Debate Heats up in King Township over Bid to Designate Richard Serra Sculpture a Heritage Site

Published: Wednesday, 15 August 2012

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Chris Barnett represents Hickory Hill Investments in the controversy over the fate of an outdoor sculpture by famed artist Richard Serra.

The Township of King, situated north of Toronto, is fighting to have an outdoor installation by renowned sculptor Richard Serra designated a heritage site amid concern that increasing urban development in the area will threaten its conservation. Shift, completed in 1972 when Serra was still relatively unknown, consists of six large concrete forms that wind their way across four hectares of country fields. It was originally commissioned by a private art collector and now sits on agricultural land owned by Hickory Hill Investments.

In December 2009, members of the King Township Council voted to designate the work as a protected cultural landscape under the Ontario Heritage Act. Hickory Hill is appealing this decision before the Ontario Conservation Review Board.

Davis LLP partner Chris Barnett is acting as counsel for Hickory Hill in this matter, and the ongoing dispute has been receiving coverage by the Globe and Mail. Barnett asserts that the developer respects the cultural significance of Shift and has no intention of threatening its conservation. He further suggests that there are alternatives to securing heritage status availale to the Township to prevent future owners from neglecting or demolishing the work.

Read the full article on the Globe and Mail website.