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www.heritagevancouver.org/bulletin/bulletin_20100311.html
The Future of the Bloedel Conservatory
Thursday, March 18, 2010 | 6:45pm to 9:00pm
Location: The Museum of Vancouver, 1100 Chestnut St.
Admission: $5:00; Heritage Vancouver Members free
No advance registration is required. Registration at 6:45, Conversation at 7:00
 The future of The Bloedel Conservatory, the iconic, avant-garde geodesic structure at the apex of Queen Park, is uncertain. Since it was created as the City of Vancouver’s 1967 Centennial project, the Conservatory has contributed significantly to our community.
During the 2010 budget review the Vancouver Park Board announced it could no longer afford to operate the Bloedel Conservatory. The Park Board has issued a Request for Expressions of Interest for ideas for the future use of the facility in a similar or new capacity. The Park Board says it will continue to operate the Conservatory until April 30th 2010 plus the additional month or two required to evaluate and finalize an agreement with the new operator.
The Bloedel Conservatory is significant for its historical, symbolic, cultural, technological and social contribution. With its exotic birds and plants, this extension of the city’s horticultural tradition was built to be a place of enjoyment and education for residents and visitors to our city.
The Conservatory reflects the spirit of community philanthropy. Prentice Bloedel, wishing to have his name associated with the cultural development of the city, donated 1.25 million dollars of the 1.4 million dollar cost of the Conservatory and the famous Henry Moore sculpture on the Conservatory plaza, as a gift to our community.
In 1969 in its first year of operation the Conservatory welcomed 500,000 visitors and in 1971 it won the first Vincent Massey Award for Excellence in the urban environment.
The Bloedel Conservatory is one of Canada’s Historic Places and is listed as a class A heritage building on the City of Vancouver’s Heritage Register.
Heritage Vancouver welcomes May Brown, former Park Board Commissioner and City Councilor; Bill McCreery, heritage architect and former Park Board Commissioner; and Raymond Greenwood, a destination promoter, known affectionately as “Mr. Fireworks”. They will talk about how the Conservatory contributes to our community and what we might do to ensure this unique resource is preserved for our community in the future.
Uncertainty about the future of the Bloedel Conservatory raises questions about the future of all of our community heritage resources.
This is an opportunity to contribute your ideas on what could happen at the Bloedel Conservatory and what we might do to protect, preserve, and increase the contribution of our heritage structures in the future.
For additional information info@heritagevancouver.org
2.0 AIBC Non-Core LUs
Wednesday, March 24, 2010 | 6:45pm to 9:45pm
Saturday, April 17, 2010 | 1pm to 5pm
Thursday, April 22, 2010 | 5:30pm to 8:30pm
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