Dasd is excited to announce that we’ve been nominated for the Public Works Project of the Year Award under the Historical Restoration/Preservation Category (less than $2 Million).
The Public Works Project of the Year award is an award granted by the Ontario Public Works Association to outstanding individuals, groups and organizations representing the best in the public works profession.
Dasd has thoroughly enjoyed being a part of the construction and transformation of the Pierre Berton Heritage Centre and we are honored to be considered for this prestigious award.
The Pierre Berton Heritage Centre is one of the City of Vaughan’s newest multi-purpose, accessible community spaces. With over 3,500 sq ft of public space within Vaughans most cherished heritage buildings.
In 2010 the City of Vaughan purchased the former Kleinburg United Church with the intention of restoring the building allowing for a flexible community space including an exhibit dedicated to Pierre Berton. A Canadian icon, author and active member of the Kleinburg community.
Originally built in 1926, the Kleinburg United Church was not suitable for public use at the time of the City’s purchase and was not open to the public until restoration and renovation work completed in 2018. There was interest by the public to maintain the historic integrity of the Kleinburg United Church, as the building had been part of the Kleinburg community for over 90 years.
Understanding the significance of the project to the public, the City coordinated Public Meetings during the design phase to keep the public engaged and updated on the progress. Positive feedback and support from the community was critical to the success of the project.
It was essential to maintain the historic character of the exterior and interior during the renovation period. The existing wood beams and columns in the basement were not structurally sufficient and required replacement with structural steel. The City’s Heritage Coordinator confirmed that the wood beams and columns were likely materials reused from a past church structure built on the same site as the Kleinburg United Church, demolished prior to 1926. The historic wood material was reclaimed and repurposed as bench seating for the new outdoor terrace. Carefully restoring exterior masonry, interior wood ceilings, flooring, entrances, accessibility to more of the building, and contemporary lighting capture only a few of the long list of details which added to transforming this Heritage site to the wonder it is today.
Construction was successfully completed as planned to align the Grand Opening with the 2018 Binder Twine Festival, an annual public event held along Kleinburg’s Islington Avenue with community origins dating back to the late 1800’s. Newly renovated, and restored the Kleinburg United Church, renamed the Pierre Berton Heritage Centre is now available to host public meetings, events. Programs and activities through the City of Vaughan’s permit and rental service.
MEETING THE MARK
While effective cost control and schedule management may typically define the success of a project, other critical success factors of the Pierre Berton Heritage Centre project were to preserve the historical significance of the building and maintain support from the public. The project budget and schedule were continuously challenged during construction. The project successfully mitigated these challenges and met the timeline for the grand opening in September 2018 during the Kleinburg Binder Twine Festival – an outstanding achievement for the project team.