by Hub Staff

Aly Boltman made the following deputation to Owen Sound City Council March 30, 2015

"Thank you for the opportunity to speak to council this evening. I'm Aly Boltman. I have presented to council about Branningham Grove twice before, in September, 2008 and August, 2009. The council at that time consisted of Mayor Lovell, Deputy Mayor Arlene Wright as well as Councillors McManaman, Lemon, Pink, Adair, Haswell, Twaddle and Christie.

"Tonight, only councilors McManaman and Lemon and Deputy Mayor Arlene Wright remain from the council that served between 2006 and 2010.

"In your agenda package, you will see a summary from my past deputation documents outlining Branningham Grove's importance from both an architectural and cultural heritage lens. For the sake of those who may not have an adequate history of the building, I'll take a brief moment to review.

"Branningham Grove was built by architect Owen Johnson Showell, who also designed Poulette Place (the dental clinic at 2nd Ave. East and 7th St. East), Bothwell Manor and the first Jubilee bridge, among other local iconic buildings. It's a high Victorian structure circa 1880. It was at one time a beautifully maintained private home owned by the Holmes family, the Toms family, as well as a member of Billy Bishop's family. For many years, it was Louis' Steakhouse, a popular restaurant for locals and tourists. By far, it's most famous use, however, was that of a summertime brothel used by Margaret Matthews between the years of 1907-1915. Margaret Matthews had a series of brothels in Canada and the US. Her sporting houses were in part the inspiration for specific, geographically targeted expansion of the Port Arthur Duluth and Western Railway and her real estate holdings were legendary in Northern Ontario. Ms. Matthews was born in Holland Centre but moved north to Thunder Bay as a teenager. She had become one of Canada's most successful and pioneering business women long before the suffrage movement had taken hold in Canada. Margaret's enterprise had crossed the 49th parallel when Agnes Macphail was barely out of her cradle. Mag Matthews' legend has now entered its third century.

"To give you some idea of her impact, Ms. Matthews is featured in numerous books. Her name was on the lips of Canadian and German soldiers on the battle fields of Europe during the First World War. She's inspired works of art and theatre productionsin the US and Canada. The local Tin Roof Press magazine was named for Branningham Grove. Each summer, a team of researchers hike the mountains of Minnesota to locate the remains of one of her brothels built during the expansion of the railway there. She has been the focus of lecture series, poetry, newspaper and magazine columns, radio shows and museum archive studies across North America.

"Due to my research over the past seven years, I have been contacted by three film producers interested in learning more about Mag's life for the development of feature films or television shows. While some may find aspects of Branningham Grove's history distasteful, there is no question that the building's legacy forms a unique piece of Owen Sound's heritage and creates a distinctive sense of place for the city. Only a town as rough and notorious as Owen Sound in its formative years could ensure that it earned the honour of being the 2nd longest dry city in Canada – alcohol free until 1972. Margaret Matthews and Branningham Grove are an integral part of this history.

"It is somewhat ironic that Mag Matthew's story is often of more significance to strangers outside of our city limits than it is to those who have grown up steeped in her legacy. When Branningham Grove and Mag Matthews' story is finally told to a broader audience through popular media, people will come searching for tangible pieces of her legacy. If demolition of Branningham Grove remains on the table that pursuit may only lead to another dollar store and interpretive plaque completely invisible from the highway.

"During my first deputation to council in 2008, shortly after the loss of the Queen's Hotel, I was delighted to discover that council was unanimous about the future of Branningham Grove. My request at that time, in light of the initial application to demolish Branningham Grove, was to designate the building under Ontario Heritage Act. In 2005, the Act underwent significant changes which afforded municipalities more power to protect their valuable heritage resources. Municipalities now had the right to designate a property with or without a willing host, or, agreeable property owner.
In 2008, the city ordered Villarbroit, the former developer, to pay for an unbiased Heritage Impact Study to help staff, council and CPHAC determine the true heritage value of the building. The report, which was included in the council package this evening, was very clear that Branningham Grove was worthy of designation for a variety of reasons aside from its cultural heritage importance. Briefly, those reasons are:

• The building displayed a method of construction and masonry representative of excellent building skill and design in Grey County in the 19th century
• The building's architect Owen Johnson Showell was of importance regionally
• The property has contextual value because it is important in defining, maintaining, or supporting the original character of an area and supports the transition from urban to rural landscape and streetscape character in the City of Owen Sound

"Despite Council's 2008 unanimous motion to designate, City staff recommended that Branningham Grove be listed on the City's Heritage Register, rather than designating it under the Ontario Heritage Act. Staff felt that this would allow the developer to work with city planners more creatively for the site plan.

"At that time, the developer promised to retain the building by moving and rebuilding it. That promise was not kept. The developer also promised to care for the building – to heat it and protect it from vandalism. Those promises were also not kept, and property standards were not maintained.

"As much as I would prefer not to dwell in the past, it's important to note that the bylaws for property standards were not enforced many times over a number of years and the City did not revisit the issue of designation as discussed in recorded minutes. For my part, I trusted the parties would act in good faith. Due to a very busy professional and personal life, including the adoption of a child in 2011, I did not press the issue as aggressively as I could have.
"Branningham Grove is now owned by the company that first purchased the property from the Gavaris family, not Villarboit. Villarboit walked away from Branningham Grove, presumably because it was easier to build across the street where there was no building on the heritage register with which to contend. Here they developed Heritage Grove -- where the groves of trees, including endangered and healthy butternuts, were cut down for another dollar store, and where nothing of local heritage exists anymore.

"Owen Sound is not at risk for becoming a city of interpretive plaques: we have already become that place. No matter how well written, no matter how detailed, an interpretive plaque can never replace a heritage structure. For a city with such a unique, rich architectural heritage, for a municipality located in a democratic country with laws in place to allow for the protection of heritage, for a city that has so much to offer those who want to work, live and play here – we are failing in some fundamental ways.

"We are not meeting goals that have been identified by experts around the globe as crucial for healthy civic identities, for successful tourism, for a sense of pride and for overall prosperity. We are losing our essential uniqueness, our sense of place and our history. We are taking for granted our citizens who are invited and legally required to be part of engagement processes like the development and review of official plans. As a city, what we state on paper are our collective goals are not the targets we are achieving.

"We are also sadly unable to support all of the retail development we currently have. Our census has confirmed our population stagnation. Determining the impact of increased development on ALL of our existing businesses in all of our commercial zones is a test required in our Official Plan. If you consider the abundance of available commercial floor space within the city limits, the redevelopment of the Branningham Grove site is neither warranted nor currently necessary. What then is the rush to demolish Branningham Grove?

"Branningham Grove is in no worse condition than any of the surrounding houses boarded up on the north and south side of Highway 26, yet those buildings have not been deemed unsafe and in need of demolition. We have the remnants of a beautiful old stone building in the north commercial end of 2nd Avenue East that's a shell of what it was and that has no support structures in place at all, but no one from the City or the public is forcing demolition there either. Branningham Grove is in surprisingly good condition considering its purposeful neglect – even the building inspector was quoted recently in The Owen Sound Sun Times as saying he didn't feel the building was unsound. It is also able to be restored. It has been done before and it will be done again, such as the case of a building in Woodford that had no windows or doors for 3o years. It has been lovingly restored by Jan Sederis and her husband, and is now one of the most pristine historical properties in all of Grey County.

"Designating Branningham Grove will support crucial protections, and this decision will honour our city's unique history. Designation will ensure that all current or future developers -- when new development is warranted based on verified population growth – address respectful and thoughtful development on the site. Designation will allow us to retain a strong sense of character at the eastern gateway of our city. Designation will allow Branningham Grove's current or future owners to have tax advantages and heritage funding opportunities.

"Designation will also show that this council has done its homework, that it respects the Official Plan, Provincial policy statements, the Ontario Heritage Act and the opinions of professional arm's length heritage experts. Designation will show respect for the heritage of our county and our country. Finally, designation will also ensure that future councils do not need to be saddled with repetitive, future fights about Branningham Grove because steps were finally and firmly taken by this council that reflect the intention in our City's guiding documentation and the wishes of our citizens.

"This developer seems to have waited for a new council to be in place to bring this demolition request forward. Are they counting on you being so superficially bothered by the building's current purposely neglected state that you won't be inspired to study the issue carefully, but instead, simply pull the trigger? Citizens elected you because they felt you would be fair and educated about local issues, informed about our own guiding documentation and best planning practices so that you could make the wisest decisions possible for our City. We all know that tearing down Branningham Grove is not going to solve our population problems, nor generate any significant revenue for the city through demolition. When the time is right for redevelopment of the site, the City will still stand to make its share of revenue from development fees as usual, including through the adaptive reuse of Branningham Grove on site.

"I'm asking you tonight, for the third time in 8 years, to take a stand and to ask yourselves, what do we want our city to be? With all due respect to City staff, giving developers flexibility around heritage property has not proven to be an effective tactic. Another plaque is not worthy of our city and its unique history. The only way a developer will work thoughtfully with a significant historical resource like Branningham Grove is if they are obliged to consider it in their future development. There have and will continue to be organizations that would happily adaptively reuse this building, others who would treasure it if it could be moved to a new location. Grey Roots, for example, has expressed preliminary interest in this option in the past. The Grey Bruce Regional Residential Hospice had given the building consideration at one time. Even citizens have inquired about moving the house to different privately owned properties. While I maintain that Branningham Grove is best kept in situ, preserving it is the goal and one that is more likely attainable through designation.

"By designating Branningham Grove, the developer will either adaptively reuse the building in line with heritage preservation, or the property will eventually attract a new owner who will appreciate its heritage attributes. By designating Branningham Grove, you will be following the advice of heritage experts, respecting the City's Official Plan, and listening to your own people – many of whom are in the room tonight or who have signed a petition long ago to fight for it. This years-long conversation will have been well worth the effort when council makes a decision that reflects the needs and interests of its community.

"I'd like to close with a few of the public comments from the 2008 petition that was signed by nearly 400 people in less than three weeks. Thank you in advance for your thoughtful consideration."

(Quotes follow)

"I cannot comprehend...such wanton destruction of the collective heritage of its people. The last thing Owen Sound needs is another half-empty strip mall. Aside from the obvious historical tragedy of the destruction of yet another building, there are also serious economic considerations. Tourists do not come to places like Owen Sound because they want to go to strip malls. They come because it provides a unique urban setting in the middle of spectacular natural beauty. The continued destruction of this in favor of short term gain for a handful of individuals is incomprehensible. There is plenty of land/space around Owen Sound to build more ubiquitous parking lots and strip malls - please don't destroy what little remains of the architectural and historic value in the city. Once it's gone, it will never come back."
Kathryn Harper

"Owen Sound needs to appreciate its rich past, and value it. If the community wishes to differentiate itself amongst all the other communities in the area, it has to show what is special and unique about itself. Saving a building such as this, is the beginning of community awareness that there is something special about Owen Sound. Destroy the past, and Owen Sound will just be another place on the map."
Rose Bloomberg

"The wonderful historic centers in most European, American and Canadian cities did not get that way by tearing down their historical buildings but by protecting them and supporting their adaptive reuse. Imagine Quebec City without the old city!"
John Dewar

"The municipality has an obligation under the Planning Act and Provincial Policy Statements to conserve significant cultural heritage resources. The policy states that significant cultural heritage resources "shall be conserved"... Heritage conservation is an identified provincial interest. The cost of renovation is the cost of doing business and is a requirement in all major municipalities in Ontario. Owen Sound must follow the same best practises model...Follow proper provincial best practises, follow your Official Plan..."
Jim Leonard

"The plan of the developer to level the hill this home sits on is particularly heinous. To homogenize our wonderful rural landscape into sterile flat parking lot space and yet more big box monstrosities is an idea so devoid of humanity and who we are in this community, it should never be allowed. We certainly do not need more flat strip development with unneeded retail capacity to further diminish the prosperity of our downtown."
Michael McLuhan

"Branningham Grove has...an elegance and ambience that can never be replicated in a modern building, no matter how much money is spent. There is nothing like it in Owen Sound; more to the point, there is nothing to equal it in the surrounding tourist destinations. The high-end tourist dollars are out there, and it is not strip malls that will attract them. Far from being discarded, Branningham Grove should be the central feature of any new development that is allowed on this site."
Janice Brand