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17| W aterloo C hronicle | T hursday,June 14,2018 w aterloochronicle.ca ...from community developments to a look at rising stars on the local business, dining, sports and entertainment scenes.We're proud to introduce you to the people & businesses that make up the community of Waterloo! GET A LOCAL PERSPECTIVE ON SHOPS & SERVICES To advertise in the Waterloo Chronicle call 519.579.0301 CITY LIFE Visit waterloochronicle.ca for more coverage Waterloo has its own ex- amples of award-winning architecture with the Bal- sillie School, Knox Presby- terian, the Clay and Glass Gallery and the Perimeter Institute representing some of the Governor Gen- eral award-winning build- ing in the city. But there has been an unique architecture in the city since its inception and a new exhibit at the City of Waterloo Museum at Con- estoga Mall looks at the de- velopment and the design that makes Waterloo the place people call home. At Home: Residential Architecture in Waterloo takes visitors on a tour of the neighbourhoods that make up the city and looks at the factors that contrib- ute to their design whether it was the style of the day, economics or as a way to provide homes for service- men returning from the two world wars. One of the feature of the exhibit are the works and drawings of Charlie Voelk- er, an early architect and alderman in the then town of Waterloo who put his unique stamp and vision on the growing communi- ty. He was a fan of the colo- nial style of building, and his designs as well as neighbourhoods dedicated to that style like Colonial Acres were inspired by him in a career that spanned the postwar period until he died in 1986. The City of Waterloo Museum holds the person- al collection of more than 700 architectural designs done by Voelker, and exam- ples of his work can be seen through historic uptown neighbourhoods into the suburbs that grew up around them. "We have Charlie's work and it was treasure trove," said Libby Waller, a pro- gram and engagement as- sociate with the City of Wa- terloo Museum. "But 700 architectural drawings is a lot to display and how to do you provide context and how do you make it palat- able for people to absorb." So they worked with Rick Haldenby, former di- rector of the University of Waterloo's school of archi- tecture, to come up with highlights of Waterloo's ar- chitectural past and make it interesting and attractive to a modern audience while showcasing the deep his- torical reservoir the muse- um had at its fingertips. "We explored Voelker's visionary perspective of what a neighbourhood could be and how he even thought it up," said Waller. "The fact that he was doing that right here in Waterloo, when other great archi- tects were doing it in other parts of the world. "He was definitely aware of it and interested in what they were doing, being he adopted his own style and created his own design that really became him and influenced the growth of Waterloo that we know now." The museum took dif- ferent periods like the Ed- wardian, the postwar peri- ods, the rise of the suburbs and the new condo culture and then brought in furni- ture technology and other elements that would reflect homes from that time peri- od and made it interactive and approachable. There are even pieces you're en- courage to touch, and the change in styles of doll houses over the decades that get the children in- volved. "It's nice to put it into context of Edwardian or postwar," said Waller. "The Edwardian was all about the worker's home and the basic five-room house, but it was their castle and the single-family dwelling and close access to work was the attraction. "The idea of being home proud was part of that time period, and even the own- ers homes reflected that de- sign. They were just a lot bigger." The museum will also be doing outreach at spe- cial events around the city until the exhibition wraps up in October, using green screen technology to put people directly in examples of the various time periods. Some of the pieces on display at the museum will delight and surprise, espe- cially from the 1960s and 1970s with the loud furni- ture and bold patterns that still have some people ask- ing what they were think- ing. They might remember their parents or a favourite aunt owning the same fur- niture. The truth is that some of that furniture in still in people's homes, with burnt orange and rust being pop- ular colours and the kitschy pottery and art that was considered throwaway objects now worth thou- sands. Millennials, espe- cially, have shown an inter- est in the time period and everything old is new again. So what are some of the surprises. The post-ward terrace homes in the Veter- an's Green area of Waterloo are one of only two develop- ments in all of Canada that featured that design. The exhibit also points out trends of how people lived multi-residential build- ings, close to transit and work, and that model is be- ing revisited with the new condos dotting the skyline and light rail transit start- ing service by the end of the year. "We're looking at the trends," said Waller. "We're back to the vertical neigh- bourhood, and you can live without a car because you plonk in the middle of ev- ery service that you might need. For more information about the exhibit, or view- ing times, visit www.water- loo.ca/en/living/Exhibi- tions.asp. Funky new exhibit looks at architecture and styles in the City of Waterloo Libby Waller, a program and engagement associate with the City of Waterloo Museum, stands in front of the 1960s setup at the new At Home: Resdidential Architecture in Waterloo exhibit that opened last week. It looks at the unique architecture and developments that occurred in Waterloo. Bob Vrbanac Photo 'At Home: Residential Architecture in Waterloo' looks at work of Charlie Voelker and others in shaping the city BOB VRBANAC bvrbanac@waterloochronicle.ca