The Miners’ Union Hall (circa 1898) + The Rossland Provincial Courthouse (circa 1900)"
RMDC March Speaker Series: Harry Measure
“Metaphors of Conflict: The Miners’ Union Hall (c.1898) and the Rossland Provincial Courthouse (c.1900).”
On Wednesday, March 24th, Harry Measure presented some of his research on two iconic Rossland heritage buildings - the Western Federation of Miners’ Union Hall, and the Provincial Courthouse - as part of the Rossland Museum’s annual Speaker Series. Because the pandemic is still active in BC, this was a virtual presentation. Thank you to the Trail & District Arts Council and Gabriella’s Restaurant for their support of this program!
2283.0002: Minors Union Hall-situated on south side of Columbia Ave between Earl & Davies St. just opposite the bluff known as the Cliff, showing the band gathering for the parade- c.1910
2276.0008: Rossland Court House 1927
Presentation synposis:
Two of the most iconic buildings in Rossland, the Miners’ Union Hall (circa 1898) and Rossland’s Provincial Courthouse (circa 1900) provide the perfect setting to tell the story of the miners’ labour movement in the North American Inter-mountain west, and its struggle with industrial capitalism and government during the second half of the 19th century.
Join Harry Measure on a fascinating interpretive exploration of these two storied buildings and learn about the spread of organized labor from the United States to Rossland, BC during the final years of the 19th century, and gain a better understanding of Rossland’s international significance as a major venue in this heritage of conflict.
Through examining the architectural styles and decorative elements of Rossland’s Miners’ Union Hall and Courthouse, Measure will show how these two heritage buildings have unique significance as visual metaphors of this socio-political struggle. This analysis of architectural styles as metaphors of this conflict has not been identified in any previous research.
Video Recording of the Speaker Series event:
Below you will find a video recording of Harry Measure’s presentation (approx. 1 hour). After introductory comments, Harry shares his research, aided by a slideshow of photographs to illustrate his thesis. Harry’s presentation is followed by a community Q&A period.
The moderator of this event is Sarah Taekema-Slot, Researcher at the Rossland Museum & Discovery Centre and coordinator of the Museum Speaker Series.
About the Speaker:
Harry Measure, M.E. Des. (Architecture + Planning, BA),
CEO, The SEER Resort Company, Principal, Harry Measure + Associates
A native of Trail, Harry Measure grew up on the slopes of Red Mountain and was very active in the Red Mountain Racing program. His passion for the sport of skiing shaped his career goals to become an architect and planner who designs resorts, communities and buildings in the mountains. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree and pursued a Master of Arts degree at the University of Victoria; obtained a Master’s Degree in Architecture and Environmental Design from the University of Calgary, and studied at the San Francisco Center for Architecture and Urban Design.
From 1975-77, Harry pioneered research into the Kootenay Boundary region’s Victorian mining town architecture in his Bachelor’s degree coursework and Master’s degree thesis at the University of Victoria. In 1977 he was retained by the newly formed BC Government’s Heritage Conservation Branch to inventory the historic architecture of the West Kootenay and Boundary districts, and participated in the production of: ‘The City of Nelson Downtown Heritage Conservation Guidelines’ that has guided revitalization of Nelson’s urban fabric.
Harry acquired considerable experience in ‘everyday’ planning and architecture projects, but to achieve his career goals he gained globally recognized expertise in resort, recreation, and tourism design and development having worked on over 150 major projects in North America, South America, Australasia and Asia. He was the Resort Municipality of Whistler’s Senior Development Planner in the early 1990’s during the phase of the community’s most intensive growth. Since 2006 he has consulted to the emerging resort, recreation and tourism industries in India, Mongolia, Taiwan, Vietnam, and China. From 2009 to 2016, Harry and his team completed master planning and start-up tasks at Secret Garden Resort (the alpine venue for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games), and numerous other projects throughout China.
Since 1987, when Harry worked on the first master plan for Fernie Snow Valley Resort and the design of the resort’s first condominium hotel complex, he has completed numerous projects in British Columbia’s mountain resorts and communities. He recently redesigned the Revelstoke Mountain Resort Base Lands Master Plan, and completed a feasibility study for an Innovation Centre in the City of Revelstoke.
Harry has taught and lectured widely at educational institutions and to interest groups. He has been a speaker and Chair at numerous prominent international conferences such as the United Nations 2010 ‘Global Change and the World’s Mountains’ conference held in Perth, Scotland where he served as a plenary speaker and session chair.
When not in his ‘Living Laboratory’ of Whistler, Harry travels extensively to observe and document emerging global trends in resort, recreation and tourism design. He writes on subjects related to architecture, design, cultural history and tourism.
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