"You Don't Know What You've Got Till it's Gone": Doors Open London Toasts the Buildings that Were

Catherine Brickenden and Grace 'Fan-Fan' Blackburn (performed by Romany Sheppard and Jenn Marino)
 toast the memory of the Patricia Theatre, demolished for a parking space in 1964

As a new student in Western University's MA Public History Program, I anticipate this year will involve adorning many 'hats' within the realm of public history I have never worn before.

Prior to beginning this program, I already existed between two career paths, as an Ontario certified teacher and as a museum professional. Not surprising, most of my public history experience has focused on museum educational programming. These roles have including working as a teacher, coordinator, programmer and costumed interpreter at museums throughout Waterloo Region and Wellington County. Two weeks into the MA Program, I am already diving into uncharted territories such as understanding archives, historical documentary editing, and digital forums of public history (including my first experience with blogging!).

Since making London, Ontario, my new residence, I have been eager to learn more about this city's history. This weekend, I decided to dive in by participating in Doors Open London.

Doors Open is an annual event in cities and towns all across Ontario from April to October, when museums, heritage buildings, or even newer developments offer a rare opportunity to view inside their walls, free of charge. From my past experiences with Doors Open, there was one aspect of the event I naturally assumed was a consistent feature- that visitors physically enter into an existing building. However, this past weekend, Doors Open London offered a unique and somber perspective to this traditional approach: a historical walking tour of the downtown buildings no longer in existence.

Titled "Paved Paradise", a nod to the Joni Mitchell song, the walking tour took us to the sites of five former buildings in London's downtown core, each demolished to make way for city parking lots.

Coordinated by the London Heritage Council, London Fuse, and the London branch of the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario (ACO), the tour had plenty of buzz and participation from the community.

Costumed actors played the roles of local historical figures, ready to share the stories of the forgotten buildings. We were first greeted by Grace 'Fan-Fan' Blackburn (played by Jenn Marino), a former poet, icon, and journalist with the London Free Press. 

Grace led the way, introducing the tour group to individuals such as John Rowe (played by Demis Odanga), former Chief of the Central Fire Hall, and Louis Silverstein (played by John Turner), owner of the Silverstein Fish Market. The costumed actors brought the forgotten history of each building to life with first person monologues about their experiences and memories (I will be blogging more about the role of the public historian as "actor" in October - stay tuned!).

Our last stop was the former site of the Patricia Theatre, which began as a dance hall in 1916 and transformed into a growing theatre scene, championed by Catherine Brickenden (played by Romany Sheppard), in 1934. The tour concluded with Grace and Catherine toasting champagne in memory of the once vibrant artistic and theatrical hub, which was demolished for a parking lot in 1964.

The Patricia Theatre, built in 1916, an example of Classical Revival architecture

A few humorous quips from the actors were welcome additions to increasingly disheartening reality presented from the tour, that built heritage, once gone, cannot be replaced.

As a former board member of the ACO branch Heritage Cambridge, I have noticed a common trend in many Ontario towns, that preserving built heritage can often be an uphill battle with increasingly fewer visible victories.  As development continues to trump heritage in many parts of Ontario, more and more buildings like the Patricia Theatre are disappearing both physically and within cultural memory.

A view of the parking space at 455 Clarence Street, the original location of the Patricia Theatre

For the next eight months, as key component of the MA Public History Program, I will continue to be part of London's downtown community by working as a Research Assistant with the London Heritage Council. Once again, I anticipate I will dive into many new roles, assisting with upcoming events like Heritage Fair and Trails Open. And as I continue to park my car in the downtown core, one thing is for sure: Joni Mitchell's lyrics will be playing in head.