Significance
Individual site evaluations and Statements of Significance (SOS’s) identify the heritage value, character defining elements and integrity of a resource and follow the applicable local heritage processes. A site can be a stand-alone project, or completed together with multiple sites as part of a wider community heritage project. Historic places have both heritage value in their own right and strong associations with their wider context. They are places that really matter in our neighbourhoods, often essential components of complete communities – public buildings like schools, historic green spaces, commercial buildings and Main Streets, residential streets of architectural interest, structures like bridges. Some, like military barracks and industrial sites, are the reason some communities exist.
Residential
Residential architecture perhaps offers the most variety of any building type. Houses can represent diverse architectural styles from simple vernacular cottages to high style mansions. They may have special uses such as apartments, or farm and ranch houses. Many are associated with an historic person. Others such as prefabricated homes or kits from catalogues demonstrate special construction techniques. Still others like Victorian homes can represent the era of their construction, or important periods of their community’s development including frontier days, settlement and construction booms. They can also be powerful symbols of the social history and values of a community, such as cottages in working class districts or veteran housing in post-war suburbs.
Commercial
Warehouses, corner grocers, commercial blocks and sometimes entire Main Streets - commercial places are the pulse of a community. Historic shop fronts engage the pedestrian and create a lively street presence.
Industrial
Industrial sites like manufacturing plants, foundries, maintenance depots and workshops can represent a defining part of the history of working class communities. They may also be a distinctive, rare example of early industry in a community that has evolved to be primarily residential.
Institutional
Public buildings such as community halls, schools, places of worship, libraries, and post offices play a prominent role in communities and municipalities. Their distinctive architecture reflects their stature and role.
Cultural Landscapes
Cultural landscapes are some of the most meaningful places in our communities. Hills and other geographical features, manicured or natural parks, early homestead or farm lands, the extensive grounds of an institutional building or mansion are a few examples of these special places. They have evolved with time but still have the power to evoke another era such as our settlement or frontier period. They are often backdrop for community life - important landmarks, pedestrian streetscapes, viewpoints, recreations areas, retreats.
Heritage Structures
Beyond buildings and landscapes, other structures like bridges, water towers, heritage signs and railway tracks are an important part of the fabric of our communities and may also possess heritage value.