Spring 2012 - Heritage London Foundation

Communiqué
...Heritage London Foundation
www.heritagelondonfoundation.org
Chairman’s Message
Dear Friends:
We are well into the new year and
are looking forward to another
exciting year with renewed
enthusiasm for the work we do. As you will see in this edition, we
have planned a number of exciting
events, which we hope that you
will attend, and support. We are
planning some improvements to
the lustre of both the Estate and
Grosvenor Lodge to keep them
looking fabulous for those who
have reserved the venues for their
weddings and events.
This June will likely mark the
completion of the restoration of
the Red Antiquities Building; a
milestone project in our history
of heritage preservation and the
culmination of a true partnership
with Pathways Skill Development
and Placement. Watch for
upcoming announcements or
follow progress on the Internet or
Facebook.
This is also the time when we ask
for you membership renewal to
Heritage London Foundation and I
hope you will continue to support
our projects with your charitable
donation.
Enjoy this issue of Communiqué. The Heritage London Foundation’s Valentine
Masquerade Dinner and Dance
This glamorous and entertaining event was held on Sat. Feb. 11th at the
Elsie Perrin Williams Estate in order to raise funds for the support of the
Estate and to have fun! The snow outside just emphasised the warmth
and colour inside.
We had completely sold out long beforehand and so we were expecting
a full and exciting evening and were not disappointed. Our guests arrived
almost to a woman – and even to a man – in masks of all hues and
varieties. They enjoyed a candlelight gourmet dinner in our beautifully
decorated hall, where they were also asked to tax their brains with our
specially contrived ‘Valentine’s Quiz’. After dinner there was dancing and
lots of competition for the prize of ‘Best Mask’ which was awarded to the
playing of ‘Masquerade’ from Phantom of the Opera in the background.
In the end we had to award five of these as the masks were so inventive
and colourful. (The man with the ‘biggest beak’ snagged one of them!)
The evening progressed with guests taking advantage of our photo
booth, in between the dancing, to secure a reminder of the night when
they really dressed up. They were also hoping to win either one of our
spot prizes or the Door Prize and to find out who had actually been
fortunate enough to draw the antique cameo brooch.
The staff and board of HLF worked very hard to make this such a
successful occasion. Our exclusive caterer Culinary Catering generously
donated all the food and service. Thanks to all! And do join us next year.
Maggie Whalley
Spring 2012
Upcoming Events
THE ANNUAL GENERAL
MEETING
OF HERITAGE LONDON
FOUNDATION will take place at
the Elsie Perrin Williams Estate at
5 p.m. on MONDAY MARCH 26th.
There will be a short business
meeting at 5.p.m and the talk
will begin at 5.45.
Light refreshments will be
offered.
THE ANNUAL GATSBY GALA
Wednesday June 27th
5-10 p.m.
Come and have summer fling
- in period get-up or your best
summer gear. See the vintage
cars, quaff a classic cocktail, try
your chance in the gambling
den (faux, of course) nibble on
goodies, take a crack at croquet
or lawn bowling...and more.
There is always lots to see and
do and the proceeds help to
support the Estate.
This is THE year of Gatsby in
London as the Grand Theatre is
putting on the play.
Traditionally we have held our
Gala in July each year, but this
year we are moving it back a
couple of weeks to June to avoid
the clash with summer holidays.
We hope that this will mean that
more of you are able to attend.
The Second Annual Heritage London
Foundation Arts and Crafts Sale.
Friday April 13th 2-p.m. – 9.p.m. & Saturday April 14th 10 a.m. – 4 p.m
To coincide once again with the London Artists Studio Tour.
This sale was very popular with those who attended last year.
We had very high quality hand crafted objects and paintings on sale
and this year we offer the work of some exciting new vendors as well as
several wonderful returning artists.
It is a great place to come and pick
up gifts of stunning originality and
quality for many different occasions.
Wedding gifts come to mind as the
wedding season gets under way, but
also gifts for Mothers’ and Fathers’
Day, graduations, baby showers, gifts
for the cottage, even hostess gifts;
and of course you may wish to buy
finely wrought items for your own
At last year’s show these two womhome. From refashioned antique
en originated from Brazil..and made
linens to hand-made soaps and
the most beautiful pottery pieces
chocolates, from glassware, jewellery,
pottery, to beautiful objects in turned wood, there will be much to tempt
you. It should be a good time of year to visit the estate too, so come
and check it out
Board of Directors
Heritage London Foundation is an
innovative
non-profit
corporation
founded in 1981 that advocates for
the preservation of significant heritage
properties. Created when the wrecker’s
ball was rapidly destroying many
of London’s architectural treasures,
Heritage London Foundation now
provides viable contemporary uses for
two beautiful properties, the Elsie Perrin
Williams Estate and Grosvenor Lodge,
and is open to future projects. Revenue
from Grosvenor Lodge and Elsie Perrin
Williams Estate assist Heritage London
Foundation to preserve, protect and
promote London’s built heritage for the
benefit and enjoyment of present and
future generations.
John Manness - Chair
Jan Dickinson - Estate Manager
Susan Bentley
Diana Coates
Kathryn Awde
Joe O’Neil
Don Menard
James Baker
Stefan Andrejicka
Ann Martin - Secretary
Peter Innes - Treasurer
Maggie Whalley
Heritage London Foundation
Take a step back in time...to an era of elegant
and gracious living in an early 20th century
estate home surrounded by 68 acres of
beautifully maintained park land.
Elsie Perrin Williams Estate continues to be a wonderful locale for a
wedding or special
family event, such as a
Golden wedding
anniversary party, and
we have recently been
receiving bookings for
funeral receptions as
well as enquiries for
business rentals.
Our beautiful, spacious
and tranquil grounds
provide the perfect backdrop to any number of occasions and the
presence of a thoughtful and helpful staff member always smoothes
the way to a worry free event.
Please think of us when looking for a venue for your special occasion
and tell your friends about us too!
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101 Windermere Road West
London, ON N6G 2J4
519-432-7961
www.heritagelondonfoundation.org
Elsie Perrin Williams Estate
101 Windermere Road West
London, ON N6G 2J4
519-432-6620
www.elsieperrinwilliamsestate.com
Grosvenor Lodge
1017 Westerm Road
London, ON N6G 1G5
519-645-2845
www.grosvenorlodge.com
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
We have been lucky to find a number of happy helpers for various events over the last year and we have also
had considerable help with heavier tasks such as renovations and moving furniture. For this summer we are
still seeking volunteers for the gardens at Grosvenor Lodge and for general house maintenance and a deep
Spring Cleaning at EPWE. Many hands make light work - so please consider coming out for a day or two of
happy labouring! We can always use help at our special events too, and drivers are particularly welcome to
help shuttle people up the hill to the house.
Please call 519-432-6620 to leave your name and number and our volunteer coordinator, Diana Coates will get
in touch with you.
From The Estate Manager
News from the Hill
With the year starting off with spring-like weather, hundreds
of young women flocked to the first bridal show of the season,
held in January over two days at the London Convention
Centre. I believe it was the busiest show that I have attended
in 18 years.
Two unusual things are happening this year with weddings.
Firstly, August - October is the busiest months, and June and July are much slower. The other is that almost
all the brides at the 2012 wedding show were looking for locations for 2012 weddings. No one is planning in
advance anymore??
Many good things have been happening at the estate, keeping us busy and planning. We have hired a parttime marketing assistant through the work-study programme at Brescia College. Rosemary Dupuis initially
worked on the promotion of our great new winter fundraising dinner and dance - the Valentine’s Masquerade,
which was held February 11, 2012 at the estate. Rosemary will now be working on grant applications and
general marketing for us. We are lucky to have her with us; she is a delightful addition to our team.
The next project that we will work on alongside the Special Events Committee is our second Arts and Crafts
Sale in April and then the annual Gatsby Gala scheduled for the end of June. There is always something going
on up here!
We are currently working on a project called taggtv - with several of our partners in the wedding planning
business. It is an exciting social media 4-segment production that should give us some great exposure.
We also welcome James Baker as new Chair of the Property Committee
I look forward to seeing you at the Annual general Meeting in March.
Grosvenor Lodge Update
A warm welcome to Nancy Tausky who now occupies the upper Coach
House. The Home County Folk Festival crew has joined us at the Lodge.
As well as renting an office they are doing “open mike” nights showcasing
London performers. Kudos to them. The office spaces are almost filled
and tours and wedding bookings are keeping the staff busy.
Submitted by
Jan Dickinson
Estate Manager
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London historian and seven restoration projects recognized at the 5th Annual Heritage Awards
A noted London historian and seven restoration projects received awards at the 5th Annual Heritage Awards
Gala, presented by Architectural Conservancy of Ontario London Region Branch (ACO London Region) and
Heritage London Foundation. The event was held on Tuesday, February 21 at the Elsie Perrin Williams Estate,
101 Windermere Road West.
Alice Gibb received recognition for her contributions over many years to the historical knowledge of London
and southwestern Ontario through research and publications. Most recently, she has done extensive research
and writing about London’s SoHo neighbourhood (see www. soholondon.ca/history) just south of the
downtown. She co-authored Brackets and Bargeboards: Architectural Walks in London, Ontario, a publication
of ACO London. She has contributed to such books as Downtown London: Layers of Time, The Carty
Chronicles of Landmarks and Londoners:, and Simcoe’s Choice.
The built heritage projects receiving awards ranged in size from the restoration of a frame cottage on Grand
Avenue to the renewal and adaptive reuse of a former hotel in downtown London. They included the complete
restoration and reuse of a magnificent home once owned by a cigar manufacturer on Waterloo Street. to
uncovering the architectural details hidden inside an historic stone-walled building on Ridout Street South.
One award was for the adaptation of an old building into an organic bakery and dental office on Wellington
Street, and another for exterior restoration of a former bank building in Strathroy’s commercial district. Also
celebrated was a restoration project that included a two-story residential addition that echoed the architectural
details of the original building.
Awards were presented for the following restoration projects:
• Frame cottage at 125 Grand Avenue, to Paul Douglas and Mary Moore
• Global Warranty restoration at 471 Waterloo Street, to Roy Neufert
• Restoration of 37 Ridout St. S. for law offices and home , to Jed Chinneck
• Former bank building restored for her law office at 39 Front St. W., Strathroy, to Janet Gibbons
• The Cornerstone YOU Building at Richmond and York Streets, to Steve Cordes and Christine Dirks
• Home and addition at 570 Waterloo Street, to Lynn and Tom Okanski
• Organic Works Bakery at 222 Wellington St., to Peter Cuddy and Kate Gielen
Membership Form. If you do not receive one in the mail please fill out and return this form. Members are
the vital underpinning of this organization and the core of support that we value highly.
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