The Spirit of Place and Values
By: François LeBlanc, conservation architect
Photo: Old Wash House
Genius loci
In Roman mythology a genius loci was the protective spirit of a
place. It was often depicted as a snake. In contemporary usage,
genius loci usually refers to a location's distinctive atmosphere,
or a "spirit of place", rather than necessarily a guardian
spirit. Still today, many aboriginal cultures are particularly concerned
by spirits that inhabit a place. They are explicitly recognized
in the Shinto (Japan) religion, Hindu traditions Bajrayana (Buddhism)
and Bonpo (Tibet). In the context of Modern architectural theory,
genius loci has profound implications for place-making, falling
within the philosophical branch of 'phenomenology'.
The spirit of place makes reference to unique, distinctive and
cherished aspects of a place. Often, it is a place that was glorified
by artists or writers but also in oral and traditional histories,
festivals and popular celebrations. It is a concept that is rooted
in the intangible culture (stories, art, crafts, memories, beliefs)
as well as in the fabric of a place (monuments, borders, rivers,
forests, architecture, paths, pints of view etc.) and also in interpersonal
aspects such as family, friends, societies and the like.
Values-based management as a means to recognize and protect spirit
of place
Values are the positive characteristics attributed to heritage
places and objects by legislation, governing authorities, and other
stakeholders. And significance is the overall importance of a site,
determined through an analysis of all of the values attributed to
it. These two concepts may help us to discover and better manage
the spirit of place.
While working at the Getty Conservation Institute (GCI) in Los
Angeles, I was closely involved with the project called "values-based
management". It is in 1998 that the GCI commenced a project
examining the role of values in site management, with examples describing
and analysing the processes that connect theoretical management
guidelines with management planning and its practical application.
The project evolved from theory to practice by studying four case
studies where a major clash of values occurred. This approach was
chosen to see if lessons could be learned about how values (or the
spirit of place) impact on the management of a historic site.
The case studies result from a unique and intense collaboration
amongst professionals from the Australian Heritage Commission, Parks
Canada, English Heritage, the U.S. National Park Service and the
Getty Conservation Institute. They examined Chaco Culture National
Historical Park in the United States, Grosse Île and the Irish
Memorial National Historic Site in Canada, Port Arthur Historic
Site in Australia, and Hadrian's Wall World Heritage Site in England.
The cases can be found at http://www.getty.edu/conservation/resources/reports.html.
The project showed how in each case heritage management is, at
its most basic, the process of articulating and then reconciling
different values. Each heritage place was managed in accordance
with conservation legislation and management plans yet the very
process of planning highlighted competing values and interests which
needed to be resolved in the plan. The project has important lessons
for how heritage is actually managed, how practitioners are moving
from site 'dictators' to community 'facilitators,' how tourism and
presentation of site values can be reconciled with the obligation
to protect cultural values.
Grosse Île and the Irish Memorial National Historic Site
of Canada
One of the four case studies was Grosse Île and the Irish
Memorial National Historic Site of Canada that is located in the
upper estuary of the St. Lawrence River, some 48 km downstream from
Québec City. The significance of Grosse Île in the
history of Canada stems from the public health role it played as
quarantine station for the port of Québec, for many years
the main point of entry for European immigrants to Canada. In 1847,
thousands of Irish immigrants fled the devastation of the Great
Famine, only to die of typhus during the sea voyage or upon reaching
Canadian shores. More than 5000 of them were buried on the island.
That is why Grosse Île has been regarded as sacred ground
both in Ireland and among members of the Irish diaspora. The Celtic
cross was erected in 1909 to serve as a memorial to that tragic
time.
The national historic significance of the former quarantine station
on Grosse Île was first recognized in 1974 by the Historic
Sites and Monuments Board of Canada (HSMBC). In 1984, following
a thematic study of immigration to Canada and the various potential
sites where this theme could be illustrated, the Board expressed
the opinion that "the peopling of Canada through immigration
is a theme of great national significance which should be the subject
of major commemoration." The Board added that "in light
of the number and quality of the in situ resources on Grosse Île
related to the theme of immigration, the Minister should consider
acquiring the Island, or portions of it, and there developing a
national historic park." However, the following year the Board
expressed its view that "the theme of immigration is of such
complexity that it cannot be adequately dealt with at a single site."
Photo: Immigrants to Canada arriving at Grosse-Île
Agriculture Canada, which was then managing the island, transferred
the buildings and sites of historical interest to Parks Canada in
August 1988. In March 1992, a comprehensive information document
was made public in order to inform Canadians about how Parks Canada
intended to preserve and present Grosse Île as a national
historic site. Consultations began in spring 1992 and following
requests from the Irish-Canadian community, further public meetings
were also held across Canada in spring 1993.
Following public consultations in 1992-1993, the Board reviewed
the commemorative theme of the site and recommended that the primary
commemorative intent should be to tell the full story of the Canadian
immigrant experience through the 19th century to the closure of
the quarantine station, with particular emphasis on the period prior
to the First World War. It further stipulated that the Irish experience
especially in 1847, is a major and extremely evocative aspect of
the story of immigration to Canada in the period and, as such, should
become a particular focus of the commemoration of the general theme
of immigration at Grosse Île with the lazaretto, monuments,
burial grounds and graves on the island having a special importance.
Photo: Irish cemetery at Grosse-Île
In August 1994, the Minister of Canadian Heritage announced that
an advisory panel would be set up and would suggest ways by which
Parks Canada could address the many expectations and concerns expressed
during the consultations. The committee's report was made public
in March 1996, coinciding with the ministerial announcement of the
specific commemorative intent for Grosse Île, stating that
the site would henceforth be known officially as "Grosse Île
and the Irish Memorial National Historic Site of Canada":
Grosse Île and the Irish Memorial National Historic Site
of Canada commemorates the importance of immigration to Canada,
especially via the entry port of Québec, from the early 19th
century until World War I.
Grosse Île also commemorates the tragic experiences of
Irish immigrants at this site, especially during the 1847 typhus
epidemic.
Finally, the site commemorates the role played by the island
from 1832 to 1937 as a quarantine station for the port of Québec,
for many years the main point of entry for immigrants to Canada.
Photo: The Irish Memorial at Grosse-Île
In the Parks Canada system The Statement of Commemorative Intent
for an historic site emerges from extensive research and the deliberations
of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board. Once approved by the
Minister for Canadian Heritage it becomes the fixed point in the
work of site management. It is followed by a Statement of Commemorative
Integrity which is a report on the state of the existing conditions
tying the historic themes to be commemorated to the physical features
where they reside. It delimits and prioritizes the responsibilities
of Parks Canada for the stewardship and presentation of the site
under its jurisdiction. It catalogues all the features and characteristics
that represent the national historical significance of the site
- as Level 1 resources. It also defines management strategies for
protection of the physical resources and presentation and communication
of the national commemorative significance.
Grosse Île, 185 hectares in area, is one of 21 islands forming
the Isles aux Grues archipelago, a region difficult to navigate
and for centuries, virtually unchanged. The spatial organization
of land use on Grosse Île dates back to the early years of
the quarantine station with buildings and facilities concentrated
on the island's southern shore, and the road running the length
of the island and cemeteries have been a feature since the quarantine
station first opened. The many buildings on the island present a
more modern picture, reflecting the major alterations to the facilities
at the turn of the 20th century. The current landscape bears little
trace of the intense activity which occurred on the island at the
time of the major epidemics. Despite inevitable changes, the landscapes
on Grosse Île have retained their aura of authenticity and
continue to be laden with meaning.
Photo: The restored Lazaretto at Grosse-Île
The lazaretto is of national significance and is one of the few
buildings on the island in continuous use from 1847 until its unfortunate
restoration in 1997 when its interior was stripped back to one period
and its exterior renewed diminishing its associate values. Conflict
with post World War 2 army and agricultural experiment station buildings
remains unresolved. As part of communicating the commemorative significance,
a Visitor Experience plan has led to restoration of about 15 buildings
including the disinfection building used for visitor orientation
on landing from the ferry, the hotel, and the construction of the
architecturally striking new Irish memorial near the main cemetery.
Access is by ferry only for day visitors.
Other values identified but not assessed for commemorative integrity
covered the era of Canadian Army biological research during World
War 2 and subsequent agricultural research as well as the natural
values including the presence of rare bats.
The following learning points about values based-management arose
from this case study:
- Despite a pressure group who wanted an apology from the English
government for the 1840s famine victims hijacking the public consultation
process for the management plan, other values were recognized
and the focus of commemoration sharpened.
- Interpretation on-site follows through the articulated values
in the Statement of Commemorative Intent and the objectives from
the Integrity Statement.
- The cultural values of Grosse Île are not appreciated
by local communities who are interested in derived economic value
-from ferry transport, accommodation and food supplies. Tourism
management is constrained by isolation and access difficulties.
- The on-site management of articulated and assessed cultural
values of national significance requires slow and deliberated
treatment in an evolved site with various historic layers so that
'periodization' does not destroy other non-national or non-assessed
values.
- Continued protection of site values is ensured under the Federal
law requiring review of the management plan every five years.
This ensures that the articulation of site values, their presentation
and protection are continually monitored.
Photo: The Old Bakery at Grosse-Île
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