11-26-2014, 01:02 PM
Heritage Kitchener to debate Rumpel Felt property
Regional Municipality of Waterloo Heritage Planning Advisory Committee Minutes December 12, 2013
Anyone have any more recent news on this? By coincidence I heard a brief talk yesterday given by David Rumpel in which he mentioned in passing that he hoped the building could be saved but he gave no further details.
Quote:A 100-year-old factory that sits on the site of the region’s future central transit station could be listed as a property of cultural heritage value or interest — a major step toward full protection under the Ontario Heritage Act... The Region of Waterloo owns the building at the corner of Victoria Street North and Duke Street... Regional Coun. Jean Haalboom hopes Heritage Kitchener moves to protect the old factory.
Regional Municipality of Waterloo Heritage Planning Advisory Committee Minutes December 12, 2013
Quote:Establishment of an Industrial Heritage Museum in Kitchener
The meeting’s second delegation was local resident, Eleanor Grant, who shared her interest and research on the industrial heritage of Kitchener (formerly Berlin). Ms. Grant noted that there are many artifacts, stories, videos, and photographs related to the City’s industrial past that are currently in locations spread across the Region. Eleanor suggested that there is an opportunity to collect and connect all of this related historic material and make it more accessible to the public.
Specifically, Eleanor suggested that a local industrial heritage museum focused on the warehouse district’s industrial peak as a hub of industry and trades could be established in the former Rumpel Felt Co. building. It is expected that the building will eventually be redeveloped as part of the Region’s new Transportation Hub. Eleanor also suggested other possibilities such as the addition of plaques with QR codes in front of industrial heritage sites that would link the viewer to historic and current information online.
Digital resources and interactive maps could further enable the public to locate and appreciate industrial sites that tell the story of Kitchener’s evolution from an industrial hub to technology centre.
Anyone have any more recent news on this? By coincidence I heard a brief talk yesterday given by David Rumpel in which he mentioned in passing that he hoped the building could be saved but he gave no further details.