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THE HERITAGE CANADA FOUNDATION

The Design lssueThe Aesthetics of Main Street

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Main Street Canada's Hans Honegger says successful downtowns emphasize continuity, simplici ty, and col laboration.

t A f n"n Main street canada staffers want to I l'#ii,i,:T:"";133i;il'""r-point

v v 3:ff,1;u3[,ll"n-J:Jil*"".ff:l??r'un prav a | ;'5+".:;*:;r:i:::rm;sometime's show before-Jnd-after stide-s of Netson, B.c. l::li"j:tffi?'l ', il"*""";51 "31"t:i"One se lec t ion o f these p ic tu res underscores the lw i th Bob Inwood, the c i ty rsremarkable metamorphosis rrenovation. roday, with missing | l:ll,l;L:,",'J""ttT:l;*oifii:i:,tn"enjoyed by Eagles l lal l . I t had I features returned and i t ful ly I and various organizations tobeen covered in aluminum siding. I occupied, i t proudly stands at I bring back the communityrs long-l low, w i th i t s miss ing fea tures l the base o f L la in S t ree t . l bur ied arch i tec tu ra l sp lendour .recons t ruc ted , i t has been I A key f igure beh ind these I S ta t ioned in Ot tawa s ince 1984,re tu rned to i t s landmark I changes is Hans l lonegger . I lans I I lans now d i rec ts N la in S t ree tsignif icance. And then there's I was the Nlain Street Canada co- | Canada's national designl lornr 's Sports which was rapidly I ordinator in Nelson between 1981 | act ivi t ies. In a recent conver-deteriorat ing due to careless I and 1984. There he implemented I sation, we asked him about

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Jon.-Feb. 1987 Vol. 3, No. ?

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considerations: the light, thetraffic, the relationship to otherobjects, notions of safety andprotection. Illhy cantt we use thesame common sense when designinga sidewalk? I f ind i t amazingthat some designers scatterobjects on a sidewalk in such away as to create great annoyance,making it hard for pedestriansnot to fall over things, makingsnow removal impossible, makingit difficult to open car doors.

But we should also remember thatthe creation of good sidewalkdesign is not the job solely ofthe designer. The onus is also onthe cl ient (the community) to besensitive and to use commonsense.

Main Street: l?erve talked aboutsome things designers shouldavoid. Upon what should theyfocus?FIoneEEer: The first thing thedowntown designer must do isunderstand the community. Thatmeans knowing i t int imately, i tsarchitecture, i ts history, i tslayout, its formal and informalplaces of worship, from thecoffee shop to the church, itscharacters and inst i tut ions.

Main Street: And then?Ilonegger: To the community theaTffiF-must bring certainarchitectural principles. Theancient Roman writer Vitruviussaid there were three elementsthat made g:ood architecture:f irmness (structural strength),commodity (circulation and use)and delight (the aestheticpleasure i t gives). To this day,a good designer promotes thesevalues.

l\lain Street: And what aboutmaterial?Ilonesser: l?e should be mindful ofwhat materials can do, how theyweather, what their structuralqual i t ies are. Beyond that, myadvice to designers is to promotequality in one's life by usingenduring, immaculately-detailedmaterials. God is st i l l in thedetai ls. I t is a far bettercontribution to create a smalljewel than a large scheme ofcarny quali ty.

Main Street: The l\lain Streetdesigner doesnrt work in avacuum, of course. He must beinvolved with other people. Talkabout that.Ilonegger: The l\lain Streetdesigner cannot be holed up inhis office producing schemes inisolation. IIe must be sociablehe must meet people, meet

bui lding owners, suppliers,merchants, pol i t ic ians, themedia. I t 's an education process:the designer is involved inteaching the community thingsabout design and its role inimproving the quality of life.That, after al l , is ourunderlying credo for doinganything.

l\lain Street: Letrs focus on thedesignerrs relationship to themerchant.I lonegger: The design co-ordinatormust convince merchants that animproved image improves business.You approach merchants by tellingthem about the cash-registervalue of design.

t\tain Street: How does a designco-ordinator get started designingon main street?I lonegger: FIe starts by involvingpeople who are wilUng to make acivic contribution. He concen-trates on those who want to setthemselves as examples. Hegives free design advice. Hepicks on key locations. A corneris an interesting location and so

Before and afler. Hodnell's Pharmacy inFort Macleod, Alta., recently improved itsfacade.

is mid-block. IYhy? They get majorexposure. That kind of locationcreates the possibility of spin-off. One project encourages aneighbour to look at his ownproject.

Ntain Street: How do vou deal withiuEe{,varm merchants?Honegger: Supplying a luke-warmcai-ilidlCTdwith a drawing of whatcan happen to his bui lding is agreat tool. You plant a seed,involve the whole family, geteveryone to think about design.One way is to give a potentialpart icipant a sketch of hisbuilding as it would appearrestored. I did this once atChristmas and the bui lding ownerwas so pleased she placed thedrawing over her mantlepiece. Inthe spring, she agreed to animportant design improvement.

l l {ain Street: How easv is i t toencourage merchants to try thesedesigns?Honegger: I trs easier today thaniT was Td-years ago. In manycases, merchants have no choice:i t becomes a matter of survival.They realize that it simply makeseconomic sense to invest invintage bui ldings. Beyond tha.t,throughout t{orth America, peopleare rediscovering downtownrsvisual r ichness and texture. Theysay: Look, we are no longer athrow-away generation, we believein quality and quality of place.

l.lain Street: IIow does l,lain StreetCanaAa teach design Principles?Ilonegger: l?e can help communities6-y-Trainlng the project co-ordinators, by aiding them tostart the design process, bYdeveloping local designactivi t ies and services, bYholding workshops, and bYinitiating contacts withinterested bui lding owners. IVealso help by monitoring designquality and by promotingpreservation sensitivitY.

Ilead office helps in these waYsby producing lecture material,sl ide shows, technotes, andcourses.

Main Street: So bring us back tothe beginning. What exqctly doegdesign revitalization do?Honegger: It is the most tang:ibleffi--f,-change in attitude andatmosphere. It is a catalyst ofchanging attitudes. It is aphysical manifestation of caring,of how a business cares abouti tself , how it cares about i tscustomers. Embodied in this self-respect is the idea of respectingothers, a commitment to Place,

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How a St. John's street came back to life

I f you had walked along

I George Street in St. John's- two or three years ago you

would have been in for adepressing t ime. You

would have passed several blocksof industr ial bui ldings well pasttheir prime, some abandoned, mostdi lapidated. I f you went therenow, however , you 'd f ind a verydif ferent story. l low GeorgeStreet is the I ively enter-tainment heart of thel lewfoundland capital. Once-redundant bui ldings have been thebeneficiaries of extensiverenovation work; sport ing namessuch as the Sundance Saloon,Papars P ie r 17 , C lancy 's Bar ,I leekenders, Greensleeves, RobRoy's, the Nlemory LaneRestaurant, Capricorn's, TrapperJohnrs Museum and Pub. TGIF, andthe Continental Cafe, they showthe world attract ive new facadesand s igns .

AII of these bui ldings wererestored during the past year anda half thanks to three things.The f irst was a wil l ingness onthe part of a number of new-breedentrepTeneurs to pump morethan $1 mil l ion in privaterenovation funds into thebuildings. The second was theinput of the local l ler i tageAdvisory Board and the I letai lCore Steering Committee. And thethird was Tom l lorrocks, aToronto-born designer who has,for the past 18 months, been N'lainStreet Canada's St. Johnrs co-ordinator.

Tomrs f irst design success camejust a few weeks after becomingco-ordinator. He was walking upGeorge Street when he saw acontractor working on a run-downbuilding, Through the contractor,Tom got in touch with thebuildingts owner, Jim l lhalen, andsuggested to him an alternatedesign. I ' /helan agreed and theresult, the new-look Capricorn's,sparked the interest ofneighbouring bui lding owners" Tomhas worked hard ever s ince ,offering both encouragement andfree design advice.

But i t is not only George Streetthat is the object of lovingattention by local owners and theNlain Street Canada off ice. Onnearby l fater Street, thecommercial heart of the citv. we

Reviving George Street

f ind more renovation projects.Among them: D ick ts & Co. , a four -storey book store where a frontwindow redesign has effectivelyopened the shoprs interior tov iew. Other Water S t ree t s to res .including Tooton's, the St, Johnrsbranch of a province-widephotographic chain, have alsoenjoyed recent designresuscitat ions.

This private-sector designrenaissance owes much of i tsimpetus to encouragement offeredby the public sector. This pastyear, City Hall al located$710,0000 to pub l i c downtown

and lVater Streets. TradersSpecialities l'lholesale Co. andI\lary Janers Specialty Food Store,two George St ree t bus inesses , a reexpected to upgrade theirestabl ishments this spring.

lVhatrs on the books this year?The busy Nlain Street off ice,which works out of i ts recentlyrenovated Adelaide Streetbui lding, is in the thick ofseveral new design init iat ives:theyrre studying the feasibi l i tyof a downtown theatre; theyrrelooking at a possible major urbancomplex; theyrre encouraging theCanadian Inventory of l l istoric

Tom Horrocks on George Street. A dilapidated warehouse district became thecenter of the cily's nightl ife.

improvements. This money wasearmarked for such things as cityparks, laneways, stairways,parkettes, the site of old cityhal l , I ighting f ixtures, trees,concre te pavers , and, on l la te rStreet. the introduction ofsnubbing buttons (cast- ironanchor stops that echo the cityrswater f ron t theme) .

Past design successes areinspir ing new ones. The work sofar carried out on ltlcl\{urdotsLane, for example, has inspired acity commitment to upgradeSolomonrs Lane, a much-usedpublic l ' ialkway between Duckworth

Building to designate a Part ofdowntown a National Ilistoric Dis-tr ict; theytre suggesting that ParksCanada's Historic Parks divisionto move into the vintage OrDwYerBlock. AII in al l , these projectsadd up to intr iguing designinitiatives in what is alreadYconsidered a cityrs remarlcabledesign renaissance.

For more information onrevital izat ion efforts in St.Johnrs, contact: Tom Horrocl<s,P . O . B o x 6 3 4 , S t n . C , S t J o h n t s ,r { f l d . . A 1 c 5 K 8 . ( ? 0 9 ) 5 7 9 - 4 1 3 9 .

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hen, years from now, inmoments of tranquil i ty,co-ordinators look back onthe Nlain Street communitiesthey served, i trs l ikely

they will relive their careers interms of major projects. IYhenBenolt Boucher, the lllain StreetCanada co-ordinator in Ste-l'lariede Beauce, Que., someday looksback on his story, i trs a certainbet three early chapters willfocus on major design successes.They were :ol,a Maison Labreque: This frne19th-century building was givingthe local SIDAC (the equivalentof a Business lmprovement Area)design headaches around the timeBenolt arrived in Ste-l\larie deBeauce in Ju ly , 1985. Thebuilding was clad in unsightly1970s vinyl siding, the mainfloor had been remodeled in adeleterious manner, and thewindows were in poor repair.Benolt, an architect, was cal ledin. With his design help, theground f loor was resuscitated,the windows were sensit ivelyredone, and, most dramatical ly,the vinyl siding was removed andreplaced vrith a brick in keepingwith the building's originalcharacter.

Benoltts assistance improved abuilding, yes, but i t did morethan that: i t impressed thetownspeople. Iocal merchantsrealized Benolt could help themwith their design questions.rrAfter the Maison Labreque,' t saysBenolt today, rrmerchants paidattention. lVithin a few monthsour l\lain Street office had nofewer than 20 requests fromowners to do work on theirestabl ishments.rr Fi l l ing thoseorders kept Benolt busYthroughout the spring of 1986..lvlaison Chalimousse: Bv thesummer o f 1986, Beno l t hadanother major project to worryabout. This t ime i t was thelliaison Chalimousse, a buildingwhich housed an upholstery shop.The town wanted to tear down thisrue Notre-Dame bui lding to makeway for a parking lot. BenolttsIUain Street office had anotheridea: why not put the house upfor sale, try to save i t ,rehabilitate it? And what aboutthe parking lot? I?ith a littleimagination, the land adjacent

Benoit Boucher's early victoriesDesign on Ste - Marie

to thehousecould beredesigned-- withvegetation- - toaccomodatethe neededspaces.UpholstererBenoltGagnon,who rentedl,{aisonChalimousse,askedIlenolt foradvice:should hebuv the

building? IJenolt said it vrris agood building and in a year couldpay for itself. IVith a slightredesign, Gagnon would have spacefor his upholstery shop at theback while the front could befixed up and rented to otherbusinesses. Furthermore, therewas room on the upper floors forliving accomodation. Gagnon tookBenolt 's advice: he bought thehouse and followed the redesignsuggestions.

This story has a happy ending:the building was saved andupgraded, new businesses werebrought into the bui lding, newliving space was created, andnew signs were designed inkeeping with the look of thebuilding.ol,a l\{aison Faubert: This turn-of-the-century brick house wasthrea tened in la te 1986. I t sowner, a hardware store entrepre-neur, wanted to tear down thebuilding to make for a

parking lot, Benolt asked him tosell the building for a fewdollars to the SIDAC. VJhen theowner sold the bui lding, Benoltmanaged to have i t moved aboutone-half mile down rue Notre-Dame.The result? The bui ldingcontinues to stand, a store onits main floor and residentialspace upstairs. In this way,another bui lding has been saved,and commercial and living spaceshave been created.Through such undertakings has

Benolt built credibility in thecommunity. On one level, theseinterventions have been primarilydesign questions. But theirimportance stretches far beyonddesigl. rrThe very best designs,"Benoit says, t'are not simply gooddesign solutions. They rebound onevery aspect of the Main Streetprogramme: on organization,marketing, commercial andeconomic development. Our plan isto make the downtown street moreattract ive, save endangeredbuildings, help bring commerciall i fe to areas that need i t ,create interest in the downtown.tt

I f he keeps up the pace hetsestablished, Benolt will do allof that. And write, in thebargain, more happy chapters inhis Ste-Nlarie story.

For more information onpreservation work in Ste-l\tarie deBeauce, write: Benoit Boucher, 45rue Notre-Dame sud, Ste-Nlarie deB e a u c e , Q u e . , G O E 3 C 7 ,( 4 1 8 ) 3 8 7 - 2 3 0 1 .

Ste.-Marie de Beauce: After the lirstsuccess, the requests from localmerchants llooded in.

Benoit Boucher

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ne even ing in March , 1986,in Aylmer, Que.'s ci ty hal l ,70 people had a good t imediscussing downtown design.The room was made up of local

merchants, architects, and N{ainStreet Canada staffers. At onepoint, the merchants displayedphotographs of their establish-ments. From these pictures, thearchitects and t\ lain Streetrepresentatives produceddrawings showing ways in which,for a modest investment, dramaticimprovements could be made todowntown facades. Thus dida group of merchants start tothink about improving theircommunity's look.

Design values have been taught,of course, throughout Nlain StreetCanadars seven years. In thepast, the message was offered intwo informal though highlyeffect ive ways: when Main Streetpersonnel offered one-on-oneadvice and when renovatedbuildings looked so good theytaught by example.

Those two indispensible methodsof spreading the message wil l , ofcourse, continue to be thebackbone of l\lain Street Canadarsdesign campaign. But to them,more and more. have been addedli terature and organized designsess ions .

The literature takes severalforms including lrlain StreetCanada technotes. Published inassociat ion with the HeritageCanada Foundationts DducationProgramme, technotes look at suchdesign subjects as themaintenance of structural glass,the creation of a building file,and how to breathe new life intoold theatres, They are four- andeight-page pamphlets availablefo r a modest fee ($2 .00 and$4.00) from Nlain Street Canada,Another useful tool is anin-house manual calledAppropriate Design On l,lainStreet. VJritten by Educationprogramme staffer HdlbneDeslauriers in association withEducation Programme director HerbStovel, the manual is both areference work and a workbook,offering a succinct andintelligent approach to design.Chief among its interests isadvice on how to choose a levelof intervention: how to develop

The Next WaveNew literature and coursesspread the design message

A downtown tour during a Ouebecdesign seminar. The idea is to reach outto many new communit ies.

an att i tude, understand acontext, assess a bui lding. I talso suggests methods to ensurethe quali ty of the intervention:respect for principles, a plan ofthe work required, and the workperformance. The manual, repletewith illustrations and a liberalcollection of case studies, maybe published if demand warrantsi t .

This l i terature is used, forthe most part, to train andsupport Llain Street co-ordinators(l , lain Street headquarters trainsco-ordinators in designtechniques, helps them startdesign programmes in theircommunit ies, holds workshops,

H6lEne Deslauriers

courses , o f fe rs back-up) .The information in the tech-

notes and other material will bedisseminated at design coursesoutside the organization.Variations on the Aylmer eveninghave become increasingly popularthroughout the past year:sessions, for example, on windolvdisplay highlighted celebrationswhen Aurora, Orangevi l le,Seaforth, tVhitby, Nledicine t lat,and Prince Rupert officiallylaunched their l,lain Street Canadaassociat ion in 1986. In Quebec,meanwhile, regional co-ordinatorFrancois Varin, Helene Des-lauriers, I lerb Stovel, and hlainStreet staffer Nteryl Oliveroffered design workshops tomerchants in several Quebec towns.Those well-attended sessionshave proved so successful thatthe Quebec l\tinistry of Culturerecently requested the Quebecllqin Street office to stage threemore evenings. They wil l be heldthis spring.

Al l this is, of course, thestart of something big. In t ime,i t is easy to imagine thatcourses on design (and qn theother aspects of the Nlain Streetphilosophy) will be offered on aroutine basis in communitiesacross the country.

For more information aboutthe technotes and otherIiterature and courses,rvrite: Design, Nlain StreetC a n a d a , P . O . B o x 1 3 5 8 ,S t n . B , O t t a w a , O n t . ,K l P 5 R 4 . ( 6 1 3 ) 2 3 7 - 1 0 6 6 .

6 n. - Feb. 1987

t . John 's : The DowntownDevelopment Corporation hasrece ived an $11.000 CanadaCounci l grant to study thefeasibility of establishing

an Independent Downtown Cinema.In o ther S t . Johnrs news, Lyd iaLewycky, one-t ime N{oose Jaw NlainStreet co-ordinator. has moved tothe l{ewfoundland capital to joinIIann & Associates. oCarbonear,NfId.: The local I{eri tage Societyis promoting plans to develop thetownrs TerraTransport trainstat ion as an information centrea n d m u s e u m . o Y a r m o u t h , l l . S . : T h ecornmunity is planning to take i tslong-awaited Rocca Groupwaterfront revit izat ion plan togovernments for backing.oShed iac , N.B. : Th is N{a in S t ree ttown recently found a novel wayto raise needed amenity funds. I thosted a lveekly television bingogame, the proceeds from whichhelped f ix up a tourist-attract ing park. For moreinformation: The Shediac CentralB u s i n e s s C o r p . , P . O . B o x 9 6 9 ,S h e d i a c , u . B . , E O A 3 E 0 ,(506) 532-1313. oP lanned fo r thecentre of Saint-Jean-sur-R iche l ieu , Que. : a much-needed100-room hotel. oThe IVIain StreetCanada regional staff in QuebecCity is currently reviewing thecommunit ies that wi l l join theprogramme this year. Llore than200 communit ies have requestedinformation. Possible part-icipants include: Baie Saint-PauI, Bonaventure, Granby, LaBaie (Bagotvi l le), Mascouche,I\ latane, Rivibre-du-Loup, Saint-Georges, Saint-I lyacinthe,Thetford Mines, and La Pocatibre.oOttawa: the Main Street Canadafi lm I ' l leart & Soul 'r has beenapproved. Hans Honegger wil l nowtake a copy of i t to corporationsinvit ing distr ibutionsponsorsh ip . oAurora , Ont . : Inprevious years N4aplefest wasIimited to a part icular maplebush. Th is spr ing , however , amuch more pervasive fest ival wi l linvolve the entire community.oSarn ia , Ont . : The communi ty 'snew property standards by-lawtightens bui lding maintenanceprocedures. oOrangevi l le, Ont. :The town has organized i ts three-day "Go ing Bananasr rcampaign . Adssay i t ts t ime to paint the townyellow, monkey around, etc.

News Round-upOu r Cross-Canada Su rvey

Downtown stores use bananas inwindow displays while otherbunches are given away by afriendly l\lain Street gorilla.o lVh i tby , Ont . : The l , {a in S t ree toff ice has launched a designcourse to help merchalts improveshopfront displays. oBrandon,Man. : Ca l ls have gone ou t fo rconsultant proposals for a$ 3 0 , 0 0 0 d o w n t o w n p l a n , I t sfunction: to identi fy downtownprob lems and to suggest answers .rNledicine t lat, Alta. : Thearchitectural f l rm of Simpson,Roberts, l lappell has been chosento carry out the Alberta CultureDesign and Llaintenance Study onfive pre-l ' /or ld t /ar I downtownbuildings. oThe headquarters forNlain Street Canadats Westernregion has moved. Regional co-ordinator Jim Llountainrs newaddress is : 920 3rd Ave. l l .Le thbr idge, A l ta . , T l I I 0 t I3 .(403) 320-6459. .Edmonton: S tuar tLazeat, one-t ime l , loose Jaw co-ordinator and l,'lain Street Canadaheadquarters consultant, is now aheritage planner with AlbertaCulture. His new address:I l istoric Site Service,A l b e r t a C u l t u r e , 8 8 2 0 - 1 1 2 S t . ,E d m o n t o n , A l t a . , T 6 G 2 P 8 .( 4 0 3 ) 4 3 7 - 2 ? 1 1 . o P r i n c eRupert, B . C. : The downtown l\ lainStreet distr ict has increased i tsmembership numbers to includemerchants ranging from Cow Bay toF ive Corners . o ladysmi th , B .C. :Consultant l(erry Manton recentlyhelped the community produce amarketing survey and market plan.r lVhitehorse: The federalJob Development Programhas g iven Target Downtown $71,000to renovate the Smith House. The1905 city-owned historic bui ldingwil l become the l \ tain Street-Target Downtown headquarters.oNlain Street Canada headquarters,Ottawa: GIen Loo. assistantdirector. commercial andeconomic development, is busyorganizing the 1987 l ' lain Streetresource teams. Communit iesalready visi ted this year:Nledicine t lat, \?hitby, andOrangevi l le. Coming next:Seaforth and Prince Bupert.

r l lave you a story for l{ews Round-up? Send i t to: the editor, MainSt ree t l {ews le t te r , P .O. Box-13E8,S t n . B , O t t a w a , I ( l P 5 R 4 .

Main Street Canada

Main Street Canada is a programme of TheHer i tage Canada Foundat ion. l t is dedicated toboth the economic and archi tectural revival ofdowntown Canada. Main Slreet programmeact iv i t ies are made possib le, in part , by a ten-year contribution from the federal Departmentof Regional Industr ia l Expansion. Main StreetCanada is current ly associated wi th downtownrevi ta l izat ion proiects in Whitehorse, Yukon;Ladysmith and Prince Rupert, B.C.; Peace Rlver,Grande Prair ie and Medic ine Hat. Al ta. : Brandonand Dauphin, Man.; Sarnia, Owen Sound,Seaforth, Orangeville, Aurora, Whitby andPrescot t . Ont. : St-Jean-Sur-Richel ieu and Ste.Mar ie de Beauce, Qu6.; Shediac, N.B. ;Yarmouth, N.S. ; Carbonear and St . John's, Nf ld.

Main Street Director : FranQois Leblanc

Ottawa Off iceAssistant Directors: Gordon Ful ton; Glen Loo(Commercia l and Economic Development) ; HansHonegger (Design).

Regional Co.ordinators:Western Region: J im Mountain, 920 3rd AvenueNorth, Lethbr idge, Al ta. , T1H 0H3,(403) 320-6459.

Ontar io Region: Stephen Lauer, P.O. Box 332,Cambridge, Ont. , N1R 5T8, (519) 622-3036.

Quebec Region: Frangois Var in, 11 rue AncienChant ier , Quebec, Qu6., G1K 6T4,(418) 694-9944.

At lant ic Region: Peter Hyndman, P.O. Box 2024,Stn. M, Hal i fax, N.S. , B3J 221,(902\ 421-1889.

THE HERITAGE CANADAFOUNDATIONThe Heritage Canada Foundation was launchedin .1973. l ts mandate is to encourage thepreservation of Canada's architectural heritage.

Chairman: J.P.S. MackenzieExecut ive Director : Jacques Dal ibard

Board of Governors: J.P.S. Mackenzie(Chairman); Michel M. Lessard (Vice.Chairman),Qu6.; Mary P. Devine, Nf ld. ; lvan W. MacKenzie,P.E. l . ; Hugh K. Smith, Q.C., N.S. ; Samuel Davis,N.B.; Ctement Richard, Qu6.; Dorothy Duncan,Ont. ; Ernest Valor ie Swain, Q.C.; Ont. ; KennethG. Kel ly , Man.; Hon. C. l rwin Mclntosh, Sask. ;F. Morr is Flewwel l ing, Al ta. & N.W.T.; MaryEl izabeth Bayer, B.C. and Yukon; James D.Collinson, Parks Canada; Ldo A. Dorais,Nat ional Museums of Canada: Jacoues Dal ibard(Executive Director).

Main Street Newslet ter Edi tor :Terry McDougal l .Main Street 's Nat ional Address:Main Street CanadaThe Heritage Canada FoundationP.O. Box 1358, Stn. BOttawa K1P 584 t613) 237-1066.

On Whyte AvenueAn architect's renovation experiences

1n 1984, I par t i c ipa ted in

I the l?hyte Avenue Front' Improvement lVork Program,

the objective of which rvasto improve the public

appearance of commercialbui ldings along Old Strathconarshlhyte Avenue and i ts adjacents t ree ts . O ld S t ra thcona is anarea of historical importance onEdmontonrssouths ide , the s i teof theoriginal Townof Strathconawirichamalgamatedwith Edmontoni n 1 9 0 ? . T h earea iscunentlyexperiencingrejuvenationa s acommunity forinner -c i tyl iving and asa focus forboth localand regionalshopping andent er-tainment.Funds for theproject were provided through theCanada Vlorks Section 38 workprograrn and contr ibutions fromthe bui lding owners. ImProvementsconsisted of restorat ion,reconstruction, or rebui lding' asrequired and as feasible withinthe economic constraints of theprogram. It was clear thatbecause of the exist ing stock ofof historically significantbui ldings, facade imProvementswere a worthwhile investment ofpubl ic money.

aAs a design consultant, mY

approach was to let each Projectspeali for i tself , to be treatedindividual ly and uniquelY,al lowing a large measure of inPutfrom each bui lding owner. For themost part they were PredisPosedto a certain direction for thework: given their inPut each setof improvements ref lects theunique creative effort of owner,bui lding, and architect. I admitthat I , too, have a PredisPosit ionwhen faced with redevelopment onlVhyte Avenue: that is, to applythe accepted principles of

restorat ion whetever possible andwarranted.

a

I t was an immense task torestore brick facades, woodstorefronts, windows, ornaments(where the original material wassubstantial ly sound), metalcornices. and stone or cast stone

detai ls. The value of persuingaccurate restorat ion forhistorical ly important bui ldingfronts is that a clear connectionis renewed to the historiccontext of the area. Interest isgenerated in the bui lding'scultural value and PerhaPs wil lencourage the owner to continuethe process inside. This aPProachsets a high standard for thedevelopment of adjacentpropert ies and should encouragenew architecture to behistorically compatible and ofhigh quali ty.

a

It is not a new concept but i tis appropriate to compare lVhyteAvenue to a l iving organism witha l i fe of i ts own. The street ishealthy, successful, and engagingbecause i t is st i l l honest,straightforward, non-nostalgic(for the most part), individual-ist ic. and diverse. In an effortto understand the I i fe of the area.we must avoid the often-statedcomparison that lVhyte Avenue isI ike a shopping mall without a

roof, for this is an erroneouscomparison. The similari ty mightl ie in the streetts primaryfunction as a shopping area butttrat is where the comparisonends. lVhyte Avenue, by virtue ofi ts current and historicalnature, is what shopping mallsare not. Primari ly, i t is acommunity composed of many

Whyte Avenue is the heart olEdmonton's Old Strathcona distr ict.

landowners with a stake in theirown futures and a say in themanagement of the distr ict. I t isnot held together bY imPosedregulat ion and there is nooverriding conformitY to a singlephi losophy or stYle.

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lVhyte Avenue is facing immensepopularity and potentially activedevelopment over the next fiveyears. I hope that those involvedin building will strive toward acommon sensibi l ty and an appropriaapproach to architectural design.IVhen clear objectives are estab-I ished, i t is possible that eachproject will incrementallyenhance the character of thestreet. David Nlurray

David l\lurray is an Edmonton-based architect. This art icle isexerpted with permission fromAlber ta Pgs t , August , 1986.

8 Jon.-Feb. 1987