11 July 2009
Preserving Portage's Heritage
The CPR station at Portage la Prairie,
Manitoba - Date/photographer unknown.
Portage la Prairie Manitoba - As Portage la Prairie
finishes celebrating Canada's 142nd birthday, and the 137th Portage Industrial Exhibition, it's hard to forget how old this place is.
Although much has changed throughout the course of this city's history, there are some very real monuments that stand as a testament
to the years this place has endured.
Manitoba is one of the oldest provinces, one of the first to join Confederation. There are some buildings that have stood the test of
time, and remind us of the history that to many is but the ancient past.
"This is history, our history," said Les Green, resident history buff, member of the Heritage Advisory Committee and writer.
Green is active in documenting historical buildings and eras as the city of Portage moves forward. Green has a collection of models,
built out of plywood and paint that reconstruct some of the original buildings of Portage that have shaped the area. Some are still
standing, and many are not, but he said not only is he writing history, now he's building it.
Green has built models of the CPR railway station, both the one that is still standing, and the one before that. This year, he entered
his model of the Leland Hotel, which was torn down years ago, into the fair, and plans on working on the St. Mary's la Prairie Church
which is 110-years-old, assuming he can find someone to paint the stained glass windows for him.
Green fell into the role of history buff, but lives up to his name well, with plenty of books and old photographs that document the
history of Portage, one of the oldest settlements in this province.
Green has a different perspective towards historical buildings. Even if it doesn't seem to match his affection for the old.
"Tear'em all down," he said. "I'm an insurance man," he stated.
Green worked at Portage Mutual Insurance Co., a company his ancestors helped found, until he retired, as an insurance underwriter.
"Being an office person, you get very methodical with what you do," he said. Green said although there are some instances
where buildings are in satisfactory condition and can easily be preserved, in many cases, it's just simply not logical.
"It's not economical to keep them going," he said.
One of the key problems with heritage buildings is that building codes change over the years, he said, and maintaining the buildings
becomes not only a matter of money, but also of safety.
"You can't charge someone $900 a month to live in a fire trap," Green said, referring to someone he knows who lives in a
historical apartment building.
"The wiring is getting old; electrical, heating is getting old," Green said of the aged buildings. He cites the Portage
Hotel as an example. The place burnt down in its 100th year, and it didn't have a sprinkler system in place, like a modern building
would have. However, something like installing a sprinkler system can pose a major cost issue. Difficulties arise when trying to
restore and maintain heritage quality because often its a compromise between safety and preservation - and both cost a fair amount of
money.
Heritage restoration can cost up to two or three times as much as regular maintainence.
But Portage Heritage Advisory Committee chairman Barry Bills said the money spent should be considered an investment in preserving
this city's culture.
"Many people across the globe feel that elements of the past must be preserved, such as buildings," he said. Bills stated in
a world where often new is better, many people are waking up to the value of heritage interest in buildings and property, among other
things.
"We lose touch with the past, and we lose part of our culture," Bills said.
Many of the heritage homes around Portage and even the district were built or commissioned by prominent people in the history of the
community.
Arthur Meighen had two homes in the area, one on Dufferin Avenue East, and many other politicians such as Senator Watson, F.G. Taylor,
and David McCowan also had stately homes built here which still stand today.
However many of these very large houses are being turned into apartments and duplexes, Green said. This is affecting the ability to
give heritage status, which would ensure the protection of the privately owned buildings from demolition because the original building
has been modified. Additions to the sides of homes, like an extra stoop to the door of a duplexed home, or even an extra sun porch,
prevent the buildings from being considered for heritage protection. There are many conditions that must be met to meet the
classification requirements.
Meeting requirements and making it through the lengthy legal process are sometimes prohibative to property owners who would be willing
to look into either a heritage status or a heritage interest label being put on their buildings.
There are currently three government levels of heritage status in Portage, Bills said. The federal designation is on one of Portage's
most impressive structures, Portage City Hall. Originally, it was the post office, and was designed by architect Thomas A. Fuller, who
designed Canada's Parliament buildings. St. Mary's la Prairie Church and the old Land Titles building, now home to the Tres Unique
cafe, are both under provincial heritage status. The CPR Railway Station is protected by municipal status and a special designation on
a federal level as a protected rail station.
The city's Heritage Advisory Board has been busy getting the plaques in place along the Crescent Road walking path and hasn't been
pushing for more heritage status being placed on buildings, until now. Hill's Pharmacy is working to get heritage protection on its
building at the corner of Saskatchewan Avenue East and Second Street N.E.
Although Bills is sympathetic to the fact heritage restoration is costly, and that some buildings just aren't worth saving or simply
cannot be saved, he said neglect shouldn't be the reason for such buildings to meet their eventual demise.
"Grants and tax credits are available to ensure the protection of these buildings," Bills said, citing work done in other
cities, like Winnipeg, to preserve historical buildings from the wrecking ball.
Programs like Doors Open Winnipeg allow businesses and buildings to open their doors to the public and provide guided tours showcasing
the architecture and the history of the property.
Bills would like to incorporate something like this into the Portage area in the future, however there have been tours like this in
the past he said, with Les Green guiding. Until then there are the plaques along Crescent Lake, and a pamphlet at city hall titled
"Buildings of Heritage Interest".
Bills said that for buildings without any formal designation there is no real protection to ensure the preservation of the structure.
"It often takes second place," he said of history over cost effectiveness. Heritage protection can also mean the community
needs to supply grants and this is troubling to some tax payers.
"It's definitely a hard sale to taxpayers," he said.
Jessica Hassard.
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