2024 Award Recipients
London Heritage Awards 2024
Architectural Conservancy Ontario – London Region
&
Heritage London Foundation
are proud to present the 17th annual London Heritage Awards
Congratulations to the 2024 honourees!
Heritage Hero Award – Eleanor Rath
Eleanor Rath’s career was in local government.
With her professional experience using historical
research she was a natural candidate to inherit the
leadership of ACO London’s Historical House Signs
initiative, which had lain dormant because of Covid.
She undertook the task with characteristic rigor
and enthusiasm and now trains other research
team members. Each report for a home typically
takes anywhere from 10 to 20 hours of research
to complete and Eleanor has now researched the
history of some 100 homes in the London area.
She notes in a CBC interview, that the value
of the programmme in which she has played such
a conspicuous part is “education and awareness.
It instills pride in… homes and an understanding
that we’re part of history and we’re just one person
in a long continuum.” Eleanor also spent several
years serving on LACH and has volunteered
for the Geranium Heritage House Tour.
RESTORATION PROJECT AWARD – 91 Bruce Street
CHARLIE & JODI YOUNGER
This attractive cottage was restored and extended during the last few years by
its owners, Charlie and Jodi Younger. Over a two-and-a-half-year period, they
added about 3,000 square feet to the rear of the building, but it still retains its
original heritage facade as viewed from the street. They realigned the front door
approach, taking it back to its original ‘direct from the sidewalk’ path. While
removing vinyl siding from the façade, the owners were delighted to discover
the ‘ghost’ outline of the original door casing. They had new moulding made to
match the outline and restored the roof to its original design, showing to better
advantage the original London Doorway with its triple arches. During construction
of the rear addition, they discovered old growth pine planks which they have
used in the restoration. This project has more than tripled the original footprint
of the cottage while beautifully preserving its historical appeal to passersby.
RESTORATION PROJECT AWARD – 659 Queens Avenue
JEAN-PAUL & MONIQUE LEGAULT
Bardawill Victorian Restoration
Located on a corner site in Old East Village, this handsome Queen Anne-style
house built in 1902 has a prominent setting in which to display its many ornamental
details. Jean-Paul and Monique Legault have lovingly cared for it for over 35 years.
They have removed the inappropriate aluminum siding that covered the gables,
revealing scalloped shingles, brackets and decorative bargeboard. Harmonious
paint colors now showcase these restored features. Recently, after discovering
a circa 1915 photo, the Legaults, with the help of Bardawill Victorian Restoration,
replaced a sagging two-storey metal porch with one that closely models the original.
The solid balustrades, railings, and columns with recessed panels, are all painted
to match and unify the other painted heritage features of the house. The restoration
of this porch to its original charm greatly increases the appeal of this historic house
and enhances an Old East Village streetscape.
MAJOR RESTORATION PROJECT – The Red Knight Canadair CT-133 Silverstar Aircraft
JET AIRCRAFT MUSEUM
On April 1st, 2024, Canada celebrated the 100th Anniversary of the Royal Canadian
Air Force, which after World War II faced the challenge of shifting from propeller
to jet flight. The Canadair CT-133 training aircraft, built in 1951 and used by the
City of London 420 (Fighter) Auxiliary Squadron, played an important role in the
re-training of pilots on new jet systems, when using their deeply imbedded propeller
skills on a jet could cost the pilots their life. To revive this important piece of RCAF
history, the Jet Aircraft Museum (JAM) scoured the world for working parts to recreate
a ‘Red Knight CT-133’ that meets government standards for heritage aircraft.
Once restoration started in earnest it took approximately 5000 work hours over
18 months to get the plane’s certificate of airworthiness from Transport Canada.
Thanks to the help of many volunteers and funding from supportive businesses,
the Red Knight is now reborn, and you can find it in the skies almost weekly
in good weather, or on the ground at the JAM at London Airport.
RESTORATION PROJECT – 188-190 Dundas Street
MIKE MANUEL
Architect: Myk Wasylko
In the 1880s these two yellow brick Italianate buildings were part of a stretch
of shops along Dundas Street known as the “Dry Goods District”. Early businesses
at 188 and 190 Dundas included a druggist, a piano company, and sellers of
everything from boots to wallpaper. Upper floors were used for residential
or storage space. Thanks to the vision of downtown entrepreneur Mike Manuel,
these heritage buildings, vacant for many years, have been beautifully restored
to their former glory. Layers of 1980s grey marble tiles were removed from
each facade to let the yellow bricks take centre stage. With the help of architect
Myk Wasylko, the two storefronts were restored in a heritage-compatible design
and new sash windows were installed in the original openings on the upper floors.
The interiors were also renovated to accommodate businesses on the first floor
and residential loft space above. This project has set a fine example for heritage
conservation in downtown London.
Adaptive Re-Use & Restoration Project Award – 920 Dufferin Avenue
SUSAN DAY & ROB HODSON
Contractor: Four Nine North Construction
Window Fabrication: Harold Peters
This is the first two-fold London Heritage Award, for the restoration of a classic
Ontario cottage and the adaptive re-use of a large workshop, both built circa 1877.
Originally owned by Walter Richards, a carpenter for the Grand Trunk Railway,
the property stayed in his family for several generations. The transformation
of the workshop into an art studio involved emergency structural repair to
the massive timber roof supports, a large amount of re-glazing of the building’s
remarkable multi-paned windows, and numerous general repairs. Regarding
the cottage, Susan Day and Rob Hodson worked with several experts to complete
the delicate demolition work needed to take the interior down to the studs, to
re-wire, re-plumb, re-insulate, and re-build the original walls and restore all the
moulding. The replica wood windows were made by Harold Peters and installed
by Rob. The fireplace brick has been maintained and a charming tile surround
was crafted by Susan in the historic workshop that has become her studio.
MAJOR RESTORATION PROJECT – Holy Roller Memorial Project
1ST HUSSARS CAVALRY FUND
Seeing action 80 years ago on D-Day 1944, Holy Roller is the only remaining tank of
London’s 1st Hussars and one of only two Canadian Army Sherman tanks to survive
the campaign in Northwest Europe during World War II — a campaign in which
the 1st Hussars lost 346 tanks and 207 of their soldiers lost their lives. Presented
to the City of London by the regiment in 1949, Holy Roller is truly a monument
of national significance. The beloved tank suffered decline and, upon inspection
in 2018, required a complete rebuild. Its restoration by the Holy Roller Memorial
Project was an undertaking that involved dozens of dedicated volunteers and many
local organizations. In May 2022, complete with a fresh coat of paint matching its
original colour, the restored Holy Roller was returned to Victoria Park where it
serves as an eloquent memorial to fallen members of the 1st Hussars regiment.
COMPATIBLE DESIGN AWARD – Canada Life Building, 255 Dufferin Avenue
CANADA LIFE
Architect: ERA Architects
When in 1926 the growing London Life Insurance Company, now Canada
Life, built a new head office on Dufferin Avenue they chose a bold Beaux Arts
design with an impressive front entrance with stone steps. Expanding to a
complex of four buildings, the company included an accessible entrance on
the Queens Avenue side, but it was the vision of Don Lecuyer of Canada Life
Property Management Division to allow people with disabilities to access
the grand front entrance on Dufferin Avenue. Local Project Leader Jennifer
McBride of Canada Life, together with lead architect Diana Roldan of ERA
Architects, designed a heritage-style accessibility ramp adjacent to the front
stairs, featuring black railings and spindles along with tactile paving for the
vision-impaired, sensor-triggered lighting, and an underground heating system
to remove snow and ice. In addition to the ramp, a glass accessibility lift was
installed inside the front door where there are additional steps to navigate.
MAJOR RESTORATION PROJECT – St. John The Evangelist Anglican Church
THE RECTOR, WARDENS, & PARISHIONERS OF ST. JOHN’S
Plaster, masonry, and roof work: Roof Tile Management
Standing at the corner of Wellington and St. James streets since 1888, St. John the
Evangelist was designed by a parishioner, Charles F. Cox, in an unusual rendition
of the then popular Neo-Gothic style. With its soaring spire (completed in 1898),
steeply pitched roof, heavy buttresses, and gem-like stained-glass windows,
St. John’s is as beautiful as it is historic. Over the years, numerous repairs were
made to the church, but time was not kind to the structure: by 2019 the bell tower,
the former rectory, and the roof of the nave all needed attention, as did foundation
masonry, window frames, stained-glass windows, and water-damaged plaster.
Floors needed refinishing, asbestos removed, sound and security systems upgraded.
With over a million dollars raised through the efforts of the wardens, the rectors,
and parishioners, restoration is now almost complete and future generations will
continue to appreciate the beauty of St. John’s — and to enjoy the bells that ring
out every quarter of an hour.
MAJOR RESTORATION PROJECT – African Methodist Episcopal Church
FANSHAWE PIONEER VILLAGE
Architect: John Rutledge
One of the more complex and extended projects London has seen, the saving,
moving and preservation of this modest wood framed chapel (formerly referred
to as The Fugitive Slave Chapel) took 10 years and was undertaken by scores of
enthusiastic and committed volunteers. Altered, and used for many years as a
residence, the Chapel was moved from its home on Thames Street in 2014 to sit
beside the daughter church that succeeded it as a place of worship for London’s
Black community. When the trustees of Beth Emanuel church finally decided they
could not find a use for the chapel, they hoped it might find a place in Fanshawe
Pioneer Village’s collection of 19th century buildings. A new steering committee
oversaw a final fundraising effort, and when the Board of FPV, working with the
Black community, accepted the chapel, it was the culmination of a decade of hard
work. After being meticulously restored in 2023 the building now stands ready
to tell the stories of the Black families who found a home in London.
Congratulations to all honourees, and thank you so much for your tremendous work to keep London’s roots alive and on display. Preserving our heritage is not always an easy task, but it is always worthwhile.