CUSTOMIZED IDENTITY 24

AN N UAL
R E POR T 2 01 6 -2 01 7
I know from my
previous visits that
young Canadians
Have the vision and
strength to create ”
an even better nation
in the future.
- IqAluit, Nunavut
June 29, 2017

HRH The Prince of Wales

Patron of Willowbank
IZED IDENTITY

10
ANN U AL R E P O R T

YEARS
2016-2017

24
A Class of 2017 graduate carves a new cornerstone for Canada’s Parliament Buildings. Mike lewis/pspc
A M ESSAG E F R O M
th e BOA R D C H AI R
& E X EC U T I V E D I R EC TO R

THE NEXT DECADE OF WILLOWBANK

As a school of restoration arts, Willowbank has passed its tenth year mark.

The first ten years have been oriented to executing the Willowbank philosophy
– establishing an innovative curriculum that blends academic and hands-on
conservation training, building an exceptional pool of generous and talented faculty
members, and developing specialized and flexible teaching spaces on campus.

We have been recognized and awarded internationally as a unique destination

for serious, ecologically oriented students of heritage arts. In turn, we are raising
Canada’s reputation as the home of leading edge practitioners in the application of
traditional design, crafts and urbanism.

The challenge ahead of us is to create a thoughtful and sustainable business plan

for Willowbank. The educational concepts have worked and now it is appropriate to
turn our attention to developing secondary educational programs for the public. We
should be interpreting the important history of the land as a portage site for 10,000
years, the evolution of the estate house as a pioneering family home in the 19th and
20th centuries, and the adaptive reuse of the house as a living laboratory for a school
of restoration arts. We will be looking for broader government support, corporate
support and private donor support to help us expand our services to the public.

During the September 2017 Doors Open weekend in Niagara, we opened part of
Willowbank while it was still under construction to complete safety, HVAC and
accessibility upgrades required by new building codes. Over 680 people came
to visit. We think it reinforces the notion that national historic sites are places
of profound importance to Canada. They bear witness to this nation’s defining
moments and illustrate its human creativity and cultural traditions.

It is our duty to tell Willowbank’s unique story, as part of the greater story of
Canada, contributing a sense of time, identity, and place to our understanding
of Canada as a whole.

Victoria Broer Janis Barlow

Chair, Board of Directors Executive Director
 12
IN OUR FIRST 10 YEARS
10 WILLOWBANK ACHIEVEMENTS
Shifting the Raising a new
paradigm to generation of
an ecological leaders working
approach to in heritage
conservation

10 Y E
6 7
Giving voice Creating links
to traditional across borders
knowledge & & conventional
Indigenous boundaries
perspectives

1 2016-2017 WILLOWBANK ANNUAL REPORT

 3 4 5
Giving new Founding a Creating a
and dynamic centre to world-class
purpose to a convene public network of
National dialogue on teaching
Historic Site conservation practitioners

EAR S
8 9 10
Building Contributing Pioneering an
partnerships our skills towards inspiring new
with leading sustaining our experiential
local & global communities model in higher
organizations education

2016-2017 WILLOWBANK ANNUAL REPORT 2

WILLOWBANK
SCHOOL
Course on historic window conservation in campus workshop.
ZARA WEXLER
WILLOWBANK SCHOOL

The heart of Willowbank is our

three-year Diploma Program
in Heritage Conservation. Our
ecological approach to learning
embraces innovation, interdisci-
plinary problem-solving, and an
integrated study of people, prac-
tice and place. Taught by a fac-
ulty of leading practitioners, our
progressive and unconventional
model enables students to gain
knowledge beyond the classroom
by engaging with the real world.

2016-2017 WILLOWBANK ANNUAL REPORT 4

 STUDENTS AND FACULTY ASSOCIATES

• The Class of 2019 arrived in September and reflects a diversity of backgrounds

and professional disciplines, including architecture, interior design and history.

• In 2016-17, over 50 Faculty Associates were engaged in teaching the curriculum.

Drawing on their own practices and projects, our instructors share a dynamic
diversity of expertise and perspectives with the students. The curriculum draws
on the knowledge and skills of Faculty Associates who are leaders in their fields.

• The teaching faculty came to campus from across Canada as well as Denmark,
the US and Hong Kong – among them an archaeologist from Ottawa, a land-
scape architect from Guelph, a cultural strategist from Hamilton, a native plant
specialist from Niagara, and a heritage developer from Buffalo, New York.

• Students were supported through fellowship bursaries, grants and awards total-
ing over $25,000. Made possible by donors, they provide valuable financial sup-
port as well as opportunities to contribute to school life and extend learning.

FIELD STUDIES, PROJECTS AND INTERNSHIPS

• This year’s curriculum included field studies in Guelph, Toronto, Montréal and
Buffalo, New York. Mid-stream students undertook a study tour of Ottawa to ex-
plore the National Capital’s heritage and meet with elected officials, tradespeople,
community and national advocates, architects and educators.

• A key element of the mid-stream curriculum, students undertook year-long

conservation management plans for Grimsby Beach in Grimsby, Ontario and the
Seneca-Cazenovia neighbourhood in South Buffalo. Students applied a cultural
landscape management approach in these self-directed projects, developing
skills in research, community engagement and creative design.

• The Class of 2017 undertook a remarkable range of projects and internships in

their final year of studies, spanning three continents – from documenting timber-
framing in the Annapolis Valley, Nova Scotia, to conservation planning and docu-
mentation in Mumbai, India, to research and policy development in Paris, France.

• Within Ontario, these projects and internships ranged from small business devel-
opment on historic sites in Niagara, to renewing mid-20th century housing tow-
ers in Toronto, to conserving wood windows on the Willowbank estate. Students
returned to campus to present rich insights on these formative experiences.

5 2016-2017 WILLOWBANK ANNUAL REPORT

 A SAMPLING OF our STUDENTS
& GRADUATES IN THE WORLD
IN 2016-17
DOUG (’13)
MONTREAL
ROSI (’10) INDEPENDENT
LITA (’16)
CAMBODIA
TORONTO WOODWORKER
PATRICK (’17) INDEPENDENT
PROVINCIAL FRANCE MATERIALS
HERITAGE WORLD HERITAGE CONSERVATOR
PLANNER INTERNSHIP

JULIANNA (’16) ZARA (‘17)

CHICAGO INDIA
NON-PROFIT
JEREMY (’16) DOCUMENTATION &
IRELAND PLANNING PROJECT
OPERATIONS
MANAGER CONSERVATION
SPECIALIST

LEENA (’16)
FINLAND
BYRON (’15) CONSERVATOR &
NIAGARA STONEMASon
ARTISANAL
METALWORKER

2016-2017 WILLOWBANK ANNUAL REPORT 6

 GRoWING IMPACT AND RECOGNITION

• Willowbank’s 64 diploma graduates continue to achieve a 96% rate of employ-

ment, with 87% of them working in fields related to conservation. These figures
are significantly higher than current averages for Ontario’s university graduates.
Willowbank alumni are already making an impact in the heritage field across a
range of careers, from skilled trades to design firms to community development.

• In Spring 2017, Willowbank’s diploma was featured in Canada’s national news-

paper, the Globe and Mail. A decade after his first visit to campus, writer Dave
LeBlanc met a cross-section of graduates, students and staff on graduation day.
He praised Willowbank for “punching far above its weightclass”, and wrote that it
is “all too easy to see who will protect our past in the future”. The School received
further exposure in the summer issue of Ground, an Ontario-based magazine.

COMMuNITY COLLABORATIONS

• The School’s collaborations in the 2016-17 curriculum included a cultural land-

scape study with the Royal Botanical Gardens in Burlington, accessibility design
and feasibility studies with the St. George’s Lodge and the John Brown Heritage
Foundation in St. Catharines, and conservation and documentation projects with
St. Mark’s Anglican Church and the Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake.

INDIGENOUS PERSPECTIVES

• Willowbank has initiated a conversation among staff, students and faculty on

the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action, to encourage mean-
ingful exchange on Indigenous issues, cultural perspectives and approaches to
the management, conservation and interpretation of historic sites. Indigenous
perspectives continue to play key roles in the curriculum at Willowbank, where
the school year opens and closes with the participation of Indigenous elders.

NEW DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION

• Willowbank welcomed Nancy Oakley as Director of Education in September

2016. Nancy was Executive Director of the Yukon Historical & Museums Asso-
ciation with previous experience in Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta. She
serves on the board of the International Council on Monuments and Sites Cana-
da. Outgoing director, Elaine O’Sullivan, has joined Willowbank’s Advisory Council.

7 2016-2017 WILLOWBANK ANNUAL REPORT

 64
Willowbank diplomas
96%
employment rate
conferred to date among graduates

JONATHAN CASTELLINO Faculty associate Joe Lobko with diploma students at Evergreen Brickworks in Toronto.

2016-2017 WILLOWBANK ANNUAL REPORT 8

Downtown Toronto as pictured in
Willowbank’s report for UNESCO.
JONATHAN CASTELLINO

W I L L OWBANK
CENT RE
WILLOWBANK CENTRE

The Willowbank Centre is a hub

for research, dialogue, and en-
gagement. It is committed to the
exploration and advancement of
the theory and practice of cultural
landscapes—the ecological under-
standing of place that reflects the
interconnected layers of built, nat-
ural, cultural and spiritual mean-
ing. The Centre provides the theo-
retical framework for the Diploma
Program, and connects Willow-
bank with the world around us.

2016-2017 WILLOWBANK ANNUAL REPORT 10

 WELCOMInG THE WORLD TO CAMPUS

• At the opening of the 2016-17 school year, Willowbank had the privilege of wel-
coming the Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell, Ontario’s 29th Lieutenant Gover-
nor. Her Honour was accompanied by Toronto-based diplomatic representatives
from 13 countries in South America, the Caribbean, Europe and Africa.

• One of the Centre’s key accomplishments is an agreement made in November

to host the Canada Chapter of the International Network for Traditional Building,
Architecture and Urbanism (INTBAU). Willowbank shares INTBAU’s commitment
to traditional skills and design, and in 2017 created an INTBAU fellowship to sup-
port a diploma student as they contribute to the organization’s work in Canada.

• Among some 500 delegates at the October conference of the National Trust for
Canada in nearby Hamilton, Willowbank students, graduates, staff and board
participated in discussions on heritage education, urban exploration and Hamil-
ton’s renaissance. The program included a study tour of Willowbank’s campus.

• The Society for the Study of Architecture in Canada’s conference in Niaga-

ra-on-the-Lake held its opening ceremonies on the Willowbank campus in May.
This year’s conference explored the theme of layered histories—ideas that are
central to Willowbank’s ecological approach and cultural landscape philosophy.

ENGAGING IN CONVERSATIONS AROund the WORLD

• In Quito, Ecuador, the United Nations Habitat III Conference convened deliber-
ations about the global urban agenda for sustainable human settlement. To
inform the summit, UNESCO published a report by the Willowbank Centre that
examined the role of culture for sustainable development in North America.

INTBAU is a global network of individuals and institu-

tions who support tradition in architecture, building
and urban design. Founded in 2001, it has 28 chap-
ters worldwide, and Canada’s focuses on local build-
ing traditions and issues of rapid urban development.
INTBAU and Willowbank share the patronage of
HRH The Prince of Wales. Learn more at intbau.org.

11 2016-2017 WILLOWBANK ANNUAL REPORT

 2.8K
Willowbank digital
5.6K
INTBAU members
subscribers & followers around the world

• In Montréal, a group of Willowbank students, staff and faculty associates joined

a roundtable about balancing tourism and heritage conservation in a world
heritage context at the University of Montréal, with students, theorists and practi-
tioners from Canada, the US, the UK, France, Turkey, Japan and Barbados.

• In Rochester, New York, Willowbank students, staff and board participated in the
signature session of the Landmark Society of Western New York’s annual con-
ference, on the topic of preserving the traditional trades. The annual statewide
conference brings together a range of participants involved in preservation.

• In Toronto, Director of the Willowbank Centre, Julian Smith, presented at “Toron-

to’s Cultural Heritage Landscapes: From Plan to Action”, hosted by the Commu-
nity Preservation Panels of Toronto in association with the City of Toronto. The
public forum included a range of practitioners working with historic places.

• Interviewed in the September 2016 issue of one of Canada’s most-read maga-

zines, Canadian Geographic, Julian Smith reached millions of readers by sharing
his perspectives about the Willowbank model, the links between cultural heritage
and sustainability, and Canada’s role in the evolution of sustainable cities. The
magazine is published by the Royal Canadian Geographical Society.

• Willowbank’s 2016-17 Susan Buggey Cultural Landscape Fellow was Chloe

Richer, who participated in the National Trust conference and studied the Che-
doke Estate in Hamilton. Previous recipient and third-year student Patrick Brown
completed an internship at the UNESCO World Heritage Centre in Paris, France.

SUMMER FIELD SCHOOLS

• Willowbank launched its first ever field school in Canada at Sainte-Marie among
the Hurons near Midland, Ontario, an early site of contact between the Wendat
peoples and settlers. Participants from across Canada worked to conserve his-
toric stone masonry under the guidance of Willowbank faculty associates.

2016-2017 WILLOWBANK ANNUAL REPORT 12

Graduate Nigel Molaro and Centre Director Julian Smith
ADAM SCOTTI/PMO
with the Prime Minister on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.

Encyclopedia of French Cultural

ASTRID IDLEWILD Heritage in North America

2016-17 Susan Buggey Cultural Willowbank’s first Canadian field school at

Landscape Fellow Chloe Richer. Sainte-Marie among the Hurons, Ontario.

13 2016-2017 WILLOWBANK ANNUAL REPORT

 On the eve of 2017, the Centre’s director, Julian
Smith, was named a Member of the Order of
Canada, one of Canada’s highest civilian hon-
ours. As executive director from 2008-2014,
Julian has been instrumental in establishing
Willowbank’s pioneering approaches. He shares
this extraordinary recognition with another of
Willowbank’s founders, the late Laura Dodson.

• Through its partnership with the Prince’s Foundation for Building Community
(PFBC), a UK-based leader in sustainable development and traditional building
skills education, and with the continued support of the Dalglish Family Founda-
tion, Willowbank sent both a diploma student and a faculty associate to experi-
ence the Foundation’s celebrated summer school in England and Scotland.

• In Puglia, Italy, Willowbank continued to collaborate on a field school with the

Fornello Sustainable Preservation Project. This year’s school worked to stabilize
historic caves with Byzantine frescos and drystone walling, and incorporated the
cultural landscape of the Altamura area and its local agricultural practices.

ACTIVITIES OF CENTRE ASSOCIATES

• Lisa Prosper, Centre Associate and the Centre’s director from 2012-2015, was
appointed to the Advisory Committee to Canada’s Minister of Environment and
Climate Change, to review applications for world heritage sites in Canada. Lisa
also helped to draft Mālama Honua, a commitment at the World Conservation
Congress of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in 2016
with the aim of further integrating natural and cultural conservation.

• Centre Associate Angela Garvey (Class of 2015) joined Lisa to help map a Cana-
dian perspective on cultural landscapes as part of Canada’s contribution to the
International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) General Assembly in
2017. She also participated in the Network in Canadian History and Environment
field school about gender and Indigenous landscapes, touring traditional territo-
ries of the Wendat, Haudenosaunee and Mississaugas of the New Credit.

2016-2017 WILLOWBANK ANNUAL REPORT 14

 8,000 BCE 1785 CE 1812 1834

Nomadic hunter- Scottish- A battleground in the Alexander Hamilton

gatherers start Canadian trader War of 1812, control and wife Hannah
making camps Robert Hamilton of the site changes Jarvis commission
at Willowbank, commercializes the several times before master builder John
suggesting regular site with Hamilton the British Army, Latshaw to build
use of its ravine off Wharf on the Niagara Canadian militia and the Greek Revival
the Niagara River to River and a portage Mohawk Chief John mansion, and they
begin the portage with a rail system Norton’s warriors name the property
around the Falls. pulled by horses. repel US troops. Willowbank.

HIST
Bluma and Bram Appel Barn on the estate campus.
JONATHAN CASTELLINO
 1934 1966 2003 2016-17

John Bright, Willowbank is bought Canada names Willowbank

descended from by the Congregation Willowbank a National celebrates its 10th
pioneers in Niagara’s of Missionary Sisters Historic Site, after anniversary as a
fruit and wine of Christian Charity it was saved from world-renowned
business, and his and becomes the demolition by the school of heritage
wife Dorothy buy and Holy Trinity Monastery Niagara-on-the-Lake conservation, giving
reorient the estate until 1980, caring Conservancy, Tom & vibrant purpose to
towards the new for women with Mary Bright Urban and its richly layered
Niagara Parkway. disabilities. Laura & Jim Dodson. campus.

TORY
W I L L OWBANK
CAMP US
View from the estate house onto the Canada-United States border.
COSMO CONDINA WILLOWBANK ANNUAL REPORT
17 2016-2017
WILLOWBANK CAMPUS

Willowbank’s historic campus—

an 1834 estate, a 1914 school-
house, an 10,000-year-old portage
route—represents more than an
architectural and cultural asset; it
is a living case study for students
of the School and a compelling
backdrop for the Centre’s program-
ming. It is a home for the evolu-
tion, development and expression
of our innovative approach, a new
paradigm that will have a deep and
lasting impact on the world.

2016-2017 WILLOWBANK ANNUAL REPORT 18

 INVESTING IN OUR NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE

• In 2016-17, Willowbank made a significant investment of over $1,000,000 to re-

habilitate the 1830s estate house at the centre of its National Historic Site prop-
erty and at the heart of Willowbank’s teaching and outreach activities. The invest-
ment has enabled this treasured landmark to be preserved and to meet modern
building code requirements so that it may continue to accommodate students,
faculty and the general public of all ages and abilities far into the future.

• A federal government contribution of $400,000 from Parks Canada’s Nation-

al Cost-Sharing Program for Heritage Places was matched by the Willow-
bank Foundation USA, through gifts from the Weathertop Foundation and the
Bright-Urban families in honour of Mary Bright Urban. Supplementary donations
were provided by the Willowbank Capital Fund and Dr. Elizabeth Oliver-Malone.
Board members Frank Racioppo and Clinton Brown provided in-kind donations.

• Both the house and its grounds have a new capacity for classes, tours, exhibi-
tions, public lectures and special events. The range of work in 2016-17 included:

1. Barrier-free access which includes a small elevator to service all floors

and a power assist door operation at the ground floor entrance.
2. Fire and life safety systems which include fire alarms, separations, emerg-
ency lighting and signage, sprinklers, a new hydrant and water services.
3. Major structural grades to internal walls, beams and joists to
secure an increased weight bearing capacity for public uses.
4. Mechanical and electrical upgrades including new wiring, heating,
cooling and ventilation to serve the whole building.
5. Extensive stabilization of historic plasterwork and repair of
decorative plasterwork in key areas of the building.

• The house contains significant early-19th century plaster walls, cornices and
ceilings, with period finishes, overlaid with various 20th-century interventions.
The skills of Johnny Doran, master plasterer and faculty associate, allowed these
layers to be retained and celebrated while inserting quality contemporary plaster-
work, combining the best of traditional knowledge with modern technology.

• The project team employed practitioners from across the Niagara Peninsula,
led by project architect Quartek Group and general contractor Duomax Devel-
opments. Student and graduate involvement in the series of investments to the
house in 2016-17 ranged from project management, to conserving wood win-
dows and plaster interiors, to traditional repointing of stone walls.

19 2016-2017 WILLOWBANK ANNUAL REPORT

 $1M+
invested into estate
95%
original building
house and grounds fabric preserved

Mike lewis/pspc Willowbank’s estate house upper floors undergoing repairs.

2016-2017 WILLOWBANK ANNUAL REPORT 20

 INTERPRETING A LAYERED CAMPUS

• In September 2016, Willowbank hosted a major stone festival open to the public.
Spanning three days over all parts of campus, the program featured short cours-
es in stone carving, blacksmithing, dry stone walling and historic mortars, a local
artisan market, and live performances by local musicians. Among the visiting
speakers was Canada’s Dominion Sculptor, Phil White, from Ottawa.

• Willowbank continues to welcome the renewed presence of local Indigenous

peoples on the landscape they once inhabited for millenia. This can be seen in
the Indigenous-led community garden established in 2014 on campus which
provides a space for traditional teachings and reconnection to these lands. This
year’s summer season opened with a planting of traditional medicines.

• In 2017, selected diaries of former Willowbank resident Hannah Peters Jarvis

were digitized and published online by the Rural Diary Archive at the University of
Guelph. Covering the period of 1842-1845, these diaries help to interpret the early
history of the 19th-century estate at the heart of the Willowbank campus.

• Willowbank also continued to welcome a wide range of groups to campus for

guided tours and private events. These included visitors from other advanced
educational institutions as well as those with ancestral links to the estate.

e
i n
Hamilton r
a
V
house
cemetery

east lawn

blacksmith shop lower campus

et
stre
nut
wal
pri

early
settlement
nce

barn
ss

d
roa
dee
n
ia
g
que

a
r
a
p
ens

a
r
k
w
ton

a court
y
str
eet

Vi l l a g e o f Q u e e n s t o n
playground
soccer
field

21 2016-2017 WILLOWBANK ANNUAL REPORT

Mike lewis/pspc
A diploma student in a stone carving course
in the Bluma and Bram Appel Barn.

RURAL DIARY ARCHIVE WILLOwBANK

One of the diaries of Hannah Peters Jarvis Plaster acanthus leaves being conserved
digitized by the Rural Diary Archive. in the Bright Salon of the estate house.

2016-2017 WILLOWBANK ANNUAL REPORT 22

STRUCTURE &
GOVERNANCE
The drafting studio in the lower campus schoolhouse.
JONATHAN CASTELLINO
STRUCTURE & GOVERNANCE

Willowbank’s operations are run

by a small and dedicated staff,
governed by a volunteer board of
directors. We operate within a hor-
izontal structure that reflects our
commitment to encouraging col-
laborative, community-based sys-
tems, and our programs draw on
the support of faculty associates
and volunteers. We are fortunate
to count HRH The Prince of Wales
as our Patron, a global leader in
the regeneration of historic places.

2016-2017 WILLOWBANK ANNUAL REPORT 24

 BOARD OF DIRECTORS

• Willowbank’s international Board of Directors was chaired in 2016-17 by Victoria

Broer. Victoria is a program coordinator with the Burton D. Morgan Foundation
in Cleveland, Ohio, where she also has experience as Head of School at the
Montessori High School at University Circle, and on the boards of the Cleveland
Botanical Garden/Holden Arboretum and Bratenahl Planning Commission.

• In addition to its regular meetings throughout the year, Board members under-
took a range of work through special committees on aspects of strategic di-
rection and staffing, land use planning and the estate house interiors, and ad-
vancement. The Board also benefited from the generous efforts of organizations
including the Canadian Advocacy Network and Prince’s Charities Canada.

ADVISORY COUNCIL

• Willowbank’s Advisory Council met twice in 2016-17, in Toronto and in Queen-

ston, and was chaired by George Dark, a planner and senior partner at Urban
Strategies in Toronto. The Council provides a forum to discuss emerging trends
and comprises leaders in the planning, design and conservation fields.

NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

• Willowbank appointed a new Executive Director, Janis Barlow, in August 2017.

Originally from St. Catharines, Janis practised as an arts and heritage consultant
across North America for nearly 30 years. She first achieved national recognition
for her role in the rehabilitation of Toronto’s landmark Elgin and Winter Garden
Theatres under the Ontario Heritage Trust, and has since collaborated with more
than 200 cultural institutions, from Vancouver to Halifax, and from to California
to Massachusetts. Outgoing Executive Director, Crystal Bossio, continues to con-
tribute to Willowbank as the Advisory Council’s newest member.

50/50 235+
gender balance on years of Board members’
Advisory Council experience combined

25 2016-2017 WILLOWBANK ANNUAL REPORT

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Victoria Broer BA (Chair) Judy MacLachlan BA, Order of Niagara

Cleveland, Ohio Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario
Burton D. Morgan Foundation Retired Educator

Stephen Bedford MCIP, RPP (Secretary) Nigel Molaro FRCGS, Alumnus ’15
St. Catharines, Ontario Toronto, Ontario
Urban Planner Heritage Planner, ERA Architects

Emily Bright BSc Elizabeth Oliver-Malone MD, FRCPC

Virgil, Ontario Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario
Past National Home Economist, Retired Anesthesiologist
Sears Canada
Frank Racioppo MBA, LLB (Treasurer)
Clinton Brown FAIA Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario
Buffalo, New York Founding Partner, RZCD Law Firm LLP
President, Clinton Brown Company President, Queenston Quarry
Architecture, PC Reclamation Ltd.

Patrick Little BA, LLB

St. Catharines, Ontario
Senior Partner, Heelis, Little & Almas, LLP

ADVISOry councIL

George Dark FCSLA, FASLA (Chair) Dale Jarvis

Toronto, Ontario St. John’s, Newfoundland & Labrador

Clinton Brown FAIA Michael McClelland OAA, FRAIC, CAHP

Buffalo, New York Toronto, Ontario

Victoria Angel FRCGS, CAHP David O’Hara OALA, RPP

Toronto/Ottawa, Ontario Toronto, Ontario

Crystal Bossio Alumna ‘13 Elaine O’Sullivan

Elliot Lake, Ontario Grand Valley, Ontario

Victoria Dickenson FCMA Sherry Pederson

Montréal, Quebec Toronto, Ontario

Robin Garrett Chris Wiebe

Niagara, Ontario Ottawa, Ontario

Myeengun Henry Ashley Wilson AIA, ASID

Kitchener, Ontario Washington, D.C.

2016-2017 WILLOWBANK ANNUAL REPORT 26

FIN AN C IA L
PO SIT ION
Traditional tools in Willowbank’s carpentry workshop.
JONATHAN CASTELLINO
27 2016-2017 WILLOWBANK ANNUAL REPORT
FINANCIAL POSITION

Willowbank is a non-profit chari-

table corporation. Our program-
ming relies on the contributions of
private donors and the generosity
of skilled faculty associates. The
school traces its roots to a group
of dedicated volunteers and do-
nors, led by the late Laura Dodson,
who rescued the historic, magnifi-
cent Hamilton-Bright estate which
today forms the heart of campus
at one of the world’s leading insti-
tutions in heritage education.

2016-2017 WILLOWBANK ANNUAL REPORT 28

 27%
reduction in debt
$1M+
received in capital
& pooled mortgage contributions

GENEROSITY OF DONORS

• An initial multi-million donation by the Weathertop Foundation at the direction

of the Bright-Urban Families, together with its continued support and wisdom,
have catapulted Willowbank into becoming one of the world’s leading institutions
in heritage education. Willowbank’s programming relies on the contributions of
private donors and the generosity of over 50 skilled faculty specialists.

• Willowbank receives vital support from contributors in both Canada and the
US. In Canada, Willowbank is registered charitable organization and in the US it
receives donations through the Willowbank Foundation USA, Inc., a 501(c) 3
organization. The Foundation is overseen by a volunteer board of directors
comprised of Victoria Broer, Andrew W. Dorn and Jordan Walbesser.

CAMPUS INVESTMENTS

• In 2016-17, Willowbank diverted funds towards requisite infrastructure improve-

ments to the historic estate house at the heart of campus. Over $1,000,000 was
invested to ensure the facility is safe, accessible, properly heated and ventilated
and flexible for educational, exhibit and public event uses. The Government of
Canada contributed $400,000 through Parks Canada. An occupancy permit for
the ground and main floors of the house was issued in September 2017.

FUTURE PRIORITIES

• Our highest priority continues to be sustaining our three-year Diploma Program

in heritage conservation and to supplement students’ tuition. We invite those
seeking a new mission and to expand their horizons to apply to Willowbank.

29 2016-2017 WILLOWBANK ANNUAL REPORT

Statement of Operations
and Financial Position
Audited statements at the close of the fiscal year on June 30, 2017

OPERATIONS 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17

Revenue 597,899 999,913 650,341 424,534

Expenses 607,630 685,751 610,457 487,083

Surplus / (Loss) (9,731) 251,644 39,884 (62,549)

Other Income - 62,518 - 373,033

Net Income (9,731) 314,162 39,884 310,484

BALANCE SHEET

ASSETS

Current Assets 43,195 127,710 437,427 561,717

Property & Equipment 3,742,789 3,718,480 3,795,368 4,181,414

Total Assets 3,785,984 3,846,190 4,232,795 4,743,131

LIABILITIES

Current Liabilities 260,306 167,475 84,696 212,372

Mortgage 998,618 887,493 887,493 650,000

Total Liabilities 1,258,924 1,054,968 972,189 862,372

Capital Contributions 400,454 350,454 779,954 1,089,622

Net Assets 2,126,606 2,440,768 2,480,652 2,791,136

Liabilities and Net Assets 3,785,984 3,846,190 4,232,795 4,743,131

2016-2017 WILLOWBANK ANNUAL REPORT 30

 ANNUAL DONORS 2016-17
Every donation is deeply appreciated and carefully utilized by Willowbank
to further our unique educational program and maintain our historic
properties with the practical assistance of our students. Donations are
made to Willowbank in Canada and to the Willowbank Foundation USA.

$8,000+ $50-250 Alumni &

Faculty Gifts
Prince’s Charities Canada – John and Gail Benjafield
The Dalglish Family Foundation Victoria Broer Lori D. Anglin
Dr. Elizabeth Oliver-Malone Gary and Sarah Burroughs Crystal Bossio
Tom and Mary Urban Barbara Chipman Sahra Campbell*
Weathertop Foundation John and Jeanne Codrington Elaine Eigl
Margaret Deane Spencer Higgins
Oliver Faggie Megan Hobson*
$1,000-7,500+ Mario Ferrara François and Renée Leblanc
Robin Garrett Douglas McCalla
Stephen Bedford Cheryl Grace Victoria Emma Mitchell
Bosley Real Estate Robert Kennedy Hamilton Alex Pientka*
Catherine and Maxwell Meighen Joanne Haynes Wendy Shearer
Foundation John Holdom Craig Sims
Andrew and Teresa Dorn Juliet Huntley and Michael Cooke
Niagara Falls Bridge Commission Julian Jaffary In Memory of
National Trust for Canada Judith James Hugh Farrell
Niagara Community Foundation Jacqueline Johnson
Niagara Investment in Culture Jones & O’Connel LLP Mark and Gail Appel
Niagara-on-the-Lake Conservancy Wayne Kay Clinton Brown
Quartek Group Inc. Lynne Kurylo Gary and Sarah Burroughs
Regional Municipality of Niagara Patricia Lamb Penny and Stan Connors
Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake Leslie Langdon Merrijoy Kelner
Christopher Wiebe Sandra Lawrence and Geoffrey and Lorraine Joyner
Margie Zeidler Charles Jackson Alfred and Nancy Mouget
James and Shirley Lockhart Robert and Nancy Philips
Sarah P. Lynch Anita Robertson
$300-900 Judith MacLachlan Philip and Marg Seaton
James and Virginia Mainprize Paul and Marilyn Shepherd
Ann-Louise Branscombe Fund at Andrew Mason Dr. Blossom Wigdor
Niagara Community Foundation Paul and Betsy Masson
George F. Dark Phillys Pharo *In memory of faculty
Patrick Devine Canon David Ricketts associate Paul Jacobson
Huebel Grapes Estates Ltd. Nadine Roden
Jack and Barbara Lowry Mary Gwen and Eloise Marie
Ontario Power Generation Schumacher
Susan Peacock Peggy Walker
Ted Pigott and Barb Hunsberger
Foundation
Smith & Barber Sculpture Atelier Inc.
Tim Vine
Mark Wronski

31 2016-2017 WILLOWBANK ANNUAL REPORT

JULIAN SMITH Envisioned reconstruction on campus of a 1910s
greenhouse from the Rand Estate in Niagara.

DONATIONS Callum Shedden, Daniels DONATIONS Bruce and Jill Barber

OF IN-KIND and Partners OF PRODUCTS Janis Barlow
SERVICES Devine Park LLP & GOODS Donald Chapman
ERA Architects Constellation Brands, Inc.
Heelis, Little & Almas LLP Creek Road Benjamin Moore
Huronia National Parks Pierre du Prey
Larry’s Rentals Dr. Peter Ennals
Martyr’s Shrine Jackson-Triggs Winery
Nigel Molaro Allen Kovach
Aaron Moukperian Lee Valley Tools
Niagara Kayak Rentals Kate MacMillan Hamilton
RCZD Law Firm LLP North Country Slate
South Landing Inn Oast House Brewery
Taylor Hazell Architects Queenston Quarry
Warren Mechanical Reif Estate Winery
Plumbing & Heating Traditional Cut Stone Ltd.
Woodbourne Inn Upper Canada Stone Company
Tim Vine

2016-2017 WILLOWBANK ANNUAL REPORT 32

Willowbank faculty associate Bill German sketching at the Prince’s Summer School, London, UK. RICHARD IVEY

Willowbank Cover Image

14487 Niagara Parkway Students in Hamilton’s Cannon Knitting Mills.
Queenston, Ontario L0S 1L0
JONATHAN CASTELLINO
www.willowbank.ca
willowbank@willowbank.ca
Back Cover Image
Charitable Registration Number Willowbank estate house on its National Historic Site.
in Canada 891476400RR0001
COSMO CONDINA

Printed at Burtnik Printing, Inc.

in St. Catharines, Ontario, on certified
Forest Stewardship Council papers.
Willowbank’s unique
diploma program in
heritage conservation
is helping ensure
future generations
have the skills to
continue important
work on our most
”
important buildings.

The Honourable Carla Qualtrough PC, MP

Canada’s Minister of Public Services and Procurement
Ottawa, September 28, 2017

2016-2017 WILLOWBANK ANNUAL REPORT 34

willowbank . ca