The A-frame gets a lift

Renovation work on the Al Purdy A-frame in Ameliasburgh

The Al Purdy A-frame in Ameliasburgh is getting a new lease on life. The house was built by poet Al Purdy in 1957 using salvaged lumber from a demolished Belleville building. The “second hand house” and its quiet surroundings revitalized the poetry of Al Purdy, and in 1965 he won a Governor General’s Award for his collection in The Cariboo Horses. During the ‘60s and ‘70s the small house hosted the luminaries of Canadian literature, including Milton Acorn and Margaret Laurence. Perhaps of greater import, Al Purdy welcomed and mentored many aspiring young writers to the small village of Ameliasburgh. Al and his wife, Eurithe, lived in the house until 1987, when they purchased a home in British Columbia. They spent only a few months a year at the A-frame. After Mr. Purdy died in 2000, the house slowly fell into disuse and its physical condition deteriorated. Around 2009, when Eurithe made it known that she was selling the house, it was feared that Al Purdy’s legacy and the history represented there would vanish if a new owner took possession. The Al Purdy A-frame Association was formed—with members from across Canada— and they offered to purchase the property with the intent to preserve it. At this point, the Association had no money whatsoever. The first fundraising event—a sale of some bric-a-brac from the house—raised $600. More substantial funds were raised over the years, and in 2012 the Association was able to purchase the house, with the intent of using it as a writer’s retreat. There was a lot of work to be done to make it a suitable living space—repairs to the roof and foundation, upgrading the heating and plumbing systems. At last, in July 2014, poet Katherine Leyton was the first writer invited for a retreat at the A-frame.

Since that time, until 2023, 49 writers have been invited for residencies at the A-frame. This past year, the decision was made to do some major and much needed renovations to the house. There was a chronic water leakage problem with the foundation, and a lack of insulation meant the house could not be used during the winter months. The original plan called for raising the house and creating a four-foot high crawlspace. “We decided to go the whole hog and put in a full basement, which would double the space and could be environmentally controlled to serve for some of the Al Purdy Archives, which are now in the writing shack—not the best place for them,” said Association board member Raymond Brassard. “There would be space for a meeting room, for meetings and performances. It is a larger project than originally planned, but the house was already up on stilts and when was that going to happen again?” The exterior work is expected to be completed by mid-November and interior work will continue through the winter and early spring, with the anticipated first residency in April 2025. The funds for the renovation were raised over the past few years from many private donors, the Huff Family Fund, the John M. and Bernice Parrot Foundation, as well as from government programs. The Association had enough money to cover the original scope of the project, but they will need to raise approximately $30,000 to complete the revised design.

Over the past couple of years there have been a number of awards and fellowships announced in honour of Al Purdy. Eurithe Purdy, who will celebrate her 100th birthday on November 10, has launched the Al and Eurithe Purdy Poetry Prize of $10,000 in recognition of the best Canadian book of poetry. The inaugural winner was Sid Marty for his collection Oldman’s River: New and Collected Poems. The County Foundation has announced the establishment of the Al and Eurithe Purdy Fund, dedicated to supporting Canadian authors and preserving the A-frame. The Association has also established the Steven Heighton Fellowship, in conjunction with Queen’s University and the Kingston WritersFest. The award consists of a $10,000 prize, a six-week residency at the Aframe, a week-long residency at Queen’s University and a profiled position at the Kingston WritersFest. “This award focuses on established writers who wish to expand their portfolio or jump into something really new,” said Mr. Brassard. “Part of the reason it is honouring Steven Heighton is because he was that kind of person. He was very much a Renaissance literary person— music, poetry, prose, all different kinds of things. Also, he was one of the original supporters of the A-frame Association and was a long time on the selection committee. He also spent a fair amount of time at Queen’s University and on the board of the WritersFest. We created this program in collaboration with both those organizations.”

The residency program will return to the A-frame in April 2025. This residency program focuses on emerging writers and is the only one of its kind in Canada that offers a stipend to the writers. “We offer our writers a $750 a week stipend and travel expenses as well as a quiet place to actually work on a project. In return, they are expected to participate in at least one community project that they create while they are here. It is important that the A-frame reach out to the local community,” said Mr. Brassard. The renovations at the A-frame mean that residencies can now be offered year-round. For more information about the A-frame, or to make a donation, please visit alpurdy.ca.