Peterborough Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee Celebrates 50th Anniversary

The Peterborough Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee (PACAC) celebrated its 50th anniversary on Monday.

Photo by David Tuan Bui.

In March 1975, the Ontario Heritage Act (OHA) was passed and months later, the City of Peterborough became the second municipality in Ontario to form a Municipal Heritage Committee.  

The Peterborough Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee was established by City By-law on June 2, 1975, to advise and assist City Council on matters relating to the preservation and designation of heritage properties. 

The first committee consisted of nine members: Dr. Eldon Ray, Betty Hinton, Maria Teresa Bradburn, J.J. Overvliet, Edgar Boland, Jennie Spurway, Victor Barry, Margaret Fleming, and Martha Ann Kidd. 

Over the years, PACAC has also played a vital role in programs such as Doors Open Peterborough, Heritage Week and the Heritage Hunt, as well as providing educational events and workshops for owners of heritage properties, celebrating the City’s local heritage. Currently, 795 buildings are listed on the City’s Heritage Register - there are 348 properties in The Avenues and Neighbourhood Heritage Conservation District, and 142 buildings that have been individually designated under the OHA. 

PACAC also recognizes the role that heritage preservation plays in mitigating the climate crisis through conservation of existing buildings, adaptive reuse projects and the idea that ‘the greenest building is the one that already exists.’

PACAC’s annual Heritage Hunt will take place in September. Doors Open Peterborough will take place on Sept. 13.

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