Town of Fort Erie to sell Port Abino Lighthouse Keeper’s Dwelling
Port Abino Lightstation Preservation Society (PALPS) taken by surprise
July 29, 2009
Last week the Town of Fort Erie blindsided the Port Abino Lightstation Preservation Society (PALPS) and the community with the revelation that the Town is selling the 1918-1921 Arts and Crafts lightkeeper’s dwelling in order to come up with the Town’s share of the National Historic Sites of Canada Cost-Sharing Program to restore the 1917 lighthouse.
The decision to sell the lightkeeper’s dwelling was made in a closed session of Council, taking the Port Albino Lightstation Preservation Society (PALPS) by surprise. PALPS had been consulted on the Town’s application for the grant, but there was no mention of how the Town proposed to come up with the local share. Apparently the Town is trying to meet a July 31 deadline to substantiate, or provide a viable plan for, the local share to the Program.
The ligtkeeper’s dwelling is not designated, although the lighthouse is a National Historic Site and is designated under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act. The Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada determined the structure (lighthouse) “has maintained a high degree of integrity with its site and lighthouse keeper’s dwelling since its construction in 1917-1918,” said Erie-Lincoln MP John Maloney in a 1998 press release.
The lightkeeper’s dwelling was built on a point of land expropriated by the federal government. Like the lighthouse, it was designed in-house as ”a somewhat ornamental bungalow which will be in keeping with the summer resorts on the point”, resulting in a two storey, stucco structure with a hipped-gable roof…. Elements of the Craftsman aesthetic appear in the pronounced wooden brackets beneath the eaves. The interior was simply finished in plaster with added touches such as window seats, sliding doors between living and dining rooms and a generous hearth with a nearby wooden seat…The Point Abino keeper’s dwelling may have been slightly more elaborate because of its proximity to an up-scale residential area and the department’s wish to placate the local residents”. Copied from Federal Heritage Building Review Office (FHBRO) Report: 88-99
PALPS has urged the town to preserve as much of the history of the site that it can, by not selling the lightkeeper’s dwelling. For more information see the link below.
http://www.niagarafallsreview.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1667551
Type of News Item: News
