Originally erected in the early 20th century as a shelter for cruise ship passengers, the Ward’s Island Landing Stage had deteriorated throughout the 1970s and was then completely disassembled, lying in a heap in a field. Island residents located and stored the discarded sections for the last 40 years until the community conceived of a new public space called Willow Square. The scope of heritage conservation work included restoration of the wrought iron components, replication of missing decorative elements using both traditional and contemporary blacksmithing techniques and the fabrication of new wood benches integrated within the design.

This adaptive reuse project speaks to the importance of local communities in playing a leading role in the conservation of our heritage resources.

Kelly Gilbride (B. Arch, B. Eng, P. Eng)
Sam Trigila