Three Cohorts, One Extraordinary Start to the Year
September marked a very special milestone at Willowbank as we celebrated 20 years of the School of Restoration Arts. Alongside this, a new academic year has begun, with all three cohorts back and already immersed in the hands-on, applied learning that defines a Willowbank education. From lime burning, timber framing and dry-stone walling here in Niagara, to adaptive reuse and digital heritage in Ottawa and an intensive Week of Wood in Eastern Ontario, it has been a busy start to the year.
What a Celebration! Willowbank at 20
On September 19, more than 400 people joined us at the Willowbank Estate to celebrate 20 years of the School of Restoration Arts — two decades of teaching, learning, craftsmanship and community.
Throughout the afternoon, the Estate came alive as our students, faculty, alumni and friends demonstrated the traditional skills and crafts at the heart of a Willowbank education. Visitors explored the Estate, met our community and experienced first-hand the incredible breadth of knowledge and skill that continues to be passed from one generation to the next.
At 2pm, an Indigenous ceremony in Willowbank’s Indigenous Community Love Garden took place, and more than 100 people gathered for the retirement of the Thunderbird totem pole, dedicated to the memory of Albert Choken and honouring Missing and Murdered Indigenous Boys and Men. The celebrations continued into the evening with the whimsical and wonderful Woodshed Orchestra, alongside food and drinks. We are very grateful to Halliwell Hall, Ravine Vineyard Estate Winery and Riverview Cellars Estate Winery, who generously donated beverages for the evening and helped make the celebration such a success.
To everyone who attended, demonstrated, volunteered, performed and supported us — thank you for helping us celebrate this milestone. A particular thank you to Theresa Felicetti, whose quiet determination and incredible ability to make things happen brought the event together; Jim Mountain, who led the musical programme, drawing on decades of experience producing large-scale musical performances; Conor MacNeill, who worked his connections to secure generous beverage donations for the evening; and Sean Blank, who kept the evening flowing as our wonderful MC.
All photos from 19 September have been supplied by Mykola Prokhorovych - first year student at Willowbank.
This Is What a Willowbank Education Looks Like
We’re just over a month into the new academic year, with all three year groups on campus, and our students are already fully immersed in applied learning. It is all made possible thanks to the incredible work and dedication of our Co-Deans of Faculty, Jim Mountain and Keith Blades, supported by our invaluable School Administrator, Suzanne McVicar, and the wonderful network of faculty who bring the Willowbank learning experience to life.
Just a month in and students have begun researching a Conservation Management Plan for the Niagara Falls Armoury, which will help support the future of the military museum and this important historic place. We also held our annual Lime Burn, with students gaining first-hand experience of one of the traditional materials fundamental to the conservation of historic masonry.
Students have also been timber framing, creating traditional mortise-and-tenon joints for a pavilion at the Brown Homestead in St. Catharines, and developing their dry-stone walling skills with Dean McLellan, including constructing a stone arch at Willowbank. Our Second and Third Years have also been working together to enclose Willowbank’s dry-stone building, helping transform it into an additional teaching and classroom space on the Estate.
Willowbank on the Road: Ottawa
This week our Second Years have taken the Willowbank classroom on the road for a week of learning in Ottawa. At Carleton University, students participated in a masterclass exploring adaptive reuse and visited the Carleton Immersive Media Studio (CIMS) to discover how digital technologies are being used to document, understand and conserve heritage places.
Their week also introduced them to the stewardship of federal heritage properties and gave them the opportunity to explore Ottawa’s built heritage — learning not simply in a classroom, but directly from the buildings, institutions and professionals shaping conservation practice.
A Week of Wood
Meanwhile, our Third Years headed to the Perth and Almonte area for an intensive Week of Wood with the Perth Academy of Building Arts and Science, led by instructor Jack Hollinger. Their week explores wood from the forest to the finished building: the history of the Eastern Ontario and Ottawa Valley forests, sustainable forest management, tree and timber species, sawmilling and kiln drying, traditional woodworking and the conservation of historic timber structures. Students are carving and hewing logs, visiting working mills, forests and historic sites, and learning directly from foresters, craftspeople, millworkers and conservation specialists. It is the Willowbank approach in action: understanding a material through its ecology, history, craftsmanship and conservation, and learning directly from the people who work with it.
Follow us on social media to see where our students go, what they’re working on and the skills they’re mastering along the way - visit our Instagram, Facebook or LinkedIn.
Investing in Willowbank’s Future
Alongside all this student activity, work continues on another very important project here at the Willowbank Estate. Through the Government of Canada’s Parks Canada National Cost-Sharing Program for Heritage Places, Willowbank has been awarded up to $193,000 in matching funding towards critical restoration work at our National Historic Site.
The project includes stabilization and restoration of the Manor House’s northwest wall and the installation of an internal fire-rated stair, which will provide safe access to the third floor and open approximately 50% more usable space for teaching, learning and community use.
Thanks to extraordinary community and philanthropic support, we are getting closer to unlocking the full federal investment — but we still have work to do before the March 31, 2027 deadline.
Every eligible dollar donated can unlock another dollar through Parks Canada, doubling its potential impact and helping secure both this remarkable historic place and the future of the School that calls it home. If you would like to support the site and our students, please consider giving - visit www.willowbank.ca/donate more information.
Come and Visit Willowbank
If you missed Willowbank at 20 — or would simply like another opportunity to explore the Estate — we will be opening our doors again on Saturday, October 17, as part of Doors Open Niagara-on-the-Lake. It is another opportunity to discover our National Historic Site, learn more about the School of Restoration Arts and experience the place where our students develop the knowledge and skills needed to care for Canada’s built heritage.
Did you know that Doors Open Ontario is a province-wide initiative celebrating its 25th season in 2026? Organized by the Ontario Heritage Trust in partnership with local communities, it invites the public to explore historic buildings, cultural landmarks and fascinating places across Ontario — all free of charge.
On Saturday, October 17, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Willowbank is pleased to be one of 16 participating sites in Doors Open Niagara-on-the-Lake. We invite you to explore our National Historic Site, discover the history of the Estate and learn more about the School of Restoration Arts. Doors Open Niagara Falls takes place on Sunday, October 18, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., with another 13 fascinating sites to explore.
