Plans for $12-million 1812 'legacy project' taking shape
The Niagara Falls Review, December 2009
by Corey Larocque
A blend of the old and new on Ferry Street is expected to create a new place to commemorate the War of 1812, generate more traffic for the Lundy's Lane Historical Museum and help revitalize the area around Main and Ferry streets.
New designs for an expansion of the Lundy's Lane Historical Museum have a two-storey, glass-fronted display area added to the west side of the existing museum housed in the old Stamford township hall.
Those designs were approved by city council in October, clearing the way for work to begin on the museum expansion that's will be the city's focal point for the War of 1812 bicentennial celebrations.
It will be home to the new 1812 visitors centre for people visiting the museum to learn about the war that defined Canada.
It will include a two storey exhibit area with glass windows allowing passersby to look into the museum from the sidewalk.
By bringing the museum, which is set back from the street, out to the sidewalk, architects from Toronto-based Moriyama and Teshima Architects hope to make it part of the activity on the street.
"It's all about engaging the street. There's nothing to engage you from the street to get you to come into the museum," said Kathy Powell, manager of the city's museums.
"It creates this open space like you're inside the building."
The museum expansion is part of the $12 million Lundy's Lane Battlefield Legacy Project. It includes $10 million for the museum and $2 million for improvements to the 1814 Lundy's Lane battlefield and a walkway over Lundy's Lane connecting the two parts.
The federal and provincial governments are each contributing $4 million in infrastructure spending. The museum board is raising $2 million, leaving city taxpayers responsible for $2 million.
Councillors weren't swayed by the heritage committee's concerns that the addition would block the view of the existing stone building. Some said the glass front on the new section will attract the attention of passersby, especially people walking east on Lundy's Lane.
"Historically, it's a beautiful property. It hasn't been a very marketable property," said Coun. Jim Diodati. "I think this is a healthy mix of historical accuracy and marketability."
The city, which funds the three museums it owns $476,000 a year, has been eager to see more public use of the museum.
Approving the designs meant council set aside objections from its own Municipal Heritage Advisory Committee. Its members said the new section of the museum will overwhelm the old Stamford township hall, the stone building the museum occupies now.
"The existing building is very much obscured by the expansion, especially when approaching from the west," committee member David Fotheringham said.
It put the municipal heritage committee in opposition to the museum, though the two organizations often share similar goals in preserving local heritage. The difference of opinion shouldn't be long-lasting.
"I don't see any ill will. They were entitled to make a presentation to council as much as anybody else," Powell said.
Council's approval of the new design clears the way for the museum's expansion project.
"It's a big step that, in the big process, you hope is going to go relatively smoothly," Powell said.
As part of the expansion, the museum is also renaming itself, Niagara Falls Museum of History. It's a move that will better reflect its real location, the fact that it is the city's museum, and that it preserves local history.
"Unless you know about the Battle of Lundy's Lane, you wouldn't know why that name is significant to this building."
The museum occupies the old Stamford township hall, a stone building on Ferry Street. It's actually a block east of where Lundy's Lane ends, but that street name has been part of its name since the museum was created by the Lundy's Lane Historical Society and located near the corner of Lundy's Lane and Drummond Road.
"It's very confusing for people – come to the Lundy's Lane Museum – on Ferry Street," Powell said.
Source: The Niagara Falls Review