Places That Matter

Marking 125 historic sites that matter to Vancouverites

Can you think of people, places and events that have shaped Vancouver? The Vancouver Heritage Foundation is asking Vancouverites to get involved in nominating 125 sites – Places That Matter – where plaques will be mounted commemorating people, places and events that helped to shape our city.

The Vancouver Heritage Foundation (VHF) is asking the public to identify and mark 125 sites commemorating historic people, places and events that have shaped the city as a way to celebrate Vancouver’s 125th anniversary this year. The nominations are open until April 6 and a special event will be held at the downtown branch of the Vancouver Public Library on Saturday, February 26, 2011 to spur on the public nomination process:

Vancouver Heritage Foundation
Places That Matter – Public Nomination Day
Saturday. February 26, 2011
10 am – 4 pm
Vancouver Public Library (VPL) entrance concourse, 350 West Georgia Street (downtown)

This event will be a great opportunity to ask questions, view the sites nominated so far and add your own suggestions to the Vancouver map. VHF staff and volunteers will be on-site and there will be maps of the city where people can mark their places, computers with wifi, nomination forms, and if you have an image of your site you will have the opportunity to upload your nomination on the spot.

Around the world plaques are used to animate public spaces, create points of interaction for pedestrians, and provide education to locals and tourists. Today these plaques make use of smart phone technology to link to more information.

PROJECT TIMELINE
• Nominations for Places That Matter can be made online at www.vancouverheritagefoundation.org from February 1st to March 15th.
• From March 16th, until April 6th (The City’s 125th birthday) the public will be able to vote, on the same website, for their favourite nominated sites.
• A Site Selection Committee, comprised of a diverse group of local historians, artists, students, heritage consultants, writers and educators, will select the final 125 plaque sites to be marked.
• Over the summer the sites will be researched, and the plaque text will be written.
• In the fall the plaques will be manufactured locally and installed. Along with the plaques the VHF will launch a website mapping the locations and text of the plaques.

The Vancouver Heritage Foundation is an award-winning not-for-profit organization dedicated to education, public awareness and granting programs that develop a culture in the city that is supportive of the repair, rehabilitation and reuse of older buildings. For more information visit www.vancouverheritagefoundation.org.

For information call Diane Switzer at the VHF at 604.264.9642 diane@vancouverheritagefoundation.org