Holy Trinity United Church gives Elliot Lake a ‘Christmas gift’
The words on the sign at the former Holy Trinity United Church (HTUC) building read: ‘A beloved landmark and the history proudly remain.’ A statement made in faith, it seemed, by a community of faith.
And it came to pass - although, since May or June, it has been, perhaps the worst-kept secret of 2023. Many Elliot Lakers knew there was a high probability the church building would be purchased by the City of Elliot Lake for recreation purposes.
Nonetheless, it’s not done until it’s done. The council’s decision was made in open session at a council meeting, Sept. 25. The property closing date followed a couple of weeks later.
On Monday, Dec. 11, Elliot Lakers learned of the next step for the beloved landmark when council approved a staff recommendation to create a home for the museum – mostly without a home since 2019 due to the civic centre roof collapse.
So, at this time of year especially - a time of giving and goodwill – it seems especially appropriate to celebrate what is happening here.
The HTUC congregation celebrated Christmas in the church building at 40 Hillside Drive N. for many decades. This year, they have essentially gifted their building for a brighter future for all Elliot Lakers.
At the council meeting, Dec. 11, speaking just before the council vote to approve the new home for the museum, Acting Mayor Andrew Wannan said, “I believe that we are achieving the spirit of what has happened here.”
“Once again, I would like to thank the congregation of the United Church.”
He continued, “I know that with the Christmas season coming up, this is the first year there probably won’t be Christmas carols or a service, and that’s impactful for many of the congregation.”
“At the time of Christmas, it is much more appreciated that we have this opportunity to use this, which I consider a gift,” Wannan said.
The congregation sold the building and property to the City for $100,000, which is well below market value.
The gift was a seed. It is ready to grow
On Monday, Dec. 11, council received a recommendation from the Rec and Culture committee, “to have the main floor function as a welcome centre and a hybrid museum and performing art space and the basement used for storage and other staff operations.” The motion was moved by Councillor Charles Flintoff, seconded by Councillor Rick Bull.
Museum curator, Amelia D’Amato presented the report to council. D’Amato said “the purpose of this report is to propose an operating plan for the newly acquired property so that we can begin the plans for renovations.”
D’Amato said approval would allow staff to “start applying for provincial and federal funding to offset the cost of these renovations.”
“In particular, one grant we are keen to apply for is the Canadian Cultural Spaces fund, which renews in March.”
D’Amato noted there has been public interest to see the property used as a multi-functional space “and staff definitely agrees that there is an opportunity to utilize this facility as a performance venue for small events and as a place to have small gatherings.”
“Staff is also of the opinion that by putting some consideration into the design of this facility, there was an opportunity to create a unique cultural space that can serve as a means by which to share Elliot Lake’s strong and varied community performance programming, as well as its collection of historical artifacts with visitors and residents.”
The staff recommended “a welcome centre and hybrid museum and performing arts based on the main floor, and storage and working space for the museum’s heritage collection and archiving activities in the basement.”
The hybrid museum “would be composed of both permanent and temporary exhibits.”
The proposal respects recommendations from ARIEL, the local arts umbrella organization that hosted a community brainstorming event at Collins Hall, Oct. 22. ARIEL presented to the Rec and Culture committee Dec. 4.
Councillor Luc Morrissette inquired about any change to the acoustics brought by the museum displays. D’Amato said there are no changes anticipated to either visibility or the sound. She also advised chair seating is planned to replace the church pew seating.
Councillor Charles Flintoff supported the hybrid use model. “This is one of the reasons we probably looked at this. And it’s called ‘working together’ – putting all three of them together.” Flintoff also commented about the flexibility of scheduling in winter months when more concerts are likely scheduled.
“I would definitely support this. Thank you,” he said.
Councillor Norman Mann commented, “If this goes through, we’ll have a year-round welcome centre and museum.” Mann said that he would like to see regular operating hours for both.
Councillor Rick Bull also supported the plan. “I think it’s going to work for a lot of groups.”
Mann thanked D’Amato for the report. He also liked the idea of bringing the artifacts out of storage. “I think the cultural significance of the artifacts is very important to the community.” Mann also spoke in favour of having a welcome centre and museum open year around.
When the vote was called, all members of council were in favour.
A conversation with the museum curator
A week later, on Monday, Dec. 18, ElliotLakeToday spoke to museum curator, Amelia D’Amato at length.
ElliotLakeToday: When you say artifacts, what kinds of things would we be talking about?
D’Amato: “A lot of people think objects, and that's certainly something that is included in these collections but it's also papers, documents, maps, photos - intellectual property.”
“So, it's the stories. Whether that's oral stories or video, those are the things we want to preserve. It's the story of Elliot Lake, told by the people who helped to create it. So physical and nonphysical objects are part of the collection.”
ELT: How far back do you carry the history?
“Our collections are geology, Indigenous history, logging and trapping, prospecting and mining. And then, of course, our civic history. So, really the story about the people who made the community.”
“So, while Elliot Lake was incorporated in 1955, we do go back further. A big part of it is geology. That also is the underlayer of the mining prospecting, mining component- the geology. And we have some of the oldest rocks in the world. And we can see them on outcroppings - the different layering.
“We do want to incorporate more Indigenous history. We hope to work closely with our First Nation neighbours - Serpent River, Mississagi and Sagamok too. Anyone who's willing to be involved and just really help boost that part of the collection.”
“The Indigenous artifacts and stories are so important.”
“Reconciliation is a big aspect to it.”
ELT asked D’Amato about her own history with Elliot Lake and learned that her enthusiasm for Elliot Lake’s history comes naturally.
D’Amato: “I was born and raised in Elliot Lake, so lived here my whole life. I'm very fortunate that my family still lives here, too. We've really made the Elliot Lake community our home. My grandpa came over in the early 60s as a miner, straight from Italy.”
We talked about the time since 2019 when the museum did not have a permanent home.
“Just seeing [the stored artifacts] there, I just really wanted to be able to get it out of these boxes and share it with the community. There was so much history, so many stories to tell, and I just wanted to be able to use my training and use my own personal passion and just try to help get these stories out in the community and share them.”
By necessity, D’Amato received her university training away from Elliot Lake but she returned home during summers and worked as a museum assistant. She spoke with appreciation for the support she received then from Darla Hennessey and receives now from Kari Kluke, the recreation and culture department director.
The museum collection has also received help from two groups of swimming pool lifeguards. The City is using their time as a resource, keeping trained lifeguards close by for the reopening of the pool.
ELT: Do you have any sense of, and this is very early, but do you have any sense of a timeline?
D’Amato: “Unfortunately, it's just so hard to speculate on timing. Now that we have direction, we can actually move forward and work on things. Of course, it involves a lot more staff than just myself. A lot of it has to do with other departments.”
“But I know that we're all really eager to get this project underway. And as we identified in our initial proposal, this method is the way we see it being open the soonest to public. So, the least amount of turnaround for renovations.”
“We're really hopeful that now that we do have this direction, we can get underway shortly. We have a lot of grants that we're applying for now that we have our direction […] and then getting underway with renovations.”
During the council meeting of De. 11, Acting Mayor Andrew Wannan addressed the timeliness of the gift. “At the time of Christmas, it is much more appreciated that we have this opportunity to use this, which I consider a gift.”