“To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk”
–Thomas Edison.

One thing that attracted us to rural living was a sort of environmental frugality: You try to figure out how to accomplish what needs doing with what you’ve managed to save.  (This notion applies to the practice of heritage conservation as well.)  Hoarding is admittedly easier here than it was in the city: Now we have the garage, the barn, the shed, the back of the lot….  But the idea of turning waste into usefulness (central to the practice of farming as we see it) percolates into all manner of rural living, and provides a close and satisfying connection to our practice, whether working in the garden, tending to our beehive, or building a chicken coop.

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Rural architectural heritage extends beyond farm houses and small towns. Last summer, ERA helped the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario in support of the Green Step Project, an initiative to rehabilitate an abandoned industrial site east of Bancroft as showcase for environmental stewardship, heritage and building technologies. Continue Reading This Post

ERA’s Culture of Outports project, through the Centre for Urban Growth + Renewal, and sponsored by TD Canada Trust, is now taking shape in Newfoundland.

The team includes Principals-in-charge Michael McClelland and Philip Evans, Project Architect Will MacIvor, and Assistant Laila MacDougall-Milne, as well as six students from Dalhousie University’s School of Architecture in their design build project in the outport of Burlington, on the Baie Verte peninsula.

The team, on site.

The project proposes that an understanding of the unique history and character of these communities is essential in order to successfully plan and manage their future evolution, post fisheries. There are plenty of examples throughout the province to suggest that communities are in search of inventive ways to invent new industries and ways of life in response to these major shifts by exploring and diversifying in alternative economies and opportunities. In many cases, creative thinkers are rebuilding these communities in the next wave of cultural activity.

A filled in pond is currently serving as the only public site on Burlington’s waterfront, allowing for camping and gathering. The Free Lab hopes to formalize this site in some way, creating a permanent asset for the city.

The team, on a dock.

The team is responsible for the design and construction of the intervention, following the cultural study of outports and surroundings which took place during their first few days in Newfoundland. This is being complemented with lectures from locals and workshops on topics varying from traditional building techniques to master shipbuilders and shipbuilding.

You can see this exciting project take shape through the team’s blog! Click here to see what they’re up to.

This project has been generously sponsored by TD Canada Trust.

Work is now underway on the relocation and restoration of The Spirit of John A locomotive in Kingston’s historic downtown.  See the City’s website to follow along with the restoration of this unique landmark on Kingston’s waterfront.

Meandering this morning through the Archives of the Ontario  I came across these  great pictures of Picton’s Main Street at the turn of the century.

Parade (1905)

H. B. Wright & Co. storefront (between 1898-1920)

Picton Methodist Church and tourist office (between 1898 and 1920)

As part of our exploration of the County and surrounding areas, we recently had the opportunity to visit a few true architectural gems – Otto Roger’s artist studio by architect Siamak Hariri and the Bata Residence (in Batawa) by architect John B. Parkin.

The Bata residence (currently being documented by Carleton University students) is a remarkable and well preserved example of Parkin’s residential work.  Located up on the hill, the residence boats an incredible view overlooking the Town of Batawa.  And though it is modest in size, it is clear that every detail was considered.  A few memorable attributes include the family shoe closet (but of course), the bathroom colours, and the custom designed dining table.

The artist studio by Hariri was another fantastic discovery.  Here we found a building, again modest and finely articulated, quietly nestled into the woods.  But what was breath-taking was how the intimacy with nature extended into the studio with the light and the glow of the autumn coloured leaves.

Both these visits, unique and inspiring in their own ways, confirmed to me there is indeed a special ‘sense of place’ here.  And that it is exemplified not just in our loyalist building stock, but also in our more recent architectural contributions.

Before we dive into the Settler’s Dream, however, it seems that we should begin by “writing what we know”: our own house on County Road 10, located almost exactly between Cherry Valley and Milford.

The eastern portion of our house (currently the office) is thought to be some 150 years old, and the central and western portions thought to have been added about 50 years later. Kitchen and dining functions occupied the centre, while the west was used as a wood shed (ground floor) and a chicken coop (second storey). The western third was fully incorporated as an interior space in 2004, when its then new owners renovated inside and out. The first photo shows the house c.1898, “on occasion of new drive shed” (demolished 2004) in the foreground, and if one squints, one can see some young locust trees that eventually come to their modern prominence.

The ERA Prince Edward County office is up and running (and running and running). And running.

ERA PEC is a whole new adventure, and everywhere we look there is something new (or old) and beautiful and unique. We can’t turn around without seeing something we haven’t seen before. This blog will be a record of our discoveries, our projects, and provide a snapshot of local life through an architectural lens.

But first – a little background how it all began.

Ontario’s only island county, “The County” (as it is locally referred to) would first have been occupied by indigenous peoples as soon as retreating glaciers allowed, and evidence of these early occupiers dates back some 11,000 years. The County was originally a peninsula, only gaining island status with the construction of the Murray Canal in the late 1880s, fully 100 years after settlement by United Empire Loyalists, mercenaries, and other immigrants from (predominantly) the United States, Germany, and the Netherlands.

The information above was taken from The Settler’s Dream, the local authority on the built heritage of the County. To help us explore our new home (and all its wonders), we will use this as our guide — visiting the places described in the Settler’s Dream to see how (or if) they have changed.

Archives of Ontario
Canadian Architect
Canadian Green Building Council
Frontenac Heritage Foundation
History Lives Here
Prince Edward County Archives
Prince Edward County Arts Council
Prince Edward County Museums
The Architectural Conservancy of Ontario

info@era.on.ca

Copyright © 2013 ERA Architects Inc.