Submitted Photos
Different plaques adorn certain city resources depending on which level of government makes the designation.
The controversy surrounding the future of the Tweed House has elicited a number of comments which require clarification.
The Historical Resources Act of Alberta defines the legal parameters of the designation process. Under that act, the Province or the Municipality may decide to designate a historical resource. Why do we say “resource” instead of building or site? A resource is a more general term that includes buildings, artefacts, areas such as historic neighbourhoods, or even a particular view. However, most designations deal with buildings. Once a building is designated, it must be maintained, and any repairs made must comply with the “Standards and Guidelines for the Conservation of Historic Places in Canada” published by Parks Canada.
Related:Home Tweed Home and Old owners try to save historic home
A provincial designation such as Ewart Duggan house is achieved by ministerial order of the Government of Alberta. A municipal designation arises from a bylaw passed by city council, for example St. John’s Presbyterian Church. How is it decided whether a designation is provincial or municipal? Usually the answer is whether the resource is important to the people of Alberta as well as the people of the municipality.
In the examples given, Ewart Duggan house is the oldest brick house in the province and highly intact (good integrity). St. John’s is the city’s oldest church building and figures largely in the history of Medicine Hat. However, there are red brick churches built around 1900 in many communities, so St. John’s is not notable at the provincial level. There are relatively few national designations in Medicine Hat, St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church (notable for its architecture and method of construction) being an example.
The City of Medicine Hat created the Heritage Resources Committee to advise council on matters of heritage preservation. This committee is not the Historical Society of Medicine Hat and District, a volunteer society formed in 1949. The Historical Society was responsible for the creation of our museum and most recently for a video project to capture the memories of significant residents of the area. The Historical Society has many other roles but the evaluation and designation of buildings is not one of them.
The Heritage Resources Committee has an internal list of local historical resources of interest and as time and funds permit, evaluates the priority resources based on factors such as integrity, architecture, condition, and social history. This results in a rating and a document called a Statement of Significance which describes the resource. All such evaluations are on the city’s inventory, available on the city’s website. However, these evaluations do not constitute a designation. With the agreement of the owners of an evaluated building considered to have high historic value, the committee may recommend to council that the resource be designated and registered with the province.
After that long-winded and somewhat technical rambling, back to the Tweed House. It is situated in what is known as the First Street Municipal Historic Area, where many of the standing houses are old and have unique architecture and interesting family histories. However, the “area” legally includes only the public property (street and boulevard), although it is hoped it would confer “moral” protection on the houses. The Tweed House, of interest to the Heritage Resources Committee, has not been evaluated, a necessary step towards designation. The overall shape of the house has been preserved, a good example of Queen Anne style of architecture, but much of the exterior fabric has been replaced. As described in the previous article, the early residents of the house, the Tweed family, were notable early citizens.
Although council has the authority under the Historic Resources Act to designate over an owner’s objection, it has never done so nor has the Heritage Resources Committee ever recommended that be done. In the end, the best protection for a historical resource is the respect of the owner and the appreciation of the community.
Malcolm Sissons is a Member of the Heritage Resources Committee.
