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Peter Coffinman

@petercoffman.bsky.social

1.8K followers 990 following 1K posts

Architectural Historian, History & Theory of Architecture @carleton.ca‬. https://carleton.ca/aah/people/peter-coffman/ Photographer. Pilgrim. Occasionally a writer. Chief of Staff to two cats. Photos mine unless otherwise credited.

carleton.ca

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Peter Coffinman @petercoffman.bsky.social · 13d

It’s October, which means it’s time to turn our thoughts to places that #OughtToBeHaunted. Or maybe ARE haunted. I’m told the basement here is the spookiest place in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. But not, apparently, the most haunted. Stay tuned.

Lunenburg Academy, designed by Harry Mott, built 1894-95.

A slightly warm-tinted black & white photograph of an ornate, three-story wooden building. The lower two stories are white with pronounced dark trip around all of the many windows. The upper story is darker and has very large Serliana windows. The roof has a robust and picturesque skyline of towers and turrets, silhouetted against a menacingly dark sky with stormy grey clouds that seem to be in motion.

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Peter Coffinman @petercoffman.bsky.social · 2d

Lunenburg Academy may be the town’s spookiest building, but I’m told that Boscawen Manor is its most haunted. It was built in 1888 for Senator H.A.N. Kaulbach, who commissioned it as a wedding present for his daughter. Perhaps she’s the angry ghost people encounter. 👻 😱 🎃
#OughtToBeHaunted

A large, picturesque, white wooden house with multiple gables and turrets sits atop a hill set off against a dark, ominous sky.

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Peter Coffinman @petercoffman.bsky.social · 3d

And, a not-so-good-news heritage story. Better than demolition, yes. But its original site has been permanently impoverished, and it’s an imposter in its new site.
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

How a historic church from central New Brunswick became an art studio in Oklahoma | CBC News

The Old Trinity Church, built in 1842, was deconsecrated in the late 1990s, dismantled and bought by an Oklahoma-based photographer, who had it trucked from Blackville to the Paseo Art District in the...

www.cbc.ca

Peter Coffinman @petercoffman.bsky.social · 3d

Currently crossing luminous musical landscapes with Champagne Weather at Live on Elgin. ❤️

A male violinist and female cellist on stage.

Peter Coffinman @petercoffman.bsky.social · 3d

Neil Peart was a remarkable drummer - and a very nice person. Many years ago I worked in a bike shop, and he came in to get kitted up for a long cycling trip. We spent a lot of time going over everything he’d need. He was pleasant, modest & down to earth. A good man.
www.cbc.ca/arts/q/geddy...

Geddy Lee recalls Neil Peart's incredible Rush audition — and how he showed up with his drums in garbage bags | CBC Arts

In an interview with Q’s Tom Power about his long-awaited memoir, My Effin' Life, the Rush frontman shares the story behind the late Neil Peart’s audition to join the band.

www.cbc.ca

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Peter Coffinman @petercoffman.bsky.social · 3d

I bet! Be careful though, ‘I’ve been inside’ could be taken two ways….

Peter Coffinman @petercoffman.bsky.social · 3d

Don’t see these every day! Gotta love Hintonburg.

A very big black and white woodpecker is perched on a tree trunk. It has a flaming red crest.

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Peter Coffinman @petercoffman.bsky.social · 3d

Oh! Yes! Surely! 👻 😱

An imposing, even intimidating stone facade with minimal decoration. It has Classical qualities, like symmetry, keystones above openings, and a protruding centre bay. it’s cliff-like face is distinctly uninviting.

Peter Coffinman @petercoffman.bsky.social · 3d

A good-news heritage story, about one of the most impressive Carnegie libraries in the country:
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

'Free to All': Winnipeg's 1st public library opened 120 years ago | CBC News

Carved into the Tyndall Stone above the arched entrance to Winnipeg's first public library are the words "Free To All" but for the past 11 years, it's been closed to everyone.

www.cbc.ca

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Peter Coffinman @petercoffman.bsky.social · 3d

Can you think of any buildings that ought to be haunted? If so, I’d love to hear about them.
#OughtToBeHaunted

Peter Coffinman @petercoffman.bsky.social · 9d

If there’s one building in eastern Ontario that #OughtToBeHaunted, it’s Kingston Penitentiary. Haunted by the despair of its occupants, and the cries for justice of their victims. By those whose sentences extended beyond life.

A gloomy, dark stone space with a staircase that climbs up the centre before branching symmetrically to the left and right before ending at a mid-wall level walkway with a steel railing.

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Peter Coffinman @petercoffman.bsky.social · 3d

The Bank of Commerce in Dawson City, Yukon, #OughtToBeHaunted. By the ghosts of Sam McGee, Dan McGrew, and others who sprang from the imagination of a clerk who worked here: Robert Service.

A semi-derelict Classical building, two stories tall and four bays wide, with rusticated masonry on the ground floor and fluted pilasters on the upper floor, and elaborate pediments above the windows. The building has clearly seen better days: the windows are boarded up and the paint is peeling. The image is slightly warm-toned black and white.

Peter Coffinman @petercoffman.bsky.social · 5d

Voting ends today, let’s support our podcast!

Peter Coffinman @petercoffman.bsky.social · 13d

Delighted to see that CBC’s ‘This Is Ottawa’ podcast, hosted by Robyn Bresnahan, has been shortlisted for a Signal Award in the category 'Individual Episodes: Local News'.

Let’s support our podcast! Vote!
vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting...

The Signal Listener's Choice Award needs YOU

I just voted for this finalist to win a Signal Listener's Choice Award. You should too.

vote.signalaward.com

Peter Coffinman @petercoffman.bsky.social · 5d

Iconic yes, but not Ionic. I hope the students in my survey course note the distinction.

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Peter Coffinman @petercoffman.bsky.social · 6d

We said good by to Paulette Dozois this evening. Kind, generous, and passionate about community service, she was an inspiration to all who knew her.

Beneath my respectable duds I wore a “Hintonburg” T-shirt, because Paulette would have expected no less.
ottawacitizen.remembering.ca/obituary/pau...

Paulette Dozois Obituary | 1952 - 2025 | Ottawa Citizen Remembering

View Paulette Dozois's complete obituary, share memories, and explore 63 tribute posts from the community.

ottawacitizen.remembering.ca

Peter Coffinman @petercoffman.bsky.social · 6d

“Kind”, that is. I meant “too kind”. Spelling is harder than teaching. Apparently. 😳

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Peter Coffinman @petercoffman.bsky.social · 6d

You are too ind, Shirley! But that’s okay, don’t change!

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Peter Coffinman @petercoffman.bsky.social · 6d

I was chuffed to see this new story on the @carletonfass.bsky.social website, profiling three @carleton.ca grads whom I had the privilege of teaching. Our grads are doing great work, and we’re very proud of them!
carleton.ca/fass/story/c...

Carleton Alumni Curate the Senate - Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences

Behind the scenes at the Senate of Canada, Carleton-trained curators are shaping how the nation’s history is told on Parliament Hill.

carleton.ca

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Reposted by Peter Coffinman

Stephen Fearing @sfearingmusic.bsky.social · 7d

Calling friends in Simcoe County and Central Ontario: Thursday next week, October 16th, I kick off my Ontario tour with The Sentimentals in Midland at Midland Cultural Centre. It's going to be a special night. Get your tickets now via my website or from Midland Cultural Centre. See you next week!

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Peter Coffinman @petercoffman.bsky.social · 7d

"Meanwhile, administrators said they've been rethinking programming at the site, switching from a focus on Queen's undergraduates to inviting cohorts of learners from all levels and other schools."

Hmmmm…. 🤔
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...