Randwood

The Rand Estate in Niagara-on-the-Lake, known as “Randwood”, is a treasure among Canada’s historic estates. Some 50 acres large at its height, it was the summer home of the Rand family over multiple generations between 1910 and 2016. The estate holds a vital place in the community’s history and identity, and its magnificent landscape is a significant early 20th-century work of the pioneering Canadian landscape architects Howard and Lorrie Dunnington-Grubb.

ERA has played a key role in articulating the character of Randwood, which has faced an uncertain future since leaving the Rand family’s care. Under the leadership of a community group advocating for the site’s future, the Save Our Rand Estate Association (SORE), ERA has contributed foundational research, analysis, and advice aimed at ensuring that historic elements are meaningfully conserved while allowing the site to support the future needs of the community.

Amid differing visions for the estate, the owner’s proposal to build a residential subdivision led to a hearing at the Ontario Land Tribunal, where ERA participated as expert witnesses. The Tribunal decided in favour of the Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake and SORE, whose positions were broadly aligned, on the central issues. The decision was significant for its examination of cultural heritage landscapes, its attention to the landscape features within them, and its emphasis on the importance of comprehensive planning

At the heart of the contributions made by ERA and Brendan Stewart, our Senior Advisor on Landscape Practice, is a cultural landscape approach that transcends the estate’s individual elements and property parcels to create a layered and collective understanding of this place. Through the ongoing efforts of SORE and its team of experts, the lands of the estate have been protected by new designations which have placed heritage at the centre of Randwood’s future evolution.