In search of a “compromise” between conserving a popular heritage asset and adding financial pressure to a struggling public institution, city council has taken a watered down approach.
On Wednesday, council unanimously approved a heritage designation for the D.M. Rutherford Family Conservatory at the University of Guelph, but the list of features to be conserved was dropped from nine to one – salvageable steel, to be included in the school’s plan for a commemorative garden.
“That would create some kind of, also, city recognition of this building,” said Coun. Cathy Downer, who proposed only the steel be saved. “I think it’s a great idea (to create a commemorative garden).”
City staff recommended designation and identified nine features to be preserved, including the greenhouse’s scale and form, the walls (including glass and wood materials), wood-framed windows, the four-sided glazed dome and curved trusses, and the vestibule, including the arched window frame about the door.
The site meets eight of nine provincially set criteria for heritage designation, council heard. Only two are needed to meet designation requirements.
“This is an incredibly high score,” city heritage planner Jack Mallon said of the conservatory’s criteria.
“This is a very exceptional property,” added David Cameletti of Heritage Guelph, who noted the greenhouse was the committee’s “top preservation priority” when it made a list earlier this year. “It’s something our group feels very strongly about.”
The greenhouse, located at 37 Christie Ln. beside the University Centre, was built in 1930, designed by Lord and Burnham of St. Catharines and, according to an archived article from the University of Guelph, the building is one of the only remaining pagoda-like glass structures in North America.
The glass building incorporated limestone blocks from the foundation of original barns on campus.
University officials opposed the designation as initially recommended by city staff. Efforts to learn their stance on the amended motion weren’t immediately successful.
It would cost $5 million to repair the structure, Rene Van Acker, acting U of G president, told council. Instead, he wants to demolish the building and replace it with a commemorative garden.
“We have a duty to ensure the institution is financially sustainable,” he said, acknowledging the greenhouse is “an extremely popular site” on campus. “We are projecting our fifth consecutive operating budget deficit due to increasing expenses, the limited and constantly limited tools to generate revenue.”
The cost of demolition is estimated at $250,000, with another $750,000 to be spent on creating a commemorative garden in its place. In total, the project has a $1 million price tag.
Van Acker said the Rutherford family are supportive of the commemorative garden plan.
“I think this is a win-win,” said Coun. Phil Allt of the amended designation. “The university and city have come together for an effective compromise.”
During Wednesday’s meeting, council also approved heritage designations for a couple of other properties. They are:
22 James St. E. – Bought in 1912, the site saw the creation of a transformer substation for the then-planned railway line between Toronto and Berlin (now Kitchener). When that plan was scaled back due to the Second World War, it was converted into a rail car barn. Sold in 1952, the building was converted into the apartments seen today.
It meets five of the nine designation criteria – design/physical, historical/associative (including Guelph’s connection to the Toronto Suburban Railway) and contextual value.
19 Fountain St. W. – Dating back to the mid-1850s, this house is described by city heritage staff as “a rare, unique, and early example of a stone residence built in the vernacular style with a façade clad in red brick using a Flemish bond pattern.” It meets four of nine criteria for designation – design/physical (including a high degree of craftsmanship), historical/associative and contextual value.
