20 Years of Cultural Heritage at ASI

This November marks 20 years since we began doing cultural heritage work at ASI!

Back in 1998 David Cuming became our first Cultural Heritage Specialist, soon to be joined by Mary MacDonald. We owe so much to David and Mary who not only brought an essential new discipline to ASI, but have made huge contributions towards conserving Ontario’s heritage throughout their careers. After leaving ASI, David became the Senior Project Manager in charge of Cultural Heritage for the City of Hamilton, and has since moved on to a successful consulting career, while Mary is now the Senior Manager of Heritage Preservation Services at the City of Toronto.

And here we are today! A department of twelve (and growing) led by our Partner Katie Hull and Manager Annie Veilleux. Annie started cultural heritage work under Mary back in 2006, and is now a Senior Heritage Specialist. Both Katie and Annie began their careers in archaeology, only to settle into cultural heritage for the longterm, one of the many benefits of having archaeology and cultural heritage under a single umbrella! In 2007, Rebecca Sciarra joined the department, and is now a Partner and Principal Heritage Specialist, signalling the permanent home the discipline has found within our company. The growth of our division mimics the overall growth of heritage conservation in our province, and it has been gratifying to be part of that movement.

We are so proud of all the talented people who have worked in our cultural heritage team over the years, and all the great work we have accomplished. We would like to thank all of those inside and outside our firm that have mentored and supported our work through collaborations. There have been many!

To celebrate this milestone, here is a retrospective photo album showing the evolution of the Cultural Heritage Division at ASI.

Here’s to another 20 years!