Local Architectural Conservation Advisory Committees (LACAC)
The Old Court House in St. Catharines, as featured in Discovering St. Catharines' Heritage: the Old Town.
Local Architectural Conservation Advisory Committees (LACAC) were established after the Ontario Heritage Act was enacted in 1974. The committees were appointed by Municipal Councils to advise on heritage matters within their communities. Over the years, the work of these committees has expanded to include cultural and natural heritage as well as buildings. To better reflect the scope of their work, LACAC became known as Municipal Heritage Committees.
LACAC volunteers worked in separate committees within different areas of Niagara, including St. Catharines, Thorold, and Niagara Falls. Some of the work of the St. Catharines LACAC can be found in the Robert Taylor fonds. Taylor was a professor and researcher at Brock University who taught history. He was part of the St. Catharines LACAC and published a book in this capacity entitled Discovering St. Catharines' Heritage: the Old Town. Many of the photos included in his research collection were used in this book.
Some of the recognized heritage buildings in Thorold selected by the Thorold LACAC
Alun Hughes was a faculty member in the Geography department at Brock University. He was enthusiastic about Niagara's history and was a member of the Thorold LACAC. His research papers include LACAC meeting minutes, correspondence, and programs and reports on specific properties.
A profile of Oak Hall, a historic building in Niagara Falls featured in a report prepared for the Niagara Falls LACAC, 1999
Niagara Falls had its own LACAC as well. Some information on the properties they studied can be found in the Matthew-Tran Adams Stamford and Niagara Falls collection. This collection contains a document prepared for the Niagara Falls LACAC entitled City of Niagara Falls Historical Properties Inventory: Database of Historical Resource Properties.