The future home of historical artifacts inside Parliament Oak School were a subject of debate recently, as were the alleged historical inaccuracies on a commemorative panel at the site.
Those two items were part of a discussion of demolishing the school building during last Wednesday’s Niagara-on-the-Lake municipal heritage committee meeting.
The demolition is part of a proposal from Two Sisters Resorts to build a luxury hotel fronting King Street, with 129 suites, a restaurant, bar and event spaces, and allowing for some onsite greenspace. There will be underground parking and eight surface parking spaces.
In 2018, the District School Board of Niagara sold the 1.6 hectare King Street property to developer Liberty Sites Ltd., following community protests and failed negotiations with the town, which had made several offers to purchase the school, which opened in 1948 and closed in 2015.
Plans related to commemoration, as well as waste management, documentation and salvage had been previously requested by the town.
The commemoration plan was the only one of these three the committee had received ahead of last week’s meeting.
At the site, there is a large stone panel facing King Street that marks one of the first sessions of Upper Canada Parliament in August 1783, for which the property is much celebrated.
That piece isn’t part of current commemoration plans, which disappoints committee member David Snelgrove.
“I feel, personally, this is an error. I think it’s wrong,” said Snelgrove, adding that even though there is speculation this session did not occur, the school was named “on the premise that it did happen, and that the panel should be part of a commemoration wall at the site.”
Lashia Jones, a heritage consultant who is part of the team behind the proposal, said they are “not contesting” that the parliament session took place at the site, but said the “dates and times don’t add up,” and that according to research, Sir John Graves Simcoe, who is said to have chaired the meeting, was not in the area at that time.
The commemoration plan included in the heritage committee meeting agenda says that on Sept. 17, 1792, Graves Simcoe held the first session of parliament for the new colony of Upper Canada, and that the “exact location” of the first session of parliament is unknown.
Possible locations include Navy Hall, Butler’s Barracks, the Freemasons’ Hall, or a tent located under an oak tree at the present-day location of 325 King Street, the address of the school.
“However, it is generally acknowledged that Navy Hall served as the main parliament site of Upper Canada during this time,” says the report.
The second session of the Parliament of Upper Canada was held between May 31, 1793, and July 9, 1794, says the report before the committee.
Interpretive material on the concrete panel on the exterior walls of the former Parliament Oak School suggests that John Graves Simcoe presided upon a session of this parliament in August 1793, at the former school site under the shade of an oak tree.
“However, both the House of Assembly and Legislative Council were prorogued on July 9, 1793, and no further sessions of parliament were held until 1794,” said the report prepared by Stantec Consulting Ltd.
Also, the diary of Elizabeth Simcoe indicates that she and John Graves Simcoe set sail for Toronto on July 29, 1793, and they remained in the Toronto area through September, according to the report.
“Therefore, it is unlikely that any parliamentary proceeding took place under an oak tree at present-day 325 King Street in August 1793.”
Who should keep historical pieces on and in the school during demolition was another subject of the committee meeting.
Snelgrove suggested the municipality should have control of artifacts at the property, which are “at risk” without a plan of how to preserve them, citing a number of “unlikely but real” scenarios that could occur, such a change in ownership of the property, or the proponent going bankrupt.
“While everything is well intended at this point in time, things can change,” he said, adding “there should be a mechanism” in place to preserve the artifacts.
Denise Horne, the town’s heritage planner, said that will be part of the developer’s next submission in September, when a salvage and documentation plan is submitted.
Speaking to the debate over the accuracy of the panel regarding a session of parliament being held there, Horne said an additional plaque or panel could be explored to provide clarification.
“From staff’s perspective, I think there’s opportunity for further discussion,” she said.
Sara Premi, Two Sisters’ lawyer, also said more details about commemoration plans will be available next month, but that the committee has “no authority” to recommend heritage assets are transferred to the municipality. She suggested local governments often do not get involved in such a process due to the cost.
“I would encourage you to get advice from your own solicitor before you consider such a recommendation,” Premi told Snelgrove.
David Riley, from SGL Planning and Design, said a site plan will be submitted “very shortly,” also agreeing with Premi that plans for commemorating the site’s history will be included in that document.
Jones, Two Sisters’ heritage consultant, agreed the salvage plan doesn’t currently address the exact locations of where artifacts will be stored, but “that’s certainly something we will have more discussion on with the town.”
Along with the panels, other pieces the applicant has been asked to commemorate, salvage and preserve include a stone marker for a large oak tree on the property, a 1948 facade facing King Street, landscaping and trees, a mature red oak tree, an Underground Railroad art installation, a 1948 time capsule, ‘Parliament Oak School’ lettering, as well as slate chalkboards, brick and hardware from the building.
The applicant says it will follow a “blended commemoration approach.”
“The focus should be two-fold: salvage of appropriate materials before demolition and then incorporation of these salvaged materials into the proposed redevelopment,” reads the plan, included in the heritage committee meeting agenda.
“These materials should be interpreted for the public through commemorative panels and other similar interpretive material,” the report says.
“The salvaged bas-relief panel, tree panel, and Parliament Oak school name panel should be installed in the landscaped feature area of the north garden, using salvaged bricks and stone from the former school. The time capsule should be displayed within the hotel lobby, or donated to the Niagara-
on-the-Lake Museum,” it continues.
A motion at the end of the discussion approved the plaque, also referred to as a bas relief panel, being included in commemoration plans, and that placing it near King and Centre streets be considered.