Port Hope pioneer receives Order of Canada honours

Rod Stewart outside the Capitol Theatre. File Photo.

By Cecilia Nasmith

A Port Hope pioneer turned up in the latest Order of Canada list, as Rod Stewart was named a Member of the Order of Canada.
The citation says, “Roderick Stewart is passionate about architectural plaster conservation. His products and methods have become industry standards across North America, where he is known as a leading expert in this specialized field. His notable application of acrylic resins has extended the useful service life of plain face and decorative plaster in countless heritage buildings.”

The founder of Historic Plaster Conservation Services also received the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario James D. Strachan Award for Craft in 2023. They cited his spearheading the preservation and restoration of the Capitol Theatre and involvement in restoring the St. Lawrence Hotel on Walton Street, the former Royal Bank building and Furby House Books.

And though he also put his stamp on the community as one of the founders of Northumberland 89.7 FM, his list of accomplishments reads like a who's who of significant buildings, both locally and afar, with a special focus on plaster preservation.

“Really, what we focus on is what we call plain face plaster – the flat part of the ceiling,” Stewart explained in a recent interview.

“Typically in important buildings, it is decorated by painting, sometimes fresco or applied materials. If you don't save the plaster, you don't save the artwork. You extend the service life of the plaster, so the decoration could be conserved.”

Stewart considers Port Hope “a great place to live – so many opportunities.”

He grew up in Dundas (similar to Port Hope in that it has a valley and a river), and came to this area as an employed actor in his 20s. He settled down in the former Hope Township, until his wife at the time announced that a child was on the way.

“I decided we had to do something other than be back-to-the-land people, so I took up carpentry and we moved into town.”

This was where he made contact with the Architectural Conservancy people and met the incomparable AK Sculthorpe.

“They talked me into focusing on conservation, basically made me interested in restoration of historic buildings. I focused on that,” he recalled.

A long-ago foundation project at Grafton's Barnum House gave him a chance to do some experimenting with plaster.

“They asked if I would please read the literature on plaster conservation. I did. We were invited to experiment with the plaster in that building, and that is what got us started,” Stewart recalled.

He learned of an American who had experimented with the idea of using an acrylic material to strengthen the plaster.

“We picked up where he left off, and went from there.”

In the Victoria era, itinerant painters would go around decorating the walls and ceilings in the homes of the well-to-do. Glanmore House in Belleville is an example, where the fantastic decorations are a key reason why the house was important - “lose the plaster, lose the decoration,” Stewart summed up.

“My firm focused on institutional buildings – we really didn't do much residential work except these house museums.”

The list would include the Library of Parliament and the Royal Suite at Rideau Hall in Ottawa – and in Toronto, St. Michael's Cathedral, Osgoode Hall, Convocation Hall and Massey Hall.

Stewart said that any recognition must include the contributions of his wife Masumi Suzuki.

“Without Masumi's help and assistance for the last 25 years, I certainly wouldn't be getting recognized,” he stated.

For example, at his best-known local restoration – Port Hope's Capitol Theatre - “Masumi put the stars in the ceiling.”

The Capitol has been restored into the last remaining operating atmospheric theatre in the country. That term describes what, at the Capitol, is the aura of sitting under the stars in the courtyard of a castle.

Atmospheric theatres evolved when talkies came along. They got rid of the piano player, the live opening act, the old vaudeville character of the venue and made the building part of the entertainment. While a few of these old atmospheric theatres remain, Stewart said, only the Capitol still operates as a theatre.

And when he first bought it some 35 years ago, it was a derelict location.

“The person who had purchased it accepted the idea that it wouldn't be used as a theatre again. Those people, before they sold it, took all the theatrical stuff out to the dump – seating, projectors, curtains, the works,” he described.

“The owner signed a covenant saying it would never be used as a theatre. I bought it from that person. We had to take the former owners to court to get them to remove that covenant.”

He gives a lot of the credit to his lawyer Wilf Day in accomplishing that and clearing the way to begin the restoration.

Stewart is also proud of his success with Furby House Books, which was in an entirely different location when he bought it. He moved it into a couple of downtown spots (including the St. Lawrence Building) before it arrived at its current location at 65 Walton St. – where the new owners are making it thrive. You wouldn't believe the crowds on a Sunday morning, he said.

“I just want to confirm that I don't have any idea how I was nominated or how I was selected. I'm sure there are many, many other people with contributions to cultural things, built environment, but I am happy to take the award. I can't wait to go to Rideau Hall and meet the Governor-General,” he said.

And while he's at Rideau Hall, he might just check to see how that plaster work he did is holding up.