Music fans fearful historic bandshell will be silenced
Neglected Waterloo Park facility should be heart of community, supporters say
WATERLOO — The sounds of flutes, trumpets and tubas echo through Waterloo Park when the Waterloo Concert Band takes the stand at the old bandshell.
The bandshell was built to celebrate Canada’s centennial. Now 50 years later, it is deteriorating and its fate is unknown.
“It’s not maintained and it makes me think it doesn’t have a future,” said Emily van Riesen, co-president of the Waterloo Concert Band.
The large, sloping shell sits atop a small hill in front of Laurel Creek in the west part of the park. On warm summer nights it hosts live music and film screenings. Even though it’s used fairly often, the shell hasn’t been updated in years.
While van Riesen said it is still usable, she worries about the way it has been neglected and wonders if it will be removed as the city works to revamp Waterloo Park.
“It would definitely be a loss for the band,” she said.
The 50-year-old bandshell’s fate is uncertain for now as the city works to execute its massive overhaul of Waterloo Park. The park’s master plan was approved by council in 2009 and the document recommends the bandshell be removed.
Any necessary upgrades for the aging bandshell would be too costly and many users complained about the shell’s inadequate amenities, the city says.
“It doesn’t have good storage or washrooms or shade. We would need to revamp the whole building for it to work,” said Andrea Bazler, parks project co-ordinator at the city.
She also pointed out that the shell’s location is not very accessible or visible.
Bazler said there are no plans in place to remove the bandshell, but she couldn’t say whether it is maintained at all. The electricity blew out years ago and was never fixed so the city keeps a generator at the shell for groups to use. It is also on a floodplain, which could pose potential problems.
Because a decision has not been made yet, Bazler said anything can happen.
“We can change things if the community wants to keep the bandshell.”
A decision on the bandshell won’t come until after a new festival area is finished in the east end of the park.
But even though a decision on the bandshell’s fate may be years away, bandshell users like Melissa Moogk-Soulis said it’s difficult to see the unique structure in bad shape.
“People came from miles around to hear music in the bandshell’s heyday,” the Waterloo Concert Band member said.
Moogk-Soulis said in many towns and cities, the bandshell would serve as an important cultural gathering place.
It’s “the heart and soul” of a community, she said.
“As a musician, it is having a place for volunteer musicians to perform for free,” she said. She loves to watch the way the band’s music draws people strolling through the park, even if they only stop for a few minutes to listen.
She wishes the city would do more to salvage the landmark. “It’s like it’s been forgotten.” The centennial bandshell was built to replace an older one elsewhere in the city. That earlier bandshell was the city’s first and was donated by the Seagram family in 1920. By 1969, the original shell was replaced by the Lions Club Memorial Pool.
A new bandshell was the idea the city came up with to celebrate Canada’s 100th birthday. It was designed by well-known local architects Karl Kruschen and William Dailey. Together the pair are also known for the Keffer Memorial Chapel at the Waterloo Lutheran Seminary built in 1963, which is still viewed as a model example of modern architecture.
“While it’s an interesting piece of architecture, it’s not a good bandshell,” said Paul McKone, chair of the Waterloo Park Advisory Committee.
The park master plan was put together by a task force, now the Waterloo Park Advisory Committee, as well as city staff. User groups were also consulted at the time.
McKone said the lack of electricity, shade or shelter from the elements makes it a mediocre performance space.
“I know the park has been struggling with budgets,” he explained. “I think it’s not so much that it (the bandshell) was neglected but that there were other priorities.”
Performers are also restricted since the city put limits on amplified noise from the bandshell in 2007. That move came after several complaints from residents of Luther Village on the Park, a retirement community on Father David Bauer Drive.
McKone said one approach could be to rework the bandshell and use it as a backdrop to a structure that is newer and more purpose-built.
“The park has a long history of music,” McKone said. “I think there is a lot of heritage to consider, it’s a little reminder of 1967.”
At the time of the master plan, the city’s heritage committee did show interest in the building’s modern architectural style and design value.
City staff said they will assess whether the bandshell has any heritage value and if any alternatives could be looked at when and if it’s considered for removal.
“Is the structure worth rebuilding? Some people would say yes,” Moogk-Soulis said.
“The history of it takes us back to nostalgic summer days. There are not a lot of things that are like this.”
Right now, the city is focused on reconstructing the park’s central promenade.
Next, the city will find new spots for two baseball diamonds that will be relocated to make room for a new festival area. An outdoor amphitheatre was also proposed in the bandshell’s place in the 2009 master plan, but it would be unamplified.
For van Riesen, an amplified space would be ideal. She isn’t sure if the proposed festival area would be designed to accommodate the band’s needs.
While there aren’t any concrete plans to tear down the bandshell or to definitively replace it, some like van Riesen will want to keep a close eye on developments.
“We realize there are big plans for the park. We’ll be interested to see what happens next.”