Dear Editor:
I viewed with interest the renderings of the seven-storey complex proposed by Pearle Hospitality for the south side of the Grand River in Elora, published in the Wellington Advertiser three weeks ago.
The monolithic ornateness reminded me of something. Now what was it? The architecture of the Third Reich? Nope, that was blockier, not as grandiosely detailed. Next, various buildings constructed in Stalin’s Soviet Union in the style of Socialist Classicism filed past my mind’s eye. Closer, but still not the right fit.
Then some lines from Bruce Cockburn’s song Nicaragua popped into my head: “On the cliff the U.S. Embassy / Frowns out over Managua like Dracula’s tower…” Bingo! Precisely the image which had been teasing at the back of my mind. Many thanks to the eloquent Mr. Cockburn for a most appropriate simile.
Pondering the absolute disconnect between the scale and style of the proposed complex and its historic and geographic context, I recalled that during the past year, Centre Wellington council turned down a proposal for a five-storey development in Fergus.
That structure was to have been located on a major thoroughfare near existing four-storey housing and a tall, imposing church, as well as several large commercial properties – not on the bank of a heritage river lined with heritage buildings.
But if we’re to change the “village” look and atmosphere of Elora’s historic downtown forever, why not change its name as well, to reflect its new reality? “Pearleville” sounds elegant, with a whiff of nostalgia.
Better yet, for a taste of Niagara-on-the-Lake’s Olde Englishe mystique, how about “Pearleton-on-the-Grand”?
Has a certain ring to it: the merry and gratifying cha-ching of cash registers.
Olga Domján,
Elora