Work and Awards

Lawrence House

1. Facade Program

In 2001, Sarnia LACAC coordinated the Downtown and Mitton Village Facade Program to provide property owners of the two areas with detailed recommendations to enhance the facades of their buildings. The program provides line drawings of each building, with suggested improvements and recommended colour schemes. The facade improvement drawings are available for viewing and used as a reference for property owners, who wish to refurbish their building facades.

2. Heritage Week

Heritage Week is celebrated annually during the third week of February. Sarnia LACAC regularly host photographic displays at the Imperial Theatre, Bayside Mall and Lambton Mall. Let us know if you have any suggestions for heritage week or would like to participate in our displays.

3. Centennial Cairn

Sarnia LACAC has reconstructed the Centennial Cairn which was built in 1936, to mark the 100th Anniversary of the naming of the City in 1836. Several decades ago, the Cairn was removed from its original location in Victoria Park, but the original inscribed marble tablet was saved by a thoughtful citizen. It has since been affixed to the base of the Cairn, which was reconstructed at the south-west corner of City Hall grounds, near the Front & George streets intersection. A large (2 ½’) thermometer will be affixed to the top of the monument. If you have any suggestions regarding where to buy one or have one made, please contact the LACAC Secretary,
Max Williams, 519 332 0330 extension 293.

4. Log Cabin Restoration, Canatara Park

According to local history the main log cabin circa 1850 in Canatara Park originally came from the Goderich, Ontario area. In 1930, Mrs. Spaulding, daughter of W. J. Hanna (M. P. P. and past president of Imperial Oil) bought the log cabin from the Geddes family who owned several dry good stores at that time. The log cabin was taken apart and floated down Lake Huron in a log boom to 1572 Lakeshore Road. It was reassembled and enlarged on the Spaulding property, which was incidentally adjacent to the Hanna property at the time. In 1938 The Coach House was built, but was used as a garage with a billiard room and a guestroom upstairs. The other small log cabin known as the "smoke house" was also a little guesthouse. In the late 1930's the Lakeshore properties were used for summer cottages, as Lakeshore Road was an unpaved trail through the bush country.

Thomas Spaulding inherited the property on the death of his mother, and sold it to Lorne Hay, builder and City Alderman. On the death of her husband, Mrs. Hay, aware that the buildings had to be moved due to shore erosion, donated the three buildings to the city for public use. In May 1971, these buildings were transported to Canatara Park at a cost of $3,500.00 paid for by the Seaway Kiwanis Club.

5. Awards

Patricia McLean, Vernon Clark, Joe Salvatore and Art Teasell received Ontario Heritage Foundation Awards for Outstanding Community Service following nominations by Sarnia LACAC.