Mouth of the FraserPublished by the Richmond Heritage Commission and Richmond Museum & Heritage Services Winter 2011

1City of Richmond Heritage News

Old meets new in sustainable buildingsHow committed is Richmond to going green? Take a closer look at the heritage buildings the City has helped to preserve during the past decade, and you’ll see how much value we place on sustainability.

A sustainable building is one that has been sited, designed and constructed to maximize energy efficiency.

A heritage building is by its very nature a sustainable building. Heritage buildings – the ones you see in Steveston, Britannia, London Farm and Terra Nova Rural Park – were typically designed more than a century ago, before central heating and

Continued on Page 2 Minoru Chapel Photo: Richmond Museum

Sustainability – it is a topic we hear about everywhere we go, but what exactly does it mean? The latest exhibition of the Richmond Museum, sustainABILITY?, explores the realm of sustainability and provides visitors an opportunity to reflect on their ability to make sustainable choices.

“ T h e e x h i b i t explores the rich meaning of sustain-a b i l i t y t h rou g h mult iple themes: c l imate cha nge , environment (built and natural), food, energy, mobility, cul-ture and business,” says Rebecca For-rest, Curator of the Richmond Museum. “These different lay-ers work together to

highlight the interconnectedness of sus-tainability. The exhibit also highlights the City of Richmond’s progressive corporate sustainability initiative, which will help make Richmond the most appealing, liveable and well-managed community in Canada.”

Through the exhibit, visitors are encouraged to ref lect on how they live and will be empowered to find their ability to make sustainable choices. Drawing from the Museum’s collection of artefacts, lighting

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Explore your sustainABILITY at the Richmond Museum

INSIDEPage 2: Laury Wozny Old meets new, cont’ d sustainABILITY, cont’d Oral History ProjectPage 3: Public Art World Food Day Minoru Chapel Opera Sustaining CulturePage 4: Heritage Programs

sustainABILITY? Exhibit Photo: Chrstina Lazar-Shuler

Fall 2011

2 City of Richmond Heritage News

Old meets new, cont’d from pg 1

air conditioning were available.

To make the best of the local environ-ment, the buildings were sited to optimize heat during the winter using windows that let in sunlight, and to be cooler dur-ing the summer months through the use of shading from overhangs or awnings. They were also built from local materials such as brick or wood.

When it came time to decide whether to tear down these buildings or to save them, our community leaders on Council and at the City debated the many key challenges to sustainability and priorities for action.

Thanks to their foresight, and to the resources they made available, preserving our heritage buildings became a key part of the City’s commitment to lessening our carbon footprint.

When the City helps preserve these buildings they make sure that existing materials – the building frame, interior wood f loors, light fixtures, doors and cabinets – are saved and recycled into the building. This reduces significant waste, and, with cost-effective upgrades, our heritage buildings function efficiently while maintaining their unique character.

Heritage buildings are good for our environment, good for our health and good for retaining Richmond’s distinctive heritage character.

To help our community become more sus-tainable, in 2009, Richmond adopted the Steveston Village Conservation Program. This conservation program designated

Steveston Village – from 3rd Avenue in the West to No. 1 Road in the east, and from Bayview Street in the south to the North side of Chatham – as a Heritage Conservation area, protecting 17 heritage buildings from potential demolition. The City also began a program of financial incentives for building owners.

Identified Heritage Buildings• Steveston Hotel 12111 3rd Avenue• Dave’s Fish & Chips 3640 Moncton • Riverside Art Gallery 3480 Moncton• Hepworth Block 3580 Moncton• Wakita Grocery 3680 Moncton• Japanese Nurses Residence First Avenue• Steveston Methodist Ch. 3731 Chatham• Steveston Courthouse 12011 3rd Ave.• Marine Garage 3611 Moncton• Redden Net 3700 Moncton• Cannery Café 3711 Moncton• Steveston Museum 3811 Moncton• Budget Appliance Store 3831 Moncton• Bare Basics 3871 Moncton• Tasaka Barbers 3891 Moncton• Japanese Buddhist Temple2191 1st Ave• Prickly Pear Garden 12311 No. 1 Rd.

Oral History ProjectCall for stories! Do you, or someone you know, have Richmond stories to share? With the support of the Richmond Heritage Com-mission, Richmond Museum has been recording the memories and stories of Richmond residents from all cultural and professional communities. Contact us with your lead at exhibits@richmond.ca.

A heritage building is a sustainable buildingHeritage buildings are a lot of work, and a significant amount of time and money goes into their maintenance and repair. From leaking taps to rotting beams to dangerous wiring, sometimes it seems as though the buildings our City has chosen as worthy of preserving, require constant care and attention.

Is it worth it?

Walk around Steveston on a weekend and watch the joy and the fascination as residents and visitors appreciate the unique gritty charm of our little village and its interesting century-old buildings, laneways and working docks. At Terra Nova Rural Park, you see the same thing.

The benefits of preserving these buildings and keeping them in good shape, instead of tearing them down and filling up the landfill is just one of them. The best way to save on resources and have a green building is to retain and restore the buildings that are already here.

Overall, preserving our buildings helps us shape the green future we want for our-selves, our children and our community.

I’d like to thank the owners of heritage buildings and homes and barns through-out our City for taking our history to heart and spending time and money to preserve it. I’d also like to thank the City for leading the way.

Chair, City of Richmond HeritageCommission

Laurie Wozny Photo: Heritage Commission

sustainABILITY, cont’d from pg 1displays demonstrate the evolution of energy use throughout the 20th century. Building and packaging materials from the past and present will raise questions about how sustainability factors into our everyday decision-making. Families with small children will especially enjoy meeting the exhibit’s personable mascot, Steve the Shrew, who provides his unique perspective on sustainability.People of all ages are invited to explore the

interactive Discovery Area, which offers a variety of baskets with hands-on activities, games and crafts. You can make a wind turbine, test your knowledge about sustain-ability, and find out how bees are related to sustainability in Richmond.

The Richmond Museum is open Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The exhibit runs until January 2012.

3City of Richmond Heritage News

From the Community

No. 4 Rd. Pump Station Photo: Richmond Museum

Pump Station Public Art On the walls of the No. 4 Road Pump Station, visible from the dyke trail, is a new public art project by artist, Sylvia Grace Borda, entitled, Working River. The photo montage on aluminum com-posite panels, invites closer inspection and examination of our relationship to the physical environment.

The montage incorporates six high resolution black & white archival photos that summarize industry and life along the banks of the Fraser in the previous century.

Minoru Chapel OperaThe City of Richmond’s Art, Culture and Heritage Services has partnered with three celebrated Metro Vancouver opera companies to showcase Minoru Chapel Opera, presented by Canadian Western Bank. Audiences will hear selections from classic operas masterfully performed in an intimate and historic setting.

Wednesday, November 2 City Opera Vancouver 2:00 pm (course #198203) 7:00 pm (course #198204)

City Opera Vancouver pre-sents a program of arias andduets from La Traviata, La Bohéme, Carmen, Porgy and Bess, The Phantom of the Opera, H.M. S. Pinafore and more! On stage will be two of Vancouver’s outstanding young professional singers, Gina McLellan Morel, soprano, and Willy Miles-Grenzberg, baritone. City Opera Vancouver is a professional cham-ber opera company that offers a unique

They include images depicting: the mov-ing and processing of logs; First Nations people fishing; children playing near the bullrushes; boats and huts that served as dwellings; and the constant dredging—all activities that have counterparts today.

World Food Day Celebrations

Volunteer Charwyna Grival with Lena, Angela, & Cindy Yao

World Food Day at the Richmond Museum drew over 500 people on Sat-urday, October 15th. In this photo, the Yao family learn how to make butter the old-fashioned way.

How do you sustain your cultural heritage?Richmond is one of the most multi-cultural communities in the Metro Vancouver and we know from talking to newcomers from around the globe that they also appreciate the heritage in our communities. So we’re starting a new column about how Richmond residents sustain their culture and heritage.

Niels and Queenie Balzar and son Evan

Niels was born in Germany and grew up in Hong Kong. Queenie is from Hong Kong. They have lived in Richmond for eight years.

How do you sustain your culture?We speak both German and Chinese at home and we celebrate German and Chinese holidays. Evan, age 16, attends German school and speaks Chinese, hav-ing spent part of his life in Hong Kong.

Favourite Richmond Heritage site?The building that houses Romanian Country Bread in Steveston.

We’d like to hear from you!

How do you sustain your cultural heri-tage? Do you have a favourite heritage site or building you’d like to tell us about? What makes heritage important to you?

Send your comments to:

Terry BrunetteHeritage Planner at tbrunette@richmond.ca.

musical experience to regional audiences.

Wednesday, December 7Opera Pro Cantanti 2:00 pm (course #198205),7:00 pm (course #198206)

Opera Pro Cantanti presents a program of seasonal music by the great opera compos-

ers. Specially selected pieces such as Gounod’s Ave Maria, Adam’s Oh Holy Night!, and music from Handel’s Messiah will be sure to enhance the holi-day season. Opera Pro Cantanti (which translates to “Opera for the Singers”) is Canada’s only

repertory opera company.

Admission is $20 adults, $18 students & seniors. Tickets may be purchased in advance at 604-276-4300 (press 2), Mon-Fri 8:30-5:30 pm.

Please quote course # as indicated above. Credit card purchases only.

4 City of Richmond Heritage News

Britannia Heritage Shipyardswww.richmond.ca/britannia

October 1, 2011 - April 30, 2012Saturday 10am - 4pm, Sunday 12 - 4pm

Britannia Heritage Shipyards Photo: Richmond Museum

Britannia Heritage Shipyards is open every weekend in fall and winter. During our operational hours, visitors can enjoy the natural landscape of the park, and explore numerous buildings filled with interactive exhibits and demonstrations. Don’t miss the stilt houses on the east side of the site, which showcase life over the river in the early 20th century. Each dwelling focuses on the living conditions of its inhabitants, which varied consider-ably; from poor Chinese labourer to the more affluent cannery manager. Displays, films, projection, audio clips and rare photographs bring these and other stories of Britannia to life. For more informa-tion, please call 604-718-8050, email britannia@richmond.ca, or visit us online www.richmond.ca/britannia

Fate of the World Save the world. It’s easy right? If you ever caught yourself thinking, “We could solve climate change, if we would just...”, this strategy simulation game competition, Fate of the World, just might be for you. In conjunction with its SustainABILITY? Exhibit, Richmond Museum invites youth, aged 14-18, to sign up as an individual, or team, for a fun afternoon. Phone 604 247-8309 to register.

City of Richmond6911 No. 3 Road, Richmond, BC V6Y 2C1Tel: 604-276-4000www.richmond.ca

Mouth of the FraserNew! E-News EditionMouth of the Fraser, published three times a year, supports awareness, understanding and recognition of Heritage in Richmond.

To Subscribe: exhibits@richmond.ca

Contributors: Teresa Murphy, Laurie Wozny, Teri Barr, Emily So, Gavin PowellContacts: Terry Brunette Planner, Policy Planning City of Richmondtbrunette@richmond.ca

Peter Harris Exhibit & Program Coordinator Richmond Museum & Heritage Services, City of Richmond pharris@richmond.ca

Richmond Museumwww.richmondmuseum.ca

Museum Exhibits at City HallLife’s MilestonesOct 11 - Jan 5, 2012From birth, to school, to marriage, and finally death, this display explores life’s milestones, and the cultural artifacts that mark our passage through life.

Lest We ForgetNov 1 - 30, 2011Display honours the memory of Canadian men and women who have served Canada during wartime and peacekeeping.

Discover Your SustainABILITY!

Discovery Craft Photo: Richmond Museum

The Richmond Museum’s Discovery Area is ready to be explored by people of all ages. Discover your sustainABILITY while playing games, making crafts, and learning about today’s challenges in Richmond. Match items to their appropriate recycling bins in Richmond Recycles. Answer questions to find out how “green” you are in Are You Green?, and make an environmentally-friendly toy, a clothespin doll, in Toys in the House. Each activity basket has fun facts about different sustainability-related themes.

Gulf Of Georgia Cannerywww.gulfofgeorgiacannery.com

Indoor Steveston Farmers & Artisans MarketNov 13, 27, Dec 11 10 am - 3 pmChristmas At The CanneryDec 3 - 23 (Santa visits Dec 3, 2 - 4 pm)Christmas Movie MatineeDec 10 & 17 2 pm (by donation)

London Heritage Farmwww.londonheritagefarm.ca

Fall House Schedule: September to mid-November: Saturday and Sunday 12 noon to 5pm Mid-November and December: Fridays 12 - 4pm, Wkends 12 - 5pm

Halloween Tea Oct 29-30 Reserve a table at 604-271-5220.

Annual Christmas Events December 3-4, 10-11, 17-18Craft sale from 12 to 5 pmDecember 18Christmas Caroling from 1 to 4 pm.

Upcoming at Richmond MuseumEdo: Arts of Japan’s Last Shogun AgeFebruary 2012This Art Gallery of Greater Victoria exhibit examines Edo Japan (1603 - 1868) through the arts of the period.