We want your opinion on the name and logo for the new Region of Waterloo History Museum
(posted October 6 to Wednesday, October 21, 2009)
Your input is important in helping to determine a name and logo for the new Region of Waterloo History Museum under construction on Homer Watson Boulevard in Kitchener.
The museum’s vision is to be Waterloo Region’s one-of-a-kind cultural crossroads … an inspiring, entertaining destination that connects you to the diverse people, ideas, stories and experiences that have defined – and continue to shape – Waterloo Region’s current realities and future potential.
A range of naming and logo alternatives have been considered after completing research, personal interviews and community focus groups.
The Region of Waterloo is seeking community input via Facebook (search for Region of Waterloo History Museum) and direct e-mails from Tuesday, October 6 through Wednesday, October 21, 2009. All comments and suggestions will be reviewed before a recommendation is made to Regional Council in November.
If you would like to express an opinion directly to the Region, please send an e-mail to newmuseum@region.waterloo.on.ca.
All comments and information received from individuals, stakeholder groups and agencies regarding this project are being collected to assist the Region of Waterloo in making a decision. Under the Municipal Act, personal information such as name, address, telephone number, and property location that may be included in a submission becomes part of the public record. Questions regarding the collection of this information should be referred to Tom Reitz, Manager/Curator, Doon Heritage Crossroads at rtom@region.waterloo.on.ca.
Thank you for being a part of Waterloo Region’s past, present and future.
Why develop a brand?
The primary purpose of the museum’s brand will be to communicate what the museum stands for. The Region will use the brand for marketing to consumers, school groups, meeting planners, conventions, travel media and others.
Museum name
The new museum has been tagged with different names over the last several years; most recently it has been referred to as the Region of Waterloo History Museum. It has been anticipated since the beginning of the project that this name might change.
Naming of the museum has been approached as a naming system with different components: a master name or brand to reflect the campus of historical venues located on the property, and sub-brands to reflect those specific venues, e.g. Doon Heritage Crossroads.
Recognizing that there is more than 25 years of brand identity in the name Doon Heritage Crossroads, it is not recommended that the name of the living history village be changed.
It will be recommended that the Waterloo County Hall of Fame be changed to the Waterloo Region Hall of Fame.
The Waterloo Regional Curatorial Centre incorporates support functions for the new museum and the living history village. To better reflect that these functions are a branch of Regional government, it will be recommended that the building be renamed the Region of Waterloo Curatorial Centre.
The consultant team has outlined strategic and practical considerations in developing a name for the museum – the name should be short, easy to remember, practical and distinctive.
Keeping this in mind, the Region is considering four options for naming the museum:
1. Waterloo Region Museum – colloquial short-form WRM
2. Region of Waterloo Museum – colloquial short-form ROW
3. Museum Waterloo Region – colloquial short-form MoWR, pronounced “more”
4. Histories of Waterloo Region Museum – colloquial short-form HOW
What do you like about each of these names?
What don’t you like?
If you have any other suggestions, please explain why they would be good names for the museum.
Museum logo
Focus groups have recommended that the museum’s logo should capture the drama of the new building, but also represent diversity, growth and multiple narratives. Multiple logos were developed for consideration.
Focus groups representing tourism, local history and business collectively selected one logo for further development, which is presented here. The logo reflects the curve of the Homer Watson Boulevard façade of the building; colours in the building’s glass façade; and the seven area municipalities are represented in the seven vertical bars.
The Region is considering this draft logo, which will be further refined including colour selection and letter font and it will incorporate the selected name for the museum.
What do you like about this logo?
What don’t you like?
What other elements or concepts should the logo incorporate?
Construction Photos
(as of May 5, 2009)
Construction of the Region of Waterloo History Museum is on schedule and on budget.
Construction of concrete block walls that will enclose
washrooms and offices near the entrance to the museum. | 
Looking west along the historic Huron Road axis. The location of the road will be echoed in the building, in flooring materials and views out of the building along the Huron Road toward the Grand River. |
The mid section of the museum under construction. | 
A magnificent flowering crab apple tree will be visible from the lobby of the museum, looking south. |
Groundbreaking for the Region of Waterloo History Museum The official groundbreaking ceremony of the Region of Waterloo History Museum took place on Monday, November 3 at Doon Heritage Crossroads. Pictured above (l-r) are Regional Councilors Carl Zehr, Jane Mitchell, Regional Chair Ken Seiling, Harold Albrecht MP Kitchener-Conestoga, and Regional Councilors Sean Strickland, Jean Haalboom, Kim Denouden and Tom Galloway.
Current architectural views of the museum building
(as of April 2009)
The main facade of the museum, with its iconic colourful wall (read more about it below). The water
retention pond is one of the building's green features - water will be collected here and reused in the
building as grey water in the toilets.
The main facade of the museum at night. The word MUSEUM will be back-lit with LED lights.
The main facade as it may appear in winter.
Current architectural views of the museum entrance and lobby
(as of April 2009)
The entrance to the new museum is offset from the alignment of the historic Huron Road.
Colourful glass panels next to the entrance will incorporate historic and contemporary images of
Waterloo Region
At the intersection of the alignment of Huron Road and Grand Trunk Railway train tracks, that will
be carried through the building, is a glass floor to accentuate the crossroads theme of the building.
Beyond the glass curtain wall is CPR 894.
Where did the idea for the colourful facade come from?
Early in the design process for the new museum, several public meetings were held to gather public opinion about the project. Several people commented on the overall appearance of the building, expressing their concern that it lacked pizzazz. At a subsequent meeting, it was suggested by a member of the Museum Steering Committee that what the building needed was colour.
Architects from Moriyama + Teshima heard those comments and after their own design meetings, they applied blocks of colour to the main facade, reminiscent of quilts in the museum's collection. After seeing multiple colour studies for the facade and months of discussion and debate, the Museum Steering Committee settled on the colour pallette seen above. The colour blocks will be glass panels adhered to the building, with the word MUSEUM forming an integral part of the glass facade.
The colourful facade has another meaning, that is embedded in the pattern, or layout, of the colours.
On Sept. 1, 1905 Alberta and Saskatchewan became provinces of the Dominion of Canada.
Image B.6661 appears courtesy of the Provincial Archives of Alberta.
Alberta’s inauguration day was celebrated in Edmonton, with Prime Minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier addressing a crowd estimated at 12,000 people. (Inauguration celebrations in Regina were delayed until Sept. 4, allowing dignitaries enough time to travel to Saskatchewan.)
At a time when Western Canada was being settled by immigrants from around the world, Laurier spoke of the importance of recognizing the heritage of these new citizens – “we do not want, that any individuals should forget the land of their origin or their ancestors. Let them look to the past, but let them also look to the future; let them look to the land of their ancestors, but let them look also to the land of their children.”
Laurier’s words will be featured on the main façade. How will this happen? The 16 colours of the glass façade have been translated into hexi-decimal computer code, allowing various combinations of glass panels to represent the 26 letters in the English alphabet. So while you won’t be able to stand back and actually read Laurier’s words (unless you are very computer literate), his speech is determining the layout of the coloured panels.
Not only were Laurier’s words appropriate in 1905, but they reflect the theme of several exhibits planned in the new Region of Waterloo History Museum as we explore immigration to this region through time and the community’s diversity today in the 21st century.
Watch a video of the proposed layout of exhibits
Become a fan of the museum on Facebook
Be sure to continue the conversation about the development of the museum by becoming a fan on the museum's facebook page.
As demolition of four entrance buildings to Doon Heritage Crossroads was completed in October 2008, staff and volunteers gathered to remember the buildings and celebrate the upcoming construction.
View the Report to Community Services Committee - June 10, 2008
View Concept Drawings
Ground Floor Plan
View from Homer Watson Boulevard of Front Facade A
View from Homer Watson Boulevard of Front Facade B
View from Homer Watson Boulevard of Front Facade C
View of Front Entry
View of Front Entry - Close Up
View of Lobby
View of Village Terrace
View of Crossroads and Entrance from Mezzanine
View of Terrace and Village Beyond
View of Museum from Village
Museum Fact Sheet
Message from Minister of Canadian Heritage, Status of Women and Official Languages
In English
En Francais
Be sure to bookmark this page and check back regularly for updates on the progress
of the new Region of Waterloo History Museum.
|
