Iconic weather vane replaced on Niagara-on-the-Lake gazebo
The missing gem in the crown of Niagara-on-the-Lake’s iconic lakeside gazebo was replaced late last month, three-and-a-half months after someone made off with what had been the last existing component of the original structure.
The stolen weather vane local artisan Jim Smith created for the gazebo at Queen’s Royal Park in 1987 was replaced by the town Feb. 27, with a near-exact replica.
Smith, who crafted the original by hand at his Platoff Street home workshop, still had the template for it, and said when he heard about the theft, immediately offered to create a new one to replace it.
The town, though, opted not to put that burden on Smith and instead had a contractor do the work.
Smith said while he would have done the job, he was actually relieved the town had the work contracted out.
“I would have been glad to help them with anything they need, but I was glad they were able to get it done themselves,” he said. “It’s quite labour intensive. It’s a big job.”
The job was given to Emergency Welders, which is located on Export Avenue in St. Catharines.
Owner Tim Loder said that even though it wasn’t done by hand, it was still a lengthy process.
The ship and lettering are made of aluminum cut out by a waterjet at Vykan, located on Townline Road in Niagara-onthe-Lake and covered with black powder coating by Laurcoat in Niagara Falls.
Loder’s shop then welded the parts to a stainless steel frame. The entire process took about two months, with final fabrication at Emergency Welders taking four days.
Loder said that while the new weather vane is based on the old one, there are few differences: the letters have a more classical font instead of block lettering, and the ship faces the same direction as the arrow.
Kevin Turcotte, manager of parks and recreation for the Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake, said it cost about $3,500 to replace the weather vane, explaining it’s a shame the original was taken as it was the last remaining piece from the original gazebo, which had to be refurbished in 2015.
“It’s a sad day when someone has to do that,” he said of the theft.
“It was a real disappointment for us.”
The original gazebo, left in the park after being built for the film “The Dead Zone,” originally sat on bare ground, with foundation added afterwards.
A movie prop, the gazebo was not built to last.
“When we refurbished it, it was all falling apart,” he said, adding the town also made it accessible.