U of T students offer ideas to breathe new life into historic Ontario buildings

Using an architecturally significant home and museum as a community event space. Transforming the grounds around another historic structure into a public park. Devising a retail strategy for a restored apothecary that dates from 1869.

These are just three of the fresh ideas that University of Toronto students hatched to preserve and promote some of Ontario’s most treasured buildings as part of a semester-long research project in partnership with the Ontario Heritage Trust (OHT).

The project is part of a fourth-year Canadian art history seminar – Studies in Canadian Architecture and Landscapes: Hidden Canada – that explores how the built environment in Canada has been written about, studied and preserved.

It also examines narratives that could potentially be revisited and updated.

“We were eager to ... really tap into the brainpower and creativity of our undergrads,” says the course’s instructor Jessica Mace, an assistant professor, teaching stream, in the Faculty of Arts & Science’s department of art history.

As part of the course, students were assigned 10 different buildings held by the heritage trust and they presented their research at a public forum at the Ontario Heritage Centre last month, where they shared their ideas with OHT staff.

“Our goal was to present potential future uses or revisions to how these sites are presented,” says Kate Rozumey, a second-year art history student and a member of Trinity College, who has completed a previous undergraduate degree in biology and psychology at U of T Mississauga.

Rozumey studied the Barnum House, which was built between 1819 and 1821 by Eliakim Barnum. It’s considered to be one of the earliest examples of neoclassical architecture in Canada.

“Architecture was definitely what initially drew me to the Barnum House,” Rozumey says. “It’s impressive that it has survived for such a long time with its façade largely unaltered. But the story of its connection to heritage in Ontario [and] how it was acquired by the Architectural Conservancy Ontario (ACO) and opened as a museum in 1940 was something I wanted to learn more about.”

She recommends the building shift from being a museum to becoming a venue for periodic community events.

“Perhaps less frequent events like Open Doors would more reliably draw an audience,” she says. “I also suggest getting in touch with local history organizations and the ACO to see if they have any interest in having events there.”

Meanwhile, Nell Girardin, a fourth-year student in the art history specialist program and a member of University College, focused on the unique role another historic structure – the Duff-Baby House – played in its community. Built in 1798 on the south shore of the Detroit River in the town of Sandwich, the house is now part of Windsor and is considered one of the province’s oldest homes.

“What I love most is the real significance this house held within that community as a space that was once dedicated to health care,” says Girardin, referring to the period in the early 1900s when the home was occupied by William Beasley, the town’s first physician.

Beasley would invite local families to his home for a Christmas tea event, welcoming hundreds of residents for food and drinks during the holiday season.

“People in the community loved him,” says Girardin. “And I loved imagining this house as it was back then – a real cornerstone of the community – and I wanted to bring that history back to the house.”

To that end, Girardin recommends the site’s outside property be used as a public park to bring more visitors to the site. Or, she says, it could be converted into a community garden – an initiative that could help bring the community together.

“On the interior, I recommend as much be done as possible to restore the 1920s appearance of the house,” she says. “Finally, I want to reinstate the Beasley Christmas tea tradition. I find this to be another really great initiative to bring people together, and I also propose that it be used to give back during the holidays by transforming it into a place for a food or toy drive.”

Caitlin Rapley, a fourth-year art history student and a member of University College researched the Niagara Apothecary, an authentic museum restoration of an 1869 pharmacy as part of a practice that operated in Niagara-on-the-Lake from 1820 to 1964.

“The apothecary is a rare site with stunningly preserved heritage interiors, substantial collections and extensive history,” she says. “What I enjoyed most about studying the site is the opportunity to explore its 144-year history as a pharmacy and its 50-plus years in operation as a heritage museum in Ontario.”

Among her recommendations: forming a new stakeholder collaboration between OHT and the Ontario College of Pharmacists to update the site's vision and goals for 2025.

“I also recommend seeking a future partnership with an academic museum studies, curatorial or heritage cultural management program at a local institution to support collections analysis, help identify new exhibition opportunities and develop a modern interpretive framework,” says Rapley.

Rapley also envisions a retail strategy that includes locally made, heritage-inspired goods and souvenirs.

“This could enhance visitor engagement, as tourists often spend more time in the space while interacting with staff, and it would also contribute revenue for the museum.” 

David Leonard, the heritage trust’s senior marketing and communications specialist, says he was inspired by the students’ passion.

“I was impressed with how the students were thinking about programming and business opportunities, and how these places fit within the needs of their communities, and how they can better fit within what people need from the Ontario Heritage Trust,” he says.

“I think there will be some very feasible ideas here that we'll be sharing with our property operations and stewardship team,” he says. “And who knows, maybe some of them might help to inspire real things that happen at these properties.”

Mace says she was equally impressed.

“The students have been invited by the OHT to contribute to a continuation of this project in some form – possibly a web exhibition or a publication beyond the scope of the semester,” she says.

“It's gratifying to see the interest in their hard work and that others understand the potential of our amazing students. Clearly, this project has had an impact, and it's been wonderful to see.”

Rapley, for one, says the project opened her eyes to a potential career opportunity.

“This experience has genuinely helped me envision a future where I could continue in a career focused on heritage and cultural projects beyond the university setting,” she says.