[getsmart-l] Richmond Hill's strategy to preserve D. Dunlap Observatory

[Janet May]

From:  http://www.yorkregion.com/article/67912

 

Richmond Hill 

Jan 28, 2008 09:06 PM 


By: David Fleischer 

The Town of Richmond Hill’s strategy for preserving the David Dunlap
Observatory and its 190 acres of land was  set to be decided last night.

At Monday night’s meeting, council was expected to review a report on the
site’s heritage value.

The Cultural Heritage Landscape Study, prepared by consultant André
Scheinman, recommends most of the western half of the property be designated
for protection.

It further contends the lands should be considered of provincial interest
due to historical significance across two eras.

The recommended borders for which protection is to be sought extend from the
CN tracks to the west, to the centre line of University of Toronto’s planted
forest in the east; from Hillsview Avenue in the north, to a lot line above
the Elvis Stojko arena in the south.

The report describes the site as “a unique property combining surviving
elements of the 19th century Alexander Marsh Homestead, the remarkable
observatory  . . .  and a regenerating natural landscape complete with
resident deer herd.”

The report suggests the site may have an earlier history of habitation,
pre-dating the War of 1812.

Town staff were already set to argue before the Ontario Conservation Review
Board the buildings on the site should be designated as heritage sites. 

They have now agreed with Mr. Scheinman’s broader definitions of what should
be protected under heritage designation guidelines.

The Richmond Hill Naturalists have also been seeking broader protection for
the surrounding lands and the buildings’ contents. 

The university is trying to restrict the designations to just the buildings.

Changes to the Ontario Heritage Act, in 2005, give broader powers to
municipalities seeking to protect heritage sites. One such change is the
ability to protect “heritage landscapes.” Such areas can include a defined
geographical area or groupings of structures.

The most significant designation to date was a 2007 decision by the board to
protect the 100 acres of Insulin co-discoverer Frederick Banting’s homestead
in Alliston.

The board’s decisions are not binding, but rather recommendations to the
municipality’s council in the creation of their bylaw.

Council was also set to vote on a motion asking the university to extend its
Feb. 15 deadline for accepting bids on the land.

U of T vice-president Catherine Riggall stated, at a Jan. 16 rally, the
university had no intention of doing so. It hopes to announce a sale in
March and close it by July.

For the purpose of bids, it has divided the lands into two parcels. The town
has announced its intention to bid on the smaller parcel B, which houses the
Elvis Stojko Arena.

If the town’s designation request is accepted by the province, it would
roughly halve the amount of potentially developable land in Parcel A, which
constitutes the vast majority of the site.

It was in September the university announced plans to declare the
observatory facility surplus and accept bids on the site that houses the
largest telescope in Canada.

The heritage report can be viewed by going to the town’s website
(www.richmondhill.ca) and clicking the purple “meetings” tab.

Visit www.yorkregion.com/news/observatorylands for information on the
meeting and other coverage of the battle to preserve the lands.

History of Dunlap lands:

• Elms Lea is an 1864 red brick home built by Alexander Marsh. It now houses
the DDO’s associate director.

• The observatory building houses the 1.88-metre main telescope.

Prof. Tom Bolton discovered the first identified black hole—Cygnus X-1—using
the telescope in 1971. The building was pre-fabricated in England and
arrived in Canada July 31, 1933.

• The Beaux-Arts-style Administration Building houses three smaller
telescope domes (but only two telescopes) and a library.

• The modernist Gatehouse (which houses DDO staff) and the 1950s-era Radio
Shack are smaller buildings cited in the report as worthy of preservation.

• Landscaping features include a sundial and walkways. Trees planted by U of
T forestry students during the 1950s and 60s are also included. Vestiges of
orchards and fields can still be seen as well.

 

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