posted January 15, 2011

National Historic Sites Alliance for Ontario (NHSAO) supports Bellevue

Following Robert Honor's presentation to the NHSAO annual conference last fall, the Association wrote to appropriate officials in the federal, provincial and municipal governments pointing out the need to preserve Bellevue. ....[read more]

posted February 22, 2011

"Bellevue Resolution" of February 18, 2011

The following resolution was the outcome of an informal meeting of representatives of the owners of Bellevue (Peter Valente and Frank Fazio), the Chamber of Commerce, (Rene Rota), Administration (Anne Rota) and the Friends of Bellevue (John McDonald and Robert Honor) held at the Gordon House on January 26, 2011. ....[read more]

posted March 22, 2011

Amherstburg Council agrees to seat on Bellevue Working Group

At its meeting on march 21, the Amherstburg Council agreed to support the formation of a Bellevue Working Group. In doing so, they also agreed to designate a Councillor or Councillors to sit on that Committee. It is anticipated that the Bellevue Working Group will hold its first meeting toward the end of April or early May of this year. The council's support is most appreciated and we look forward to substantial progress this year. ....[read more]

posted May 12, 2011

Response to NHSAO letter to the Ontario Minister of Culture

Following Robert Honor's presentation to the National Historic Sites Association for Ontario (NHSAO) annual conference last fall, the Association wrote to appropriate officials in the federal, provincial and municipal governments pointing out the need to preserve Bellevue.

To date, only one response has been received - from Micheal Chan, Minister of Tourism and Culture.

click here to read the NHSAO letter

click here to read Michael Chan's response

posted October 14, 2011

Friends of Bellevue at 2011 Art By The River With the generous support of the Gibson Gallery, the Friends of Bellevue were on site at 2011 Art by the River over the weekend of August 27/28. In addition to a display on the history of the Bellevue, we distributed a questionnaire to those attending the fair, asking for their suggestions on possible uses for the property. (CLICK HERE to download questionaire)

Encouraged by participation in a raffle for wine from Sprucewood Estates, over 125 people responded. Several went beyond the suggestions on the form to give us some new and exciting ideas. The questionnaire also sparked several detailed discussions with members of the public, which provided additional valuable guidance to our efforts to revitalize this National Historic Site. We are currently analysing the written responses and hope to post a summary on this website and share the results with the town Council and the public in the near future. Our thanks to the Gibson Gallery and Sprucewood Estates for their assistance and support.

posted November 28, 2011
Results from questionnaire regarding best use of the Bellevue property:

An analysis by the Friends of Bellevue suggests a multitude of possible uses for a revived Bellevue Estate in Amherstburg. The group processed information collected at Amherstburg's Gone Car Crazy Show (July 31, 2011) and Art by the River (August 27-28, 2011) in Amherstburg, as well as responses to their survey received on-line.

Click here to see the results of the survey.

The data indicates that usage as a bed and breakfast facility was most widely suggested, followed closely by use as a boutique hotel and spa. A display area and wine retail shop was the third most popular idea, with an education facility on the culinary arts placing fourth.

As demonstrated in the attached chart, the survey suggested a number of uses, including variations on those which proved most popular. Over 130 responses were received, with some individuals picking more than one possible use.

“It’s heartening to us that so many people were willing to commit their ideas to paper and come up with some very creative options”, said John McDonald, Chair of the Friends of Bellevue. “Our challenge now is to make these ideas happen.”

The Friends were encouraged by the focus on options that would be very useful additions to the town of Amherstburg.

Please continue to track our progress and interact with your friends, neighbours and politicians about the need to reverse the decline of this national gem which has occuppied Amherstburg's waterfront since 1816.