A presentation delivered at the 2008 Culture and Heritage Institute Annual Cultural and Heritage Tourism Symposium ‘Built Heritage Preservation Challenges: Sustainable Tourism Strategies’

1. Protecting Unfunded
Federal Heritage
The Sustainability Challenge
… stewards of 2nd Annual Symposium on
Cultural and Heritage Tourism
10 June 2008: Toronto, Ontario
Dr. Nancy Arsenault, Dean
Faculty of Tourism & Hotel Management
www.royalroads.ca www.hatleypark.ca
• Royal Roads University was
created to meet the needs of
working professionals through
app ed p og a s, p
applied programs, primarily at
a y
the graduate level
• Our campus is located on Hatley
Park National Historic Site
Canada’s Newest Tourism Educator and only
Faculty of Tourism and Hotel Management
• MA in International Hotel Management
• MA in Tourism Management (new Sept 08)
• Graduate Certificates in:
• Sustainable Tourism (new Sept 08)
• Tourism Leadership
d h
• Destination Development
• BA in International Hotel Management
• 3rd & 4th year completion degree
• 12 month intensive on campus, or 2-years
online
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2. A place we call home
Ancient forests, Edwardian gardens, and a Castle by the sea...
As did the Dunsmuir family (1906 – 1940) and
the Department of National Defence (1940-1995)
Victoria, British Columbia
20 minutes from the inner harbour, 30 minutes from the airport
Hatley Park: 1908 - 1995
• First nations and farmers were the early settlers on the land
• 1906, estate purchased by BC’s Lieutenant Governor, James
Dunsmuir purchased the and commissioned renowned
architect Samuel Maclure to build a replica of a 15th
century, 40-room Edwardian castle.
• 1937 DND purchased the estate
• 1995 (Apr) designated a
national historic site
• 1995 (Sep)the estate is
leased to Royal Roads,
BC’s newest, special
purpose university
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3. Designation
• Its distinctiveness as an evolved cultural
landscape
• It is a superb Canadian example of an
Edwardian park which remains practically
intact in its plan, the extent of its grounds,
plan grounds
and the quality and variety of its features
• The institutional imprint of Royal Roads
Military College which occupied Hatley Park
for over 50 years is apparent and, in many
ways, complementary.
An evolved cultural landscape with four defined areas:
nine gardens, old-growth forest, recreation, and agriculture
The Japanese
Garden
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4. The Rose
Garden
The Italian
Garden
Old-growth forests
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5. … with exquisite walking trails with incredible views
Recreation Areas
All recreation areas have been decommissioned for public use
Agricultural Areas
None of the agricultural areas in use
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6. A rare eco-system: bird sanctuary, wildlife,
adjacent to the Esquimalt Lagoon
Our Built Heritage: Hatley Castle (1908) Classified
Then a retirement home, now Royal Roads administration
In the basement of the castle is
our humble museum and gift shop
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7. “The Cedar Building” (1912) Recognized
Then a cow barn and dairy, now teaching and research space
“The Mews” (1914) Recognized
Then stables and a garage, now a conference centre
“The Grant Building” (1942) Recognized
Then and now, an instructional building for DND and RRU
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8. “The Recreation Centre” (1949) Recognized
Then and now, a gymnasium/sports facility
“The Nixon Building” (1954 – 1956) Recognized
Then, cadet accommodations, now short-stay residence
“The Milward Building” (1990 modifications) Recognized
Then cadet accommodations, now offices & accommodations
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9. Plus our ‘yet’ undesignated built heritage: The Library (1975)
The Boathouse
Then, used for boat storage, now
offices of our Foundation staff
And the newly restored 1914 Lord and Burnham Greenhouse
Part 1: $750,000 for Greenhouse and Head Gardener House
• Hallmark Society Award of Merit (Dedicated for preserving historic and
architectural landmarks)
• Heritage BC Outstanding Achievement (For exterior restoration and
interior rehabilitation)
Part 2: $350,000 Public education and historical use – fundraising enroute
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10. Hatley Park National Historic Site
… a truly natural and cultural heritage treasure
A Unique Challenge: The owners and stewards
are not in the ‘heritage business’
• DND’s priorities
is to protect the
nation and
contribute to
international peace
• Royal Roads’
priority is to
provide post-
secondary
education
… and the University must preserve and present this 565
acre estate to federal heritage standards
The Magnitude of the Challenge
• Only public, post-secondary institution in Canada responsible
for a national historic site
• Site not leased to the University in 1995 with the cultural
resources in tact as later described in commemorative
integrity statement, received in 2000
• Pay $1/year assume full stewardship responsibility includes
$1/year, responsibility,
$20M+ deferred maintenance (2002 Public Works Study)
• Province does fund federal heritage, nor does the federal
government fund this site
• Standards and Guidelines for the Protection of Historic
Places, 2004 – limited expertise on island
• A sense of ownership in community, significant densification
enroute, increasing impacts on the site (human and wildlife)
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11. Our Opportunity – From a Culture and
Heritage Tourism Lens
• To manage the protection and public education
of the heritage site in ways it becomes an
example of excellence as a ‘living learning
destination
destination’ for
o Sustainable heritage management
o Environmental stewardship
o Responsible tourism
• Lead through innovation linked by education
• Protect through advancing the shared
appreciation and responsibility for federal
heritage
A Birds Eye View of the
Heritage Challenges
1. Understanding & appreciation
2. Expectation management
3. Financial
4. Relevance
… and
solutions!
1. Understanding and Appreciation
1. What is means to be a national historic site in the
‘family’, not part of Parks Canada
2. Difference between FHBRO’s classified and
recognized designation system vs. Level 1 and 2
assets in the commemorative integrity statement
3. What is legally required vs due diligence
4. Need to build on
Lost to the elements
site to support RRU
5. What happens
when heritage
fails?
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12. Intervention Review Requirements
“Multiple Lens”
Major new Minor new Classified Designated Non- Land- Civil Annual
building building building building heritage scape works main-
renovation renovation building tenance
renovation
External review
DND ?
lease
DND
MOA
FHBRO uncertain uncertain
Internal reference
CRM
policy
CIS
HCS
S&G
Kalman, H. & Yardley, J. (2007). Enhancing the federal heritage approval
process. A study commissioned by Royal Roads University
Heritage Authority Matrix - Impacts
Level of Federal Requirements Authority Consequence of Breech
Authority
Legal DND Lease Permission required Revoke lease
for all significant
changes
Legal DND MOA Permission required Revoke lease
for all changes in
‘Adjacent Lands’
Legal EA Approval from DND (not our area of expertise)
required
Regulatory FHBRO review FHBRO through DND may refuse change.
DND Treasury Board may place
sanctios on DND.
Due diligence CRM Policy DND Lease FHBRO may deny/consent
Due diligence Commemorative Integrity DND Lease FHBRO may deny/consent
Statement
Due diligence Heritage Character DND Lease FHBRO may deny/consent
Statement
Due diligence Standards & Guidelines DND Lease FHBRO may deny/consent
Kalman, H. & Yardley, J. (2007). Enhancing the federal heritage approval
process. A study commissioned by Royal Roads University.
2. Expectation Management
Operational challenges in managing federal heritage
• Federal government funds the heritage they designate
• Sense of ‘government owned, access should be free’
• Royal Roads funding is the same level as other universities
• 3 layers of government, complex approval processes
As a tourism destination, we are often compared to
• Butchart Gardens (102 years welcoming guests)
• Craigdarroch Castle (30 years in tourism)
• Parks Canada Sites
• Known for 65 years as “Royal Roads” not
“Hatley Park”
Craigdarroch Castle
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13. 3. Financial
• The cost of maintaining heritage, $20M+
• No steady funding source and lack of success in leveraging
philanthropic gifts towards any matched government funds
• Increased cost of maintenance and intervention (heritage
expertise, assessments, approvals)
• Speed and complexity of approvals, changing expectations
• University high season is summer, same as tourism – limited
summer
space, unable to receive as much business as we can attract;
hence revenue potential is limited
• Tax issues
4. Relevance
• How to make heritage relevant to
people of all ages and stages, and voters
• Need to gather stories and engage visitors so
they want to support preservation and
presentation
• Ethics of allowing more buildings/sites to be
designated, without funding, when what we have
is struggling for survival!
Sometimes the solutions
are not obvious, and
there is always a higher
priority, yet …
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14. Tourism Solutions
Generate needed revenues, but increases the human use impact
Philanthropic Solutions
• $1.3M site specific projects (2005-07)
• Capital campaign
• $4.2 M of projects that will preserve, enable
research,
research and ultimately educate students inform
students,
the general public
• Continue to advocate
for government support
to match or leverage
‘gifts’ from caring public
A catalyst for preservation …
The Bateman Art and Environmental Centre
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15. Living our Learning!
Royal Roads
University
Hatley Park
The
National
Bateman
Historic
Centre
Site
Some Long Term Solutions
• Create innovative funding programs eligible to all – e.g. a
restoration fund with accountability over 5 years
• Harmonize FHBRO/CIS requirements (federal sites)
• Introduce tax benefits or alternative on-going support
• Simplify language, ensure clearly defined, well articulated and
timely intervention approvals, tools to educate on heritage value
• Create a National Trust - central access for info and expertise
Copies of the presentation:
nancy.arsenault@royalroads.ca
Thank you!
www.royalroads.ca
y
www.hatleypark.ca
Hatley Castle, Victoria BC, Canada
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