WHIITBY FREE PRESS, Heritage, SEPTIEMER 12,1990, PAGE Ai Vol.2 Whitby, Ontario Wednesday, Septeniber 12, 1990 No.4 Serving Whitby, Brojoklin, Ashburn and Myrtie TreriLtage: A stateofmmnd By &UJStock people. Simpy b onningup noel, Two keys words in this issue SJ peing upare'"heritage" and "conservation." -listening tao la records or looking When we ý consider architectural at old photographs, it is possible conservation we - must also ta be transported back inta one's consýder heritage. "Heritage" is Heitage cno e eâl the broader term which gives eited b can nt bee asiy architecture its context. efed ecaunt siicludviies man What other elements are eleens nt hyscaly isbletoimportant with respect ta the the eye: the natural environment, building itseeZ setting, history, archaeological sites and artifact;, etc.? cultural tradition, inemories and Conservation seenis an historical structures. In, order t<> important word in' conjunction experience heritage, we cannot with the recent popularity for just look at a heritage building recydling and becoming and understand aIl that was once environxnentally conscious. Does concerned with it. it make sense ta recycle bottles To experience heritage,.- we and cans, and te compost our must also strive ta, understand organic waste; and ta tear down what took place there, the older buildings which could be attitudes of its inhabitants thoughtfully reused? towards the structure and its Afler long periods of surrounding property and view, tremendous growth, invention its neighbors and roads, -which and resolution, we are beginrîn brings us ta the next property ta see our world start ta sphral and its connecting heritage. away froni us down the drain. -We Heritage does not, in, simple must now turn around and fight terras, mean old. We are creating against the current ta save the heritage taday. As well, a lot of types of things that we have our heritage conservation energy previously thrown away. shoufld go tawards protecting the Preserving our architectural things that are important in Our heritage is one way of saving our lives now, froin possible misuse world. Buildings must be used and misunderstanding in the and reused in order ta create a future. balance in our levels of use and Heritage conservation was a discard. The new should be concemn as far back as earlY thoughtfully integrated with and Roman times, when imperial around the old, both having regimes adapted earlY Greelk respect for one-another. architectural fornis to legitinize It is not that we are lazy. It is their own buildings. Since then, certainly not laziness ta rp apart in Canada heritage conservation an old building and construct a bas been an issue, on and Off at new one. -But we must different times and with different understand that heritage levels of importance attached ta conservation is a progressive it. During times of war and rather than regressive activity. depression, as little attention was "Heritage is good business." paid ta heritage conservation.as Restoration and conservation to building aestheticallY pleasing create more jobs than demolition buildings. and - construction;, and After the wars, the feelings-of architectural conservation is freedom and change were-strong. usually more economically People rejected the old in favor of feasible as well. Based on the new and as a riesult, nianY principle, a person might rather buildings .were lost. In 1975 the da with an organization in Ontario Heritage ACV was league with preserving and 7roclaimed, helping ta protect our conserving our environnient than heiaie from further abuse-.In one that is not. 1990 we are now awaiting a It is evident even in our review of the Ontario Heritage conmunty that we are beginning Policy which will attempt to ta place a high value on our make heritage conservation a heritae. Reoently Whitby because they see theni as an important part of their environments and lives. Heritage buildings facing demolition have been saved in Whitby due ta public support. The effort of the entire community on heritage conservation will bring about changes, not just those woring in planning areas. There is something that we can each do in our' cornmunity ta promote.. heritage conservation. We can decide what, is important tOu and what has helped ta, give us peace and make us grow within our comxnunity; and ta inake sure that it is preserved and may be similarly interpreted by future generations. And if at some point its life becornes threatened, we must be prepared to fight tÃ" keep it alive. As G. K. Chesterson said ini 1923, "The fatal metaphor of progrss, which means leaving things behind us,, bas utterly obscured the real idea of growth, which means leaving thinge inside us." - JUIiStock woe a awnmewr atudent with -tihe Whitby Local Archtecturai- Coeaervat so Àdvisory Committee .<LACAC). EARLIIEST KNOWN -PHOTOGRAPH Building is stili standing and 0F WHITBY. Looking north from the although greatly, altered, it now four corners in 1862 following a bouses Johnvince Foods. Ail the major fire which leveled nxost of the buildings on the East side of Brock northwest quadrant. lVhitby was a St. including the Royal Hotel in the thriving regional centre by 1862 and picture were destroyed by fire in was 'substantially larger than its subsequent years. The present Royal neiglibor Oshawa. "Downtown" R1-otel ivas buiît in 1873. The building boasted wide streets and 'board on the extreme right ivas the site of sidewalks. The Ontari o Hotel Peter Perry's original store.