Ruth Baumann
AUDIO INTERVIEW
SUMMARY
January 30, 2019
00:01 WBCA: (Wychwood Barns Community Association): JOINED in late 2007, from an ad in Joe Mihevc’s newsletter.
01:40 WBCA BOARD COMPOSITION: Late 2007: Because of recent political turmoil in the community over buildings’ use were seeking members who had not been involved in that.
02:16 BARNS TIMELINE: Nov 2008 Timing construction and opening of new facility in Nov. 2008. Barns hidden by hoardings when Board first formed.
03:12 Mar 2008 new board first meeting still snow inside the building, walls not up in apartments. Didn’t know yet who residential tenants would be.
04:04 WBCA BOARD COMPOSITION: Original WBCA board composition and how it has changed
04:51 WBCA BOARD: Rationale: Informal agreement with community was that WBCA would represent community interests and community use of the Barns to ensure that community had access to the space.
05:45 WBCA ROLE: Barn 2 and Gallery: Originally WBCA was asked to rent and operate the Gallery and the open space called Barn 2, or Covered Barn, though WBCA were volunteers with no budget and no experience in managing gallery or event space.
07:00 BARNS PARTNERS: Artscape and STOP: Artscape developed Barns 1,2,3 and STOP developed Barn 4. Each did their own fundraising
08:08 Artscape and City: Describes set up. Barns run on cost recovery basis, Barn 1 run by Artscape Not-for-Profit Homes with City’s Affordable Housing office. Books totally separate from Barns 2 and 3.
09:21 BARNS ORGANIZATION: 2008: Describes model for Barns, who occupy which spaces, who was responsible for which spaces, rents would be for artist tenants and organizational tenants.
10:40 Work-Only Spaces: Where and how many?
11:40 WBCA ROLE: Barn 2: Prior to opening: WBCA would be a tenant. Would oversee community use of Barn 2, and pay operating costs.
12:34 WBCA ROLE: Barn 2 / BARNS:CHALLENGES: Financial:
Early estimates seemed workable. “Over at Hungarian House along St. Clair they get $3000 for a wedding. We think that it’s going to cost $40,00 a year to operate that covered street. If you could have 14 weddings....you would cover the operating costs laughs...None of us had ever done this” By June learned that organizational tenants’ rents in Barn 3 were increased beyond original estimate.
14:13 Aug 2008 heard that operational cost estimate had doubled. From $38,000 to $72,000. Board got cold feet.
14:48 BARNS PARTNERS: Artscape and WBCA: WBCA had no money so agreement made with Artscape to take over operation of Barn 2 and provide a set number of community days free for community use.
15:08 BARNS TIMELINE: Jan 2009 Building ready for occupancy, discovered problems.
15:20 WBCA ROLE: Gallery: “We were pretty excited about it but...” Gallery had no storage, heating problem. “Couldn’t get it above 15 degrees celsius...When we had meetings people were sitting there in their coats”.
16:14 BARNS PARTNERS: Artscape and City: Both were determined conversion would be a shining example of good environmental practice...deeply respectful of the heritage nature of buildings. Also became the two biggest constraints.
16:50 BARNS LAYOUT: Geothermal field installed to heat residential units in Barn 1, Studios and offices in Barns 3,and residual heat to Barn 2. Cistern under Barn 2 captures rainwater from the roof to use for grey water.
17:54 BARNS’ CHALLENGES: Financial: Artscape’s cost of renovation higher than estimate, organizational rents had to bumped up, sometimes beyond their means.
18:36 BARNS LAYOUT: Residential: Residential rents under City’s social housing program, residents are combo of market rent and subsidies.
19:30 WBCA ROLE: Gallery Heating: Board said gallery not usable. Artscape had baseboard heaters installed.
19:56 WBCA Fundraiser 2008 / WBCA ROLE: Gallery: Fall of 2008 Gala raised $60, - 70K seed money to cover rent (then 24K) and operating costs until rentals could cover expenses.
20:25 WBCA ROLE: Gallery 2016: Cost of operating the gallery nearly bankrupted WBCA. Rentals couldn’t cover rent and operational costs. Gave over Gallery operation to Artscape.
21:18 BARNS: GALLERY: Challenges and Solutions: No office, very little storage, big windows reduced wall space.
First Show: Peter McKendrick, photographer and community advocate for conversion was first show. With permission he drywalled windows above eye level to create more exhibit space.
22:20 BARNS CHALLENGES: Storage: Long term use hadn’t been thought through carefully. There was no space to store tables and chairs in Barn 2 for events so would have to use rentals. One of the developers donated cash used to purchase round tables and some chairs. And Artscape gave up one organizational space in Barn 2 for storage. Artscape gave up one work studio space for a type of kitchen space. Room set aside for Parks and Rec to store tools, has been used by caterers.
25:41 Community Events: These challenges mean Events required costly professional caterers and equipment suppliers, etc. Community events were supposed to be were free or low cost so really difficult to run successfully.
26:16 FARMERS MARKET: Always knew the existing Farmers’ Market would move into Barns but no clear negotiation about how space would be used or what charges would be before the opening.
26:57 BARNS PARTNERS: STOP Community Food Centre: Ruth explains what they do in the community at large. They saw Barns 4 as a space for greenhouses, community kitchen. Also expand existing farmers market. Farmers Market now year-round. Together with Cafe, significant revenue source for STOP.
28:32 STOP: Incubator for food businesses: Cookie Roscoe could tell you about this. “The STOP has had some incubation food businesses...Syrians, Tibetans, [and others] who have launched little food businesses...Market given them a place to be vendors...//seeds for the future// launched at Farmers’ Market”.
30:03 BARNS’ CHALLENGES: Financial: Between March and Sept estimates of operating costs almost quadrupled from $38K to $140K.
30:36: WBCA ROLE: Financial Barriers: Huge enthusiasm turned to continuing struggle to stay solvent. Had 24 rent free days in Barn 2 but they came with many miscellaneous costs. Always a struggle to run community events.
32:29 BARNS’ CHALLENGES: Sound Problems: Barn 2 In first year used by some large businesses or organizations for conference type events. Soon discovered serious issues with acoustics. No sound system in place. Lots of work done around sound abatement but still a problem.
33:40 BARNS PARTNERS: Development Fees: Huge amount of assistance was provided by Joe Mihevc by getting development fees for new developments to go towards needed upgrades for the Barns’ sound abatement and lighting system. Sound equipment purchased.
34:39 BARNS’ CHALLENGES: Sound: Basic wiring in place but technicians had to be hired to operate sound equipment.
39:14 Lost Re-Bookings: Hard to get repeat clients “If the people at your conference couldn’t hear your keynote speaker, still, you probably wouldn’t want to come back.”
39:33 Heritage:“The Heritage stuff says can’t mess with brick walls”.
36:04 WBCA ROLE: Successes: Community Association had some big successes.
37:26 Stone Soup Diners: “They were crazy, they were a lick and a promise. (explains how they were set up)...We were pushing 300... and I remember the day of the numbers had gone so high that somebody did a run to Costco to buy rotisserie chickens to make more soup!” People sat with people they didn’t know from the neighbourhood. Families came. It was a very multi-generational event...Very stressful... you don’t know if you were going to have enough...It worked out the first time, and it worked out the second time. It wasn’t clear it would work out a third time”.
39:39 Boo at the Barns: BOO at the Barns started out as a fairly low key event for kids...got cranked up quite a bit...continues to run...pre-Hallowe’en event for kids 3-11 years old with many events both free and minimal charge. (Describes event) Became almost too successful.
41:02 100th anniversary of St. Clair Streetcar: The other major success the community organization had...100th. This Oral History project grew out of that.... Discover St. Clair app. Volunteers developed City of Toronto Heritage Walk, ran an academic Symposium on Transportation etc.
42:11 BARNS’ TIMELINE: 1913: Before the St. Clair Streetcar line was built, most of the streetcar lines in Toronto were privately owned...didn’t want to come to St. Clair because there weren’t enough people..important to put the streetcar line in to bring the people there....in 20 years St. Clair went from open fields to built architecture that’s there now.
43:48 HISTORY OF ST.CLAIR: Prior to 1913: At that time everything north of St. Clair... all city services, events , stopped at St. Clair. Services created after the streetcar line went in.
44:32 Lot Size: Residential built architecture here are mostly from the ‘20s...see teeny tiny houses...much older...go back to a time...lots north of St. Clair were even narrower... some 12-14 ft wide houses...recut lots as 25’ lots...along Pinewood, Humewood, Rushton...smaller lots on parts of Kenwood, Wychwood, Hopkins and Ellsworth have these smaller lots. By 1920’s 25 ft. lots.
46:10 WBCA FUNDRAISING: Joe Mihevc gave us archival photos, and City of Toronto Archives allowed association to offer reprints for $5 donation. Got people interested in the history of their neighbourhood.
47:26: Heritage photographs: “In some respects, I would say that the Heritage photographs and some of the Heritage stuff became as much of an engagement vehicle as some of the events we were trying to put on” It got people interested in the history of their neighbourhood and this is one of the things that has been sustained. This initial success, that turned into the Oral History project, also brought about the 100th anniversary project.
48:34 WBCA CHALLENGES: Long term challenge - lack of reliable funding for part-time staff needed to guide volunteers and to do event management.
49:03 WBCA FUNDRAISING: Solar on Barns’ Roof: 2013: Twice made application to the province for funding to install solar panels to create revenue source. Project stalled when Toronto Hydro said couldn’t take any more electricity. In 2016 Toronto Hydro reopened project and WBCA started project all over again. Joe thought might be able to cover capital costs with development fees. May still come through.
52:04 ST. CLAIR STREETCAR: Right of Way: Building of the Right of Way for streetcar contentious. But now works well. Transit better, more investment in the commercial streetscape...more shops...some places went under during that time...now a lot of interest.
53:12 SHOPS: Coffee Shops/Nail Salons: “We may have too many nail salons and coffee shops right now (laughing)” … “But those coffee shops are really busy. And it has become a very young neighbourhood.”
53:33 TRANSIT: Why moved in: “We ended up here in 1974… my husband worked at York University...I taught at Eglinton and Mount Pleasant...We had one car” This was a neighbourhood where Ruth could get to work by transit and her husband didn’t have to cross the whole city. “We wanted to be central.”
53:58 DEMOGRAPHICS: 1974 Real estate: “At that point in time this was an area that just unknown, it wasn’t—it had no cachet, It was kind of un-cachet. We were able to buy a 2 storey house that was largely untouched since 1925.”
54:33 LIFE OF A CHILD / STREET LIFE: Hallowe’en: In 1974, “Hallowe’en was dead”. Then families with kids started moving in. By 1984, “All of a sudden it started to take off. And from that day to this we probably get 150-200 kids on Hallowe’en”.
55:18 DEMOGRAPHICS: 1974: “When we moved in the people in the house next to us werethe original owners. They were an elderly couple with an adult daughter who must have been at least 50 herself.” “There were a few other houses I think. The house 2 doors north of us had an original owner. There are several people on the street who have been here about as long as we’ve been.”
56:12 RESTAURANTS: Wasn’t originally focussed on St. Clair.
56:42 “So Mezzetta’s been there for 25 years, I think. Maybe 26 or 27....Yeah...There was a restaurant there before them that was called the Blue Door, that was a Greek restaurant, a fish restaurant. That’s probably the first restaurant I went to on any regular basis in that neighbourhood.”Listed other restaurants, and theatres: Ferro, Filippo's,Vaughan Theatre etc.
57:37 STREET LIFE / DEMOGRAPHICS: Changes: “There’s been a huge change in that way. And a huge change, I think, in the number of people who instead of this just being like a bedroom community, people who actually go out onto St. Clair to eat, to shop”.
58:02 SHOPS: Still around: “Probably the first stores we found on St. Clair that we frequented were the paint store and hardware stores..Some of those people are still there! Maple Paint, Hillcrest Hardware” The Hungarian deli near Rushton.
58:27 SHOPS: Jerry’s: “When My daughter was...in the early ‘90s. I’m sure these were not new then, but she discovered West Indian places that she would pass on her way home from school.... Jerry’s particularly.”
“At one point she was flirting with vegetarianism. when she was about 12. And she said, you know, could we try being vegetarian? I said, ‘I’ll do that for a week.’[laughter.] That was a Monday. And she gets home from school, on the way home she says, ‘I don’t think this is gonna work mom.’ She said, ‘I stopped at Jerry’s for a patty on my way home. And I’d already eaten it when I realized it had meat in it. [laughter]”
59:38 BARNS AS COMMUNITY HUB: Farmers’ Market: “I think the Barns has contributed in a lot of good ways.”
59:47: “I like to tell the story of the first Farmers’ Market at the Barns, inside the Barns. And we went over to the Farmers’ Market that morning and we ran into at least 10 people. So this would have been 2009. We ran into at least 10 people we had not seen, in 2009 our daughter would have been 24. People we had not seen since she was in nursery school or elementary school....”
1:00:28 “All these people came out to see the Farmers’ Market. To see the buildings. And all of a sudden we’re having all these conversations in the corridors. And the lanes, whatever you call them at the Farmers’ Market with people we hadn’t seen in years”.
1:00:44 BARNS AS COMMUNITY HUB Playground: “It took a couple of years before the playground went in. Artscape doesn’t control any, Artscape has something like 10 inches around the building...of the exterior. And everything else is City. So it took awhile for the City to put the park equipment in.
1:01:20 Community Magnet: “And I would say between the Farmers’ Market in terms of on going community life, the Farmers Market and the playground are the things that just draw people in. And when there are events, public events, that use the outdoor space or the indoor space, whether it is a free event like Boo at the Barns, or whether it’s an event like the ones where they get the food vendors in. Like Soupalicious, or Gluten Free Garage. “So there’s a range of affordability on those.” Ceramic and Glass show every fall, not ticketed, does well.
1:02:38 BARNS CHALLENGES: Communication: Still hard to find out when events are. No money for scrolling screens, who will maintain it?
1:03:18 DEMOGRAPHICS: Young families / BARNS: Neighbourhood Magnet: “For a real estate agent to able to say now that a house is near the Wychwood Barns is clearly a big plus. I think partly because of the affordability and the transportation, the affordability seems to be fleeting, not so affordable any more, but it became... ten, fifteeN years ago a big magnet neighbourhood for young families...who didn’t want to be out in the suburbs but find a house here they could afford. That has changed.”
1:04:30 SHOPS: New businesses coming in “We used to talk about some addresses seeming to be cursed, that nothing thrives in at those particular spots. And then someone moves in and it works..Right time, right, right time.”
1:05:20 SCHOOLS: Daycare was an issue for them so it meant went to school at McMurrich, not Humewood. Middle school at Winona, then Oakwood for high school.
1:07:56 Neighbourhood schools: “From my perspective there were just so many pluses of meeting kids that were in the neighbourhood, being able to get around the neighbourhood by yourself... you didn’t have to be transported.”