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Cataloguing a community

Hill House, built circa 1855 by Hiram Hill, owner of the Morpeth Dockyard. This Italianate residence provides confirmation of the affluence early Great Lakes shipping and Chatham-Kent agriculture created for people in the mid-19th century. (Photo: Dan Reaume)

By

Dave Benson

Buildings and architecture, Community

Published Date:06 May 2010

Photo: Hill House, built circa 1855 by Hiram Hill, owner of the Morpeth Dockyard. This Italianate residence provides confirmation of the affluence early Great Lakes shipping and Chatham-Kent agriculture created for people in the mid-19th century. (Photo: Dan Reaume)

The amalgamated municipality of Chatham-Kent includes a number of early settlements that encompass thousands of heritage buildings. Recently, Heritage Chatham-Kent (HC-K), our municipal heritage committee, created a registry of historic properties that would:

provide the minimal protection, under the Ontario Heritage Act, of requiring a notice period in order for HC-K to evaluate, recommend for designation or, if needed, document and record a building prior to demolition
allow HC-K to develop a designation prioritization strategy
provide the public, Council and owners of listed properties with an appreciation of the wealth of heritage in the community
provide a promotional tool through the municipal website

Starting with 200 indisputable entries, the municipal planning department supplied legal property descriptions, while committee members and a heritage assistant identified, photographed and developed descriptions of architectural styles along with contextual and historical significance for the properties.

In Spring 2009, 100 additional properties were added to the draft registry, providing a better cross-representation throughout the community and across different types of architecture (commercial, industrial and agricultural). A combination of formal communications, media releases and an information open house were used to gain community buy-in. The public was provided with as much information as possible about the process and implications of the registry.

Notification was then sent to all owners of properties being considered for inclusion in the registry. The information package included:

a comprehensive fact sheet
answers to frequently asked questions
a survey giving property owners the opportunity to provide additional information, corrections, questions and written objections
an invitation to attend an open house with members of HC-K and the municipal planning department to answer questions and address concerns

Most concerns were based on:

the misconception that listing a property on the registry would lead automatically to designation
a desire not to have perceived impediments to property rights
a general distrust of government

Ironically, the majority of formal objections came from proud owners of well-maintained heritage homes and from churches. Yet, at the same time, the exercise alerted some owners who were not aware that their properties were historically important.

Council approved the Chatham-Kent Registry on January 18, 2010. Properties with owner objections were removed from this final version, resulting in several significant properties being omitted.

The Registry now identifies and gives basic protection to 261 properties. Heritage Chatham-Kent has a working document on which to base its strategic planning. The process itself has raised the profile of heritage buildings and the public’s appreciation of them. The registry has been added as a new component to the Chatham-Kent website and helps promote Chatham-Kent to the world.

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