The purpose of this petition is to implore the Sault Ste. Marie City Council to see the following structures added to the Municipal Heritage Register in hopes of seeing them preserved:

The Windsor Hotel’s original 1895 section and 1910/1919 addition at Queen and Brock Streets.

The Sacred Heart Convent (1909/1910) 1 Herrick St.

The original portion of The Tech (1921) 131 Wellington St. E.

St. Andrews United Church (1906/1907) 712 Wellington St. E.

The Municipal Heritage Committee of Sault Ste. Marie is seeking to have these buildings added to the Municipal Heritage Register at the protest of the respective owners of said properties. With the exception of St. Andrews, the remainder are slated for some form of demolition. Being added to the register would see them preserved for future generations still to come and allow for adaptive reuse of historic structures in a modern setting with the potential of funding for restoration.

Some well known examples of Sault landmarks that have done this includes structures both on and off the heritage register:
The structures at the former St. Mary’s Paper property which were built between 1899-1901.
The Salvation Army Citadel (1912) at 117 Spring St now occupied by Forty-Five Social, 
The U.S. Consulate building (1899/1901) at 76 East St now occupied by East Street Pizza Co. 
The Sault Ste. Marie Museum in the former Post Office built between 1902-1906.
The Canadian Bushplane Heritage Center in the former Ontario Provincial Air Service hanger built in 1924 with an addition in 1947.
Steelton Town Hall built in 1907, later used as the west end public library branch, health center, retirement home, and presently Pauline’s Place.
The Clergue Block house, originally a powder magazine built in 1819 by the North West Trading Co. with it’s 1894 addition by Francis H. Clergue.
Most famously the Ermatinger Old Stone House built in 1812-1814 by Charles Oakes Ermatinger and is thought to be the oldest surviving stone house in North Eastern Ontario.

What is the Municipal Heritage Committee? 

“The Sault Ste. Marie Municipal Heritage Committee advises City Council on matters relating to Part IV (Conservation of Buildings of Cultural Heritage Value or Interest) and Part V (Heritage Conservation Districts) of the Ontario Heritage Act. The Committee also makes recommendations on restoration grants.

Sault Ste. Marie currently has 38 designated heritage properties which include buildings, plaques and monuments. Most of these are found in the downtown core or in nearby neighbourhoods where most of the early development of the City took place. The importance of these designated properties to the cultural fabric of the City cannot be overstated. The conservation of our heritage sites helps revitalize, stabilize and enhance the character of our community.”

Being a small city means there’s a very limited amount that hasn’t already been lost to the march of progress in years past or, in some cases, neglect. Along with the work done by the Heritage Committee, we as citizens of Sault Ste. Marie must also make our voices heard when it comes to the preservation of these structures which each have their place in the fabric of our history.

By signing this petition we hope the Council of Sault Ste. Marie sees the value and importance these buildings have in our community, the potential they still have at 100+ years old, and the role they can play in the continued growth of our city in the years to come.

We ask that you please share this petition with as many people as possible.

Thank you,
                  Jo Bumbacco
                  Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.

Links of interest: https://www.historicplaces.ca/en/results-resultats.aspx?m=4&r=2&cLat=46.506280&cLng=-84.324570 (Browse designated sites in Sault Ste. Marie)

https://www.sootoday.com/local-news/diocese-wants-to-tear-down-former-convent-for-a-parking-lot-5018757 (Sacred Heart Convent)

https://www.sootoday.com/following-up/owner-of-windsor-park-and-the-tech-reveals-intentions-for-landmark-buildings-5018759 (The Tech, The Windsor, and St. Andrews and arguments why they should be included by the committee)

https://www.heritagetrust.on.ca/user_assets/documents/HIS-014-Benefits-of-heritage-designation-under-the-Ontario-Heritage-Act-ENG.pdf (Benefits of heritage designation)

http://www.dictionaryofarchitectsincanada.org/node/760 (Findlay & Foulis bio, architects of The 1921 Tech Block and the Windsor addition)

https://saultstemarie.ca/City-Hall/City-Departments/Community-Development-Enterprise-Services/Community-Services/Recreation-and-Culture/Historic-Sites-and-Heritage/Municipal-Heritage-Committee.aspx (SSM Municipal Heritage Committee)