Fondos F42 - Cullen Gardens and Miniature Village fonds

Área de título y declaración de responsabilidad

Título apropiado

Cullen Gardens and Miniature Village fonds

Tipo general de material

  • Multiple media

Título paralelo

Otra información de título

Título declaración de responsabilidad

Título notas

  • Source of title proper: Title based on contents of the fonds.

Nivel de descripción

Fondos

Institución archivística

Código de referencia

CA ON00329 F42

Área de edición

Declaración de edición

Declaración de responsabilidad de edición

Área de detalles específicos de la clase de material

Mención de la escala (cartográfica)

Mención de proyección (cartográfica)

Mención de coordenadas (cartográfica)

Mención de la escala (arquitectónica)

Jurisdicción de emisión y denominación (filatélico)

Área de fechas de creación

Fecha(s)

  • 1966-2006 (Criação)
    Creador
    Cullen Gardens Inc.

Área de descripción física

Descripción física

3,123 photographs : col. slides ; 35 mm
2,220 photographs : col.
80 photographs : col. and b&w negatives ; 35 mm on 15 x 3.5 cm sheet
58 cm of textual records
48 audio cassettes
37 video cassettes
34 technical drawings
8 maps
5 architectural drawings
1 pin : metal

Área de series editoriales

Título apropiado de las series del editor

Títulos paralelos de serie editorial

Otra información de título de las series editoriales

Declaración de responsabilidad relativa a las series editoriales

Numeración dentro de la serie editorial

Nota en las series editoriales

Área de descripción del archivo

Nombre del productor

(1980-2006)

Historia administrativa

In 1965, Leonard Cullen, owner of Weall & Cullen Nurseries Ltd., a garden supply and landscaping business in the Greater Toronto Area, purchased 150 acres of land on Taunton Road West in Whitby in order to establish a recreational garden for tourists and a Weall & Cullen farm property. 100 acres of property was designated for Weall & Cullen, while the remaining 50-acre parcel was set aside for the recreational garden. Cullen developed these 50 acres over the following years, adding a miniature village of Southern Ontario homes built to 1/12th scale, restaurant, gift shop, tea room, mini golf course, washrooms, rockery, paths, and various flower beds. On December 30, 1971, Cullen officially incorporated his park and village as Cullen Gardens of Cedar Valley Incorporated. This name was later changed to Cullen Gardens Incorporated. On May 30, 1980, the site was opened to the public as Cullen Gardens and Miniature Village.

The company specialized in seasonal floral displays, special events for holidays (particularly its winter Festival of Lights), live performances, and its miniature village, which initially featured 600 hand-built miniature people, 150 vehicles, and 80 structures. Cullen Gardens was open from late spring to early January of each year. In peak season and at the height of its popularity, Cullen Gardens employed around 150 individuals. The organization retained a full-time staff of 30 individuals year-round and hired seasonal employees from May to December.

In 1981, Cullen Gardens Inc. purchased Hood Park, an 88-acre tract of land that was also located on Taunton Road West (Lot 28, Concession 3). The company donated 17 acres of this property to the Baptist Convention of Ontario and Quebec in the mid-1980s for the establishment of a Baptist Leadership Education Centre. The remainder of the Hood Park property was sold to a developer.

In 1986, Leonard Cullen paid to move the Lynde House Museum, a Georgian home built in Whitby between 1812-1814 for the Lynde family, to Cullen Gardens. Staff renovated the house and added artifacts and life-sized animatronic figures representing the Lynde family. The museum re-opened in June 1988. In subsequent years, Cullen Gardens also paid to transport five historic homes from the Greater Toronto Area to the site. These homes, which had originally been slated for demolition, were intended for a new tourist attraction called the Prettiest Street in Ontario. Leonard Cullen hoped to install luxury boutiques and bed and breakfast accommodations in the houses, but due to financial constraints and rising insurance costs, this vision was never realized.

In 1986, Leonard Cullen's son, Peter began working as a groundskeeper at Cullen Gardens. In 1988, Susan Green, Leonard Cullen's daughter, became involved in the administration of the business, particularly the management of shops and food services. Susan Green and Peter Cullen also began acquiring shares from Leonard Cullen.

In 1987, Cullen Gardens added a new fine dining restaurant, which was initially called the Garden Gate Restaurant and eventually became Cullen Gardens Restaurant. In the same year, Cullen Gardens created banquet rooms, a tower lobby entrance, and a miniature cottage country. In May, these new attractions were opened to the public in an especially momentous ceremony, which was attended by Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario Lincoln Alexander.

In spite of such additions, Cullen Gardens struggled to remain profitable throughout the 1990s and early 2000s. The organization's challenges during this time included a 1989 fire that destroyed the original restaurant and gift shop, rising insurance costs, and the introduction of the federal Goods and Services Tax. By 1999, Susan Green purchased Peter Cullen's shares and became president of the organization, as well as sole owner of the Cullen Gardens property. In an effort to attract new visitors, Cullen Gardens renovated its fine dining restaurant and re-opened it as a casual dining facility (the Grill and Grape Restaurant). This initiative was unsuccessful.

In January 2006, Susan Green sold the Cullen Gardens property and buildings to the Corporation of the Town of Whitby. The miniature village collection was purchased by the City of Oshawa, who in turn sold it to Niagara Parks in 2011.

Historial de custodia

Cullen Gardens and Miniature Village records remained in the custody of Susan Green,  company owner, until 2006, when they were transferred to the Archives at Whitby Public Library. 

Alcance y contenido

The fonds consists of operational and commemorative records related to Cullen Gardens and Miniature Village. Many operational records were created as Leonard Cullen and other staff developed and advertised the organization's site in Whitby, Ontario. Commemorative records preserve views of the site's grounds, seasonal displays, building interiors, and events. Additionally, the fonds contains some personal records from Leonard Cullen, most of which pertain to his involvement in the Baptist Convention of Ontario and Quebec and the Baptist Leadership Education Centre in Whitby. The fonds consists of four series: Site Maintenance and Expansion; Personal Writings and Baptist Community Involvement of Leonard Cullen; Promotions; and Photographs.

Área de notas

Condiciones físicas

Origen del ingreso

Arreglo

The majority of records that arrived at the archives were stored by the donor in titled files and physically grouped by media type (e.g. textual records, audio recordings, etc.). The archivist preserved this physical order for the majority of the fonds and kept the donor's original file titles where they existed.

Additionally, the archivist took cues from the received physical order when developing the intellectual order of the fonds. Some series were determined on the basis of media format, while others were created from grouped records of similar business functions.

Idioma del material

  • inglés

Escritura del material

    Ubicación de los originales

    Disponibilidad de otros formatos

    Restricciones de acceso

    Condiciones de uso, reproducción, y publicación

    Some records in the fonds—mainly those created by third parties—are protected under copyright. Permission to reproduce copyrighted materials must be obtained from the copyright holder(s). See archivist for details.

    Instrumentos de descripción

    File lists are available for each series. See online series descriptions for further details.

    Materiales asociados

    Materiales relacionados

    Acumulaciones

    No further accruals are expected. 

    Nota general

    A list of deaccessioned items and records is available. See archivist for details.

    Identificador/es alternativo(os)

    Número estándar

    Número estándar

    Puntos de acceso

    Puntos de acceso por lugar

    Puntos de acceso por autoridad

    Tipo de puntos de acceso

    Área de control

    Identificador de registro de descripción

    Identificador de la institución

    Reglas o convenciones

    Estado de elaboración

    Final

    Nivel de detalle

    Completo

    Fechas de creación, revisión o eliminación

    Created by Gillian Dunks in December 2017.

    Idioma de descripción

      Escritura de la descripción

        Fuentes

        Área de Ingreso