NEWS RELEASE
GUELPH BLACK HERITAGE SOCIETY
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On Saturday Nov. 2, 2019 at 1 p.m., the Guelph Black Heritage Society (GBHS) will welcome members of the public to the Heritage Hall to celebrate the groundbreaking of the “Freedom Project."
This project promotes universal accessibility to Heritage Hall and will enable all people to attend events at the building. The Heritage Hall Freedom Project will help GBHS fulfill its mandate to be community centered, promote inclusiveness and be respectful of all Canadians: past, present and future. GBHS volunteers will be using an antique hoe from Nigeria for the ceremonial groundbreaking ceremony.
A hoe is an implement on which a metal tang projects from the blade and passes through the wooden handle. The introduction of iron tools, such as a hoe, introduced a revolution in the agriculture of the continent and the need to produce iron by smelting, a major economic transformation. The “Freedom Project” represents a major transformation of the Heritage Hall, the ability for the building to be universally accessibly for all.
Designed by architect Joel Bartlett, the “Freedom Project” includes:
- Installation of new flooring in Heritage Hall
- Accessibility upgrades including the addition of ramps, a foyer and accessible washroom • Sustainability improvements during the building process and a priority for energy efficiency
- Use of recycled materials where possible
The “Freedom Project” is made possible through funding from the Ontario Trillium Foundation, Enabling Accessibility Fund and Canadian Heritage. Notes to Editor: Established in 2011, the mission of the Guelph Black Heritage Society is to restore and maintain Heritage Hall, originally known as the British Methodist Episcopal (BME) Church, built in 1880 by former fugitive slaves who arrived in the area via the Underground Railroad.
The building is a cultural, historical and social community centre serving to promote Guelph and Wellington County's distinctive place in Southwestern Ontario's rich Black heritage.
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