Photo courtesy Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba

The Dominion Exhibition Display Building II (Brandon, Man.), has been identified as one of the country's most endangered historic buildings. Recognized by the province as a "rare surviving example of agricultural buildings constructed in Manitoba," the building now borders on collapse due to rapid deterioration.

The West Coast's oldest vaudevillian theatre and an Ontario observatory housing the country's largest telescope are two of Canada's buildings closest to extinction, according to Heritage Canada Foundation (HCF). Last week, the preservation society released its fifth annual "Top 10 Most Endangered Places List." The architectural and heritage sites are chosen based on their significance, the demolition threat, and community support for preservation. Neglect, lack of funding, inappropriate development, and poor legislation are cited as causes for risk.

HCF's top 10 list includes:
• Pantages Theatre (Vancouver), the country's oldest remaining vaudeville house, facing demolition partly due to lack of resources and city council support;
• David Dunlap Observatory and Park (Richmond Hill, Ont.), associated with Canada's international accomplishments in astronomy, threatened by residential and commercial development;
• Franciscan Sisters Missionaries of Mary Monastery and Chapel (Quebec City), a lavishly decorated 19^th-century building, unoccupied for more than two decades, facing demolition for condominium development;
• Dominion Exhibition Display Building II (Brandon, Man.), a National Historic Site and agricultural monument, on the brink of collapse due to lack of funds for rehabilitation; and
• St. Mary's Community School (Saskatoon), the city's oldest Catholic school, slated for demolition to create a green space.

According to HCF's executive director Natalie Bull, the list draws attention to places at risk while playing a strategic role.

"There are a handful of root causes that make it challenging for Canadians to keep historic places alive, and we use the list as a platform to advocate for systemic change," she told Construction Canada Online. "For example, many of the listed sites would likely not get to the point of demolition if Canada had a substantial and predictable rehabilitation tax incentive. The U.S. government put their rehab tax incentive in place in the 1970s, and it has been hugely successful in attracting investors, managing the nature of heritage development, and ultimately sparking the revitalization of whole neighbourhoods and districts. Canada desperately needs a program like that."

The complete top 10 list with details is available at Heritage Canada Foundation's website.

Photo courtesy Carla Vonn Warden

The David Dunlap Observatory and Park in Richmond Hill, Ont., has been associated with various international discoveries. With its 1.88-m (74-in.) telescope, the rotating copper observatory dome is home to important findings in astronomy, such as C.T. Bolton's discovery of the first stellar-mass black hole in the universe. Despite being a cultural and scientific landmark, the site is threatened by new development.