In 2024, National Trust Donors and Supporters Gather in Vancouver, Calgary and Montreal

Over the course of the last half of 2024, the National Trust was delighted to connect with members, donors and special friends in Vancouver, Calgary and Montreal.

Patricia Kell, Executive Director, and The National Trust’s Board of Governors hosted some 120 guests at heritage landmarks across the country – a time to thank you, our giving community, for your tremendous support of the National Trust’s work collaborating with communities to sustain heritage across Canada. Joined by a number of former Governors, we were also pleased to share with you news of our work at the National Trust, which this year included the revitalizing our Mission:

The National Trust for Canada brings people together to care for and promote heritage places.

And so, these events were important opportunities for the National Trust “to bring people together”. We were interested to learn from you all, and to hear about the regional heritage issues having national impact where you are. We also celebrated together some unique heritage success stories and learned of those emerging heritage challenges that need support.

Celebrating Heritage Together in Vancouver at the Segal Building, Granville Street, Beedie School of Business, Simon Fraser University

Guests joined us for a wonderful evening at the magnificent Segal Building in downtown Vancouver in August. Originally designed by the Seattle based architects Somervell and Putnam in 1916 as a Merchants Bank, it was taken over by the Bank of Montreal as their Vancouver headquarters in 1923-24. More recently, it was bought by local philanthropist and businessman Joe Segal, sensitively restored and expanded in 2005 by Paul Merrick Architecture for Simon Fraser University, and is now the Beedie Graduate School of Business, SFU.

The event was held in the Founders Hall, and we were thrilled to be joined by Vancouver region friends, including former Governors Michael Kluckner (Chair), Judy Oberlander, Rosemary Mahaler and 2023 John Edwards Volunteer Conference Bursary recipient Orville Lim, an advocate for Vancouver’s Chinatown.

Neighbours: Lougheed House National & Provincial Historic Site and the Ranchmans Club, Calgary, two landmarks on the same Avenue

In August, Calgary supporters were treated to a behind the scenes restoration tour of Lougheed House led by Trudy Cowan, former Chair of the Board of Governors, National Trust. Lougheed House is the only member of the National Trust Passport Places Network in the Calgary region and is also a past participant in the National Trust’s Launch Pad Coaching Grant Program.

Lougheed House, also known as Beaulieu, was home to Senator James Alexander Lougheed, Lady Isabella Hardisty Lougheed, their six children and staff. (The Senator and Lady Lougheed were Premier Peter Lougheed’s grandparents). This grand sandstone prairie mansion, built in 1891, has had a number of ‘adaptive reuses’ during the postwar era – a home for women’s training programs, the Canadian Women’s Army Corps and the Red Cross — before becoming a provincial historic site in 1995.

Co-hosted with Heritage Calgary, the evening included a reception at the historic Ranchmans Club, itself a significant part of Calgary’s early story and a neighbour of Lougheed House, located right across the street. Thank you to Morris Flewwelling, former Governor, and his wife Hazel who joined us from Red Deer and to Ingrid Cazakoff, Chair, National Trust for Canada Board of Governors who drove across the prairies from Shaunavon, Saskatchewan for the special gathering. Thanks to Heritage Calgary, Chair Christine Leppard and her team for hosting us at the Ranchmans!

Annual Conference VIP & Donor Reception: The Maison Forget, Montreal

The National Trust hosts a regional VIP & Donor Reception during the Annual Conference, which takes place in different cities across Canada each year. This past November in Montreal, we had the unique opportunity to gather at the remarkable Maison Forget, located in the heart of the Golden Square Mile, on Sherbrooke Street W. A very special thank you to Rosemary Wagner, Canadian Federation of the Friends of Museums, and the Macdonald Stewart Foundation for the invitation to celebrate heritage in this unique piece of Montreal history.

The evening featured tours of the Maison, where guests learned of the significant contributions of the Forgets to Montreal, viewing the collections of the family and taking in the remarkable interiors. Maria Raymond and Louis-Joseph Forget were married in 1876; in 1882 Maria Raymond bought the land for their house, the design of which is attributed to architect Maurice Perrault. The slate mansard roof is characteristic of Second Empire architecture, while the sober cut limestone facade is more English in its expression.

Guests from the Quebec region, and from across Canada joined us along with the 2024 recipients of the Herb Stovel Scholarship and the John Edwards Conference Volunteer Bursary, donor-funded initiatives supporting and representing the work of the next generation and that of heritage advocates across the country. Thank you to all who attended this annual gathering — a rare opportunity for all of us — donors, members, and supporters from across the country, to celebrate our collective accomplishments, with an eye to what’s possible when we all work together to ensure heritage is a sustainable part of our collective future.

A special thank you to National Trust staff member Mackenzie Collette who wowed us with her piano playing on the period piano.

 

Kirstin Evenden, Director, Business Development and Partnerships 

 

Kirstin Evenden is the Director of Business Development and Partnerships at the National Trust for Canada, based in Ottawa, where she leads fund development, sponsorship, and programs.