his project is symbolic of a joint community and municipal effort to revive Sydney Mines' downtown economy, and to position it for prosperity once again. The Client, BCA Holdings, a local community economic development group, along with the community clergy and the Province of Nova Scotia, are partnering on this $2 million commercial revitalization project.

In 1900, Sydney Mines was the industrial heart of Atlantic Canada, and the precursor to the major steel works industry in Sydney. Decades of ex-migration and economic decline have had a profoundly negative impact on the downtown infrastructure. Revitalization projects in devitalized communities, such as Sydney Mines, can only be successfully achieved through a partnership between government, the private sector, and the community.

The proposed building project is located on the corner of Fraser Avenue and Main Street, directly across from the historic Sydney Mines Post Office Structure, which houses the Sydney Mines community offices. The architectural mandate of this project is to create a mixed-use, commercial facility, which will act as a catalyst in the stimulation of further downtown economic development. The lower floor will house a food-service facility and retail tenancies. The upper floor, accessed via a central core/elevator lobby, will contain a rotunda-enclosed community room, as well as several professional-office tenancies.

The architectural language of the edifice draws upon the rich historical context of the former Town of Sydney Mines, as well as its abundant inventory of Traditional Victorian residences built at the turn of the century. This design strongly rejects modern, international-style, idioms, in favor of "modern traditionalism." Rather than breaking with the past, this design embraces and celebrates the aesthetic and cultural values of eras gone by, and firmly roots the building with its strong historical context.

The architecture is based on the Shingle Style, wherein Classical and vernacular elements are intermingled. Iconic elements, such as a sloped roof, cupola, rotunda, and gabled dormer, serve to accentuate the dialogue between the ordinary and the meaningful. Hopefully, this building will successfully serve as an economic catalyst, as well as a reminder of grander times left behind.