Does local history matter when it comes to housing people? Indwell thinks it does. That’s why so many of our projects include the adaptive reuse of historical buildings — finding ways to preserve some of the heritage of a property while converting the space into beautiful new homes for tenants.
It is also why, as Indwell embarked on an ambitious, multi-partner project to provide mixed-income housing at the site of the old Victoria Hospital in London, a discussion about how to honour the history of the space was a logical part of the conversation.
“This entire hospital site means something to the people of London, and we want to honour and celebrate that,” said Indwell staff member Julie Ryan as she introduced 10 historical signs that will be situated around the new Village SoHo property, a partnership of six local non-profit housing providers. The Village SoHo development will provide nearly 700 rental apartments at the site, with half designated as affordable, including two Indwell properties that offer 138 supportive housing units.
In fact, it was Ryan who initiated the project. She had been walking around London and noticed a public history exhibit called Hear, Here London. In 2019, the exhibit curated 70 stories of London’s history, each tied to a specific place or landmark. As people travel around London, they can see a Hear, Here London sign, call a phone number, and listen to an audio story about that location or historical landmark.
Ryan wondered if something similar could be done for the Village SoHo project, so she reached out to Michelle Hamilton, the director of Hear, Here London.
“Julie called in the summer of 2021 and explained what the Village SoHo Alliance is and what it was planning. She wanted to bring history into what would become that block of housing,” said Hamilton. “I knew a bit about the SoHo neighbourhood from the Hear, Here project and knew there were enough stories and enough depth in the neighbourhood to make this work.”
Hamilton, who is a professor of public history at Western University, had another project in mind for her graduate students in the coming year but liked this new idea better. She scrapped her original idea and got the students involved.
Originally, the plan was for the project to take one calendar year. Students would research items of historical significance, find photos, conduct interviews, and create large, seven-foot signs that could be displayed around the grounds of Village SoHo — all within 12 months.
“That was a ridiculous plan,” said Hamilton. “Later, we changed it to two years of research because there was a lot to do, and in the third year students took that research, wrote the signs, and created the website.”
A website wasn’t part of the original plan, but Hamilton said that there were so many good stories and photos that they were hesitant to exclude any of it.
In fact, they had a huge response in year one when Hamilton and the students put out a public call for people to come forward if they had stories about the old hospital, nursing school, medical school, or what it was like growing up in the neighbourhood.
“I was overwhelmed, in a good way, by the number of responses,” said Hamilton. “It demonstrated how important the hospital is to Londoners. I had a lot of people who emailed me and said they didn’t really have a story but wanted to let me know that they were born at the hospital and that it mattered to them.”
Hamilton’s Master of Public History students began interviewing people and continued those interviews into the second year.
“People would tell other people, so we didn’t need to do another request for interviews. Doctors who taught at the school would tell others because they have stayed in touch with their peers. Nurses called from all over North America.”
“The SoHo neighbourhood is alive with stories of past and present occupants, and hearing these stories directly from community members was always such a wonderful experience,” said Paige Murray, who worked on the project as a master’s student and later as an independent consultant.
As they held these conversations, certain themes emerged: the importance of the river and railway to the neighbourhood, how immigration had affected the community, the role of churches and clubs for specific ethnic groups, and what life was like in the hospital and medical community. Those themes eventually became the topics of each sign.
“The project also highlighted for me all the often unseen moving parts that contribute to successful public history projects,” Murray added. “Our team included public historians, the designer, and staff from the City of London and Indwell. Together, we had many, many meetings to co-ordinate everything from the historical research, text, and design to the layout and logos.”
These partners were key to the project’s success. Donations for the project came from the City of London, Western University Public History, Village SoHo, the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario-London Region, and Western Medical School Class of 1965. Designer Katie Wilhelm turned the text and photos into engaging, life-sized signs that draw passersby in.
Now, five years after the work began, the signs are complete, and many of them were revealed during Open Doors London on Sept. 19. Seven signs are located outside on the property’s main campus, one is inside the auditorium of Indwell’s Antler River Apartments, and three will be located in a new city park in front of Indwell’s Hilda Stuart Lofts once the park is complete in 2027.
The signs are intended as a gift to the community — to thank all those who participated, share history with those in the neighbourhood, and entertain and educate anyone who happens to walk by. They also serve a specific purpose for the future tenants of Village SoHo.
“Heritage and well-being support each other in a holistic sense,” said Hamilton. “Heritage can be used purposefully to increase a sense of belonging to a place, and when you feel like you belong, you invest more.”
Hamilton cited several studies that have taken place in Europe that show how understanding the history of a place can help ground you in a community.
“During COVID-19, people’s quality of life and mental health were being challenged. Researchers started studying whether walking in nature, seeing old buildings, and taking self-guided walking tours could affect mental health and quality of life. And they did,” she said.
She explained that heritage and history help people feel part of a community. Being part of a community leads to a better quality of life, which supports better mental health. “These things are all linked,” she said. The signs are not only a gift to those living near Village SoHo; they will also be a gift to residents themselves — offering a better understanding of their new home and helping them recognize their place in the continuing story of this particular neighbourhood.
Most of the signs are now on display and can be toured in a self-guided way on the property. Additional stories and details are also available online, with each sign providing QR codes to that material.
“We are grateful to Michelle and her students for the excellent research and their careful attention to inclusivity and detail. We are excited to see these signs now installed for all to enjoy,” said Ryan. “We hope they serve as a reminder of the significance of this particular space and help neighbours, new and old, feel a sense of connection and belonging.”
“I hope that people are able to come away from the signs with a sense of place and belonging in the neighbourhood,” added Murray. “I always say that heritage is about stories, and one of the best ways to engage with the past is through personal experiences. These signs focus on the personal experiences of those who live and have lived in the neighbourhood. I hope people are able to connect with that and have a deeper appreciation for the rich history of the area.”
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