The City of St. John's Heritage Awards

 Heritage Awards

The City of St. John's Heritage Awards recognize commercial and residential property owners for their work in rehabilitating, restoring and celebrating our rich built heritage.

Who can submit a nomination?

Residents can nominate a designated Heritage Building or a building in a Heritage Area; property owners can nominate their own property.

 

Award categories

Nominations are accepted annually in the following categories:

• preserving or restoring the original character of a heritage building or any building in a Heritage Area
• rehabilitating an older building, including successfully integrating modern elements
• respecting the character of a modern building in a Heritage Area
• infill developments that blend into a neighborhood in a Heritage Area
• stewardship and long-term preservation of a heritage building or any building in a Heritage Area.

 

Application and Deadlines

The deadline for applications is Friday, February 28 at 5 p.m. To submit a nomination, complete and submit the Heritage Awards Nomination Form.

 

Contact us

For more information, please contact Planning. 

Learn more here: City of St. John’s Applause Awards Website

The Staff Cable Houses: Part of the Telecommunications History of Heart's Content

In February of 2023, Heart's Content, NL and Valentia, Ireland, were added to the Tentative List for UNESCO World Heritage Status, one step closer to recognition ten years in the making. The two sites for the first Transatlantic cable, laid in 1866, connected Europe and North America and enabled quicker and more reliable communication between the two continents. The Anglo-American Cable Company established a permanent cable station in Heart's Content in 1875/76. One of the buildings they constructed was the Cable Staff Houses, a duplex for housing employees of the cable station. 

Photo of the Cable Staff Houses #1 and #2 in 2017.

Built in 1882, the house was designed by J.T. Southcott, a prominent architect in Newfoundland for introducing the Second Empire Style of architecture. 

The duplex has undergone significant restorations since its designation as a Registered Heritage Structure in 1995 to preserve and maintain this building. The Cable Staff House has a mansard roof, an architectural feature associated with the Second Empire Style and Southcott's designs. 

The Cable Staff House Mansard Roof (L): Prior to restoration in mid 1990s (R): Following restorations in 2017.

The building also has decorative eaves brackets, visible in the pictures below.

Before and after pictures of the buildings eaves brackets. (L): Picture prior to restoration in 1990s (R): Photo after restoration in 2017.

Photo of the Cable Staff House's windows. (L): Photo from mid 1990s (R): After restoration in 2017.

Another key design element of the Cable Staff Houses is the variety of styles of windows, some of which are 2/2 while others are larger and multi-paned. The house also has several dormer windows, which were restored in 2018. 

The Cable Staff Houses received the Newfoundland Historic Trust's Southcott Award for Restoration in 1999.

You can learn more about the Cable Staff Houses at the links below:

https://heritagenl.ca/heritage-property/cable-staff-house-1-registered-heritage-structure/

https://heritagenl.ca/heritage-property/cable-staff-house-2-registered-heritage-structure/

https://www.gov.nl.ca/releases/2023/tcar/0228n02/

Living Heritage Podcast Ep214 Repair and Restoration with Rex Passion

 

Participants of wooden window workshop led by Rex Passion. 
Rex is the fourth person from the right standing up. 
Photo by Harnum Photography.

In this episode of the Living Heritage Podcast we talk with Rex Passion about historic restorations and repairs. Rex describes his background, what brought him to Newfoundland, his work on Kent Cottage, and leading workshops and demonstrations to teach traditional skills. Rex apprenticed as a cabinetmaker and carpenter in California and Boston in the 1970s. In 2006 he sold his construction company and architecture firm, Classic Restorations, and subsequently moved to Torbay. His vocation of restoring old houses became his avocation, heritage preservation. He currently sits on the Landfall Trust Board of Directors, and recently taught a wooden window repair and restoration workshop with Heritage NL.

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Living Heritage is about people who are engaged in the heritage and culture sector, from museum professionals and archivists, to tradition bearers and craftspeople - all those who keep history alive at the community level. The show is a partnership between HeritageNL and CHMR Radio.

Theme music is Rythme Gitan by Latché Swing.

Folklore Photos: Trinity Restoration Project

Today’s Folklore Photos come from the Trinity Restoration Project collection currently in the works of being digitized and uploaded to Memorial University’s Digital Archives Initiative. Trinity, a community located in Trinity Bay, has a long history associated with fishing beginning with the migratory fishery. This led the community and its surrounding areas to become important fishing and mercantile communities, eventually leading to settlement starting in the eighteenth century. There have been many projects in the community carried out to preserve and restore its cultural heritage, such as the Trinity Restoration Project. This project featured the restoration of dozens of buildings, primarily household dwellings, throughout the community in 1979 and into the early 1980s. These Folklore Photos highlight just one of the many building restorations under this project.

These scanned polaroid photographs are of an abandoned two-and-a-half storey residential building originally owned by a gentlemen documented as Mr. R. Tibbs. The date of construction is unknown, however in 1979, the structure was owned by Peter Blodgett. The Trinity Restoration Project provided the opportunity to restore this property from its state pictured above in 1979 where the once vibrant paint was fading and the front doors and windows were all boarded up.

A lot of work needed to be done! In 1980, the original roof shingles were removed and replaced. Similarly, the old clapboards were replaced and given a new coat of paint. This building is one of the several dozen that underwent varying degrees of restoration thanks to the Trinity Restoration Project.

The scanned polaroid photographs from the Trinity Restoration Project are in the process of being uploaded to Memorial University of Newfoundland’s Digital Archives Initiative (DAI). The full collection uploaded thus far is available online at:


https://collections.mun.ca/digital/collection/ich_en/search/searchterm/Trinity/field/subcol/mode/all/conn/and/cosuppress/.

Victoria Lodge Show and Tell Night, Fortune

July 15th, 2021

7pm at the Fortune Fire Hall

Victoria Lodge #1378 was constituted on July 17, 1871 in Fortune under Master James P. Snook, and predates the Masonic lodge in neighbouring Grand Bank, which was started as an offshoot of Victoria Lodge. Victoria Hall was home to the Masons from the time of its construction circa 1883 until 1996, when membership had declined and Victoria Hall was closed. 

Today, the future of Victoria Hall is uncertain, though we would love to see its history preserved and to find a new use for this historic building. To start things rolling, we are hosting a Show and Tell to share stories and memories of the lodge and its members, and to get your ideas on what you’d like to see happen to the building. 

How can YOU help?

We want you to come with your memories of activities in the hall such as dances, weddings and other events! Did you have wedding photos taken at the hall? Bring them along! Was your father, grandfather, or uncle a member of the Lodge? We’d love to scan any photos of them or any Lodge certificates or plaques you might have!  We’d also love to see any photos you might have of old Masonic parades or funeral marches. 

The staff of Heritage NL will be on site to scan your photos and documents to share online, or to take photos of any artefacts you might want to show off! Whatever you bring with you, you will take home at the end of the night, we’ll only be collecting digital copies! 

Come have a cup of tea and a chat about one of Fortune’s most historic properties.

Free event. Register at: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/victoria-lodge-show-and-tell-night-tickets-162332923143 

Did You Know?

The building was designed by Henry J. Haddon, a respected figure in Fortune’s history. Before the construction of Victoria Hall, meetings were held in his home. Haddon played an instrumental role in the social and cultural development of the community. He initially came to Fortune to pursue a teaching career but resigned in 1863 to become the town’s Justice of the Peace.

From: https://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/image-image.aspx?id=5963#i1 

Please remember to wear a mask while at the event and to respect social distancing. 

A history of the Lane/Heffern House in Salvage, Bonavista Bay

The Salvage Fisherman’s Museum (alternatively, the Lane/Heffern House) was designated a Registered Heritage Structure by Heritage NL March 20th, 2020 due to its historic and aesthetic value. Supposedly the oldest surviving home in the area, the museum building was constructed sometime in the mid 19th century by members of the Lane family who lived in Salvage by 1830.

Heritage NL has been working with the museum committee on documenting the history of the structure, which has proven to be more complicated than originally thought. It may be that the building was constructed in two phases, which would explain some of the quirks of the building itself.

You can download the full report in pdf format and get all the architectural gossip right here. 

A mystery in the attic! Adventures in built heritage.

Last week, I got an email from a local acquaintance doing renovation work on their old house in St. John's. The email subject: "Mystery in my attic!" That is the surefire way to get my attention. They wrote:

"The opening to the attic is a small port, 20 inches square, but the only thing up there is a very large wooden box that is bigger than the opening; 69" long, 29" wide, and 20" deep. It seems to be lead lined, and has two long bolts attached on the outside short end. There doesn't seem to be a lid for it but the wood throughout is quite thick, so is likely very heavy."

I dropped by today, got a tour of the house, and then climbed the ladder up into the very short attic space, to try and photograph the very coffin-like mystery box. It turned out not to be lead-lined, but it did have a remnant strip of lead or zinc along one edge, so perhaps it was lined at one point. At the bottom of the box were a number of holes, which look like they were covered with some sort of flange or gasket, possibly to fit a pipe. Due to the confined space and angle, it was hard to get good photos, but this will give you an idea of the box:

My theory was that it was part of a cistern or water basin, possibly to power a gravity-fed flush toilet or shower. The use of the reinforcing rods might support this theory, if the box was meant to hold a heavy quantity of water. 

I came back to the office and did some searching, and while I can't say exactly where the box came from, it is very similar to two boxes I found in old catalogues, digitized as part of the rather fascinating Building Technology Heritage Library (BTHL), which is primarily a collection of American and Canadian, pre-1964 architectural trade catalogs, house plan books and technical building guides. If you are a buildings nerd, don't go there unless you have some time to kill!

The first example is from the circa 1912 Wood Tanks catalogue of the New England Tank & Tower Co, made of cypress. Note the rods:

The second is a slightly later example, from the  1937 "Wood Tanks Catalog No. 37" by the National Tank and Pipe Co out of Portland, Oregon:

Mystery solved (with no corpse to dispose of).

Tuesday's #FolklorePhoto: Simms House

Today's Folklore Photos are of the Simms House which is a two-and-a-half storey, mansard roofed residential structure built in the late 19th century. It is situated on Pleasant Street in the west-end area of St. John’s, NL, once known as Lazy Bank. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.

Tyler Stapleton and Dale Jarvis.

Tyler Stapleton, a 24 year old Nautical Science Graduate from the Marine Institute, is actively restoring the 1882 Registered Heritage Structure in Downtown St. John’s. In March 2018, Tyler gave Dale and Terra with the Heritage Foundation a tour of his property and described the ongoing restoration and the background research on the history of the house. 

The home was built in 1882 for draper George Taylor and sold to cooper Henry V. Simms in 1902. Simms ran a successful trade out of a shop once located behind the home and, by the time he died in 1947, owned several properties in the area. Henry’s son William Simms inherited Simms House in 1947 and also worked as a cooper. Simms House has aesthetic value as an excellent example of an early middle-class home in urban St. John’s.

Henry V. Simms played an active in his community, serving as Vice President of the Master Coopers’ Association and an organizer of the local prohibition movement. His interest in prohibition may have been influenced by his neighbourhood, Lazy Bank, which generated reports of public intoxication and unsanitary conditions around the turn of the century. 

A bottle of Labbatt's Blue and a pack of Man-Tex condoms found during the restoration of the home. An interesting find given Simms' interest in the prohibition movement. 

If you would like to learn more about the Simms House have a listen to the Living Heritage Podcast episode number 104. In this episode, which can be found here, Dale and Tyler discuss on the history of the building, his process of research and restoration, and some of the secrets of the Simms House.

Braced on rocks in Caplin Cove #folklorephoto

A building braced on rocks in Caplin Cove. Photograph taken August 1993 and is part of the 35mm slide collection at the Baccalieu Trail Heritage Corporation.

Blundon House Before and After. Bay De Verde, 1997. #Folklorephoto

These three photographs are from the 35mm slide collection of the Baccalieu Trail Heritage Corporation and were taken in 1997. The same year the building was designated a Registered Heritage Structure by the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador. 

Blundon House is the last merchant house in Bay De Verde, originally owned by John Blundon who owned several schooners used in the coastal trade.

To see what Blundon House looks like today, visit Heritage Foundation website.

~ Kelly

Long Since Demolished House in Freshwater, Conception Bay (1995). #Folklorephoto

A House in Freshwater, Conception Bay that has since been demolished. Photograph taken in January 1995 and is part of the slide collection of the Baccalieu Trail Heritage Corporation.

The Livyer's Log - Issue One

The Livyer's Log

The Livyer’s Log is a newly developed bi-annual electronic newsletter for owners of Heritage Structures. It is intended to provide useful information to the owners of designated Registered Heritage Structures in Newfoundland and Labrador. The goal is to build a “community of heritage property owners” that will collectively create a forum of shared experiences and information about their heritage properties.

In this edition of The Livyer’s Log, there are articles on practical things such as: how to approach the hiring of a contractor for heritage preservation work; building tips; and how to make heritage properties more energy efficient. As well, we examine the importance of heritage designation and how to navigate grants that are available to heritage properties.

This first edition was created and edited by Celeste Billung-Meyer a summer intern with the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador. Although Celeste is finishing her position shortly she worked tirelessly to bring this newsletter to fruition!

Click here to check out a pdf version of the newsletter or register below to receive our newsletter.
If you would like more information about Heritage Designation please contact our Built Heritage Officer Micahel Philpott at michael@heritagefoundation.ca or 1-888-739-1892 ext. 3.

Contributors:
Jerry Dick, Andrea O’Brien, Michael Philpott, Celeste Billung-Meyer, Dale Jarvis.

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The Memory Store: The Archbishop would come here and we would have a special mass...

The week's Memory Store video is the final video in the series.  This one comes from inside the chapel of the Covent of Our Lady of Mercy.  Sister Maura Mason of the Sister of Mercy of Newfoundland describes some of the history and architecture found in the chapel of the Convent of Our Lady of Mercy and she also explains how the space is used.

Watch the video below or click here to watch on YouTube.

Click here for more information about the building's history and architectural style.

If you missed our initial post explaining the concept of the Memory Store clip here to go back to our first blog post with the introduction video or check out our YouTube channel at ICH NL.

Stay tuned for more short stories about historic places in the province, in the form of short oral history interviews conducted with the people who care about those places and if you have a personal memory about a historic place in Newfoundland and Labrador, and want to add your voice to the Memory Store project, let us know at ich@heritagefoundation.ca

-Terra

The Memory Store: He eventually talked himself into actually being able to live at the hall...

In this week's the Memory Store video Andy Jones discusses the spirit of the early days of the RCA (Resource Centre for the Arts) at the LSPU (Longshoreman’s Protective Union) Hall. Andy tells the story of a young man who was working for the RCA and managed to live in the attic of the LSPU Hall for a brief period of time.

Watch the video below or click here to watch the video on YouTube.

Click here for more information about the building's history and architectural style.
If you missed our initial post explaining the concept of the Memory Store clip here to go back to our first blog post with the introduction video or check out our YouTube channel at ICH NL.

Stay tuned for more short stories about historic places in the province, in the form of short oral history interviews conducted with the people who care about those places and if you have a personal memory about a historic place in Newfoundland and Labrador, and want to add your voice to the Memory Store project, let us know at ich@heritagefoundation.ca

-Terra

#FisheriesFriday - Red Ochre and Lime Whitewash, an interview with Gerald Quinton

Back on the 24th of September in 2006, I did an oral history interview with Mr. Gerald Quinton at his home in Red Cliffe, Bonavista Bay, Newfoundland, on the topic of red ochre paint and lime whitewash.

We sat at Mr Quinton’s kitchen table, overlooking the John Quinton Limited red store below by the water’s edge, which was designated as a Registered Heritage Structure by the Heritage Foundation of NL in June 1994.

Mr. Quinton was full of information about the traditional methods of painting fisheries buildings, dwelling houses, and fences, and shared his recipe for making red ochre paint.

Gerald Quinton: You’d get some kind of container, hey? A big container, and twenty pounds of ochre to a gallon of seal oil. That’s the mixture. Twenty pounds of ochre to one gallon of seal oil. And you’d mix it one year and use it the next. You’d use, like, a wooden paddle for stirring it, every now and then, something wide like a paddle, wooden for stirring it. You’d keep stirring it every now and then, probably twice a month or something like that. And you’d use it the next year then. But if you found it too thick, then, you’d thin it down a little with a little seal oil, if you found it too heavy to put on with a brush. It’d give you a heavy coat, a good coat, then. You wouldn’t have to do it twice, just the one coat is sufficient. So, it’s a good coat. Not much smell from it, seal oil. No, not much smell at all. Just a little while you’re stirring is all. It’s a good coat, b’y. Yeah, that’s right.

Mr Quinton passed away in 2009, but you can listen to the audio of the interview on Soundcloud here:

Or you can download the full transcript of the interview in pdf.

The Memory Store: The root cellar - that is built heritage...

The video for this week's the Memory Store was filmed in Elliston, NL inside one of the many root cellars found in the community. In this clip Don Johnson with Tourism Elliston describes different types of root cellars and how cellars are a form of green energy which keeps vegetables fresh without refrigeration.

Watch the video below or click here to watch the video on YouTube.

Click here for more information about the root cellar's history and architecture.
If you missed our initial post explaining the concept of the Memory Store clip here to go back to our first blog post with the introduction video or check out our YouTube channel at ICH NL.

Stay tuned for more short stories about historic places in the province, in the form of short oral history interviews conducted with the people who care about those places and if you have a personal memory about a historic place in Newfoundland and Labrador, and want to add your voice to the Memory Store project, let us know at ich@heritagefoundation.ca

~Terra Barrett



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Folklore Photo - Help identify this Spaniard's Bay landmark.

I got an email yesterday with the attached photo taken Saturday, 7 May 2016, asking if I knew anything about this structure. It is a cairn of stones near Spaniard's Bay, located on the ridge straight back from the Harbour Grace marina (does this make it more Harbour Grace South? or Bryant's Cove?)

I have a bit of a weak spot for cairns and marks, and have written a blog post about the American Man in Cupids, which can be found about a 20 minute drive from Spaniard's Bay.  This one seems a bit different, more square in shape than the round cairn of rocks that is the American Man.

So, Conception Bay people: if you know anything about this collection of stones, let me know. What is it called? Who built it? How old is it? What was it used for?

Comment below, or email me at ich@heritagefoundation.ca.

photo courtesy Paul Brazil.

The Memory Store: The plans for the house were a wedding gift in the 1800s...

This week’s Memory Store video is filmed in Captain Blackmore’s Heritage Manor in Port Union, NL. Gary Blackmore, owner and operator of the manor, describes the building and architecture of the manor and the generations of Blackmore family who have lived there.

Watch the video below or click here to watch the video on YouTube.

If you missed our initial post explaining the concept of the Memory Store clip here to go back to our first blog post with the introduction video or check out our YouTube channel at ICH NL.

Stay tuned for more short stories about historic places in the province, in the form of short oral history interviews conducted with the people who care about those places and if you have a personal memory about a historic place in Newfoundland and Labrador, and want to add your voice to the Memory Store project, let us know at ich@heritagefoundation.ca

-Terra

The Memory Store: Fearful for his sacred vessels he buried them in the ground...

This week’s Memory Store video is a clip of Elisabeth Laverty from the Anglican Cathedral of St. John the Baptist. Elisabeth describes one of the artifacts in the cathedral’s museum – a 1700s chalice which was buried in the ground for several years before being discovered.

Watch the video below or click here to watch the video on YouTube.

Click here for more information about the building's history and architectural style.
If you missed our initial post explaining the concept of the Memory Store clip here to go back to our first blog post with the introduction video or check out our YouTube channel at ICH NL.

Stay tuned for more short stories about historic places in the province, in the form of short oral history interviews conducted with the people who care about those places and if you have a personal memory about a historic place in Newfoundland and Labrador, and want to add your voice to the Memory Store project, let us know at ich@heritagefoundation.ca

-Terra

Student Summer Job Posting: Historic Places Researcher

Historic Places Researcher
Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador (HFNL) is seeking a Historic Places Researcher, to assist with updating the Provincial Register of Historic Places.

The position will run for 13 weeks, with a start date in May 2016, with a salary of $15/hour.

The primary work of the Researcher will be to assist with work on the Provincial Register of Historic Places, updating the online registry, and ensuring that online collections match HFNL’s paper files on building designation and grants.

The applicant must have excellent oral and written communication skills; and a desire to work with collections related to the heritage and architecture of local historic places. Should currently be registered in undergraduate or masters level course in history, archaeology, folklore, or architecture. Previous experience with a heritage organization is an asset. Good computer skills required, including ability to do research, data entry, and word processing.

Applicant must be a Canadian Citizen, permanent resident, or have refugee status in Canada, legally entitled to work in Canada. Will be between the ages of 16 and 30 years of age at the start of employment, and must be a full time student during the preceding academic semester, who intends on returning to school next semester.

To apply, send a resume detailing related work, plus a cover letter, to info@heritagefoundation.ca.

Deadline to register is Friday, 29 April 2016.
As this position is funded through the Young Canada Works program, applicants also must register through the Young Canada Works website at http://tinyurl.com/gsv648x