NCC seeks to rejuvenate underused Nepean Point
Matthew Pearson, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: January 18, 2017 | Last Updated: January 18, 2017 3:48 PM EST
The National Capital Commission is launching an international design competition to reimagine Nepean Point.
Details will be released Thursday at the NCC’s board meeting and a winning design is expected to be unveiled by the end of the year.
Nepean Point — the 2.5-hectare site behind the National Gallery of Canada and overlooking the Ottawa River and the Rideau Canal — might be Ottawa’s most inspiring vista, but for more than two decades, it has been underused.
The Astrolabe theatre, with its spectacular views of Parliament Hill, the Ottawa River and the canal, was one of the capital’s finest sites for open-air shows, but performances ceased in 1995. The NCC announced plans for its demolition in 2014.
The structures are outdated, the open-air amphitheatre is contaminated with asbestos and mould, and the site no longer meets accessibility standards, according to the NCC. Its renewal is one of 17 major projects the NCC will undertake to transform Ottawa over the next five decades.
“We now have the opportunity to renew the space, to improve its access and to give it a unique character that will serve the capital for the next 5o years,” says a post on the NCC’s website.
Development objectives suggested during a 2014 planning workshop about Nepean Point emphasized pedestrian access to the site and its scenic views, accessibility and sustainable development.
The vision called for the park to have a “unique, world-class character” and be connected to Major’s Hill Park via a footbridge.
There is also to be minimal effect on the National Gallery’s clientele and no vibrations during construction in order to protect the art collection.
The project’s cost hasn’t been announced, but a 2014 NCC report estimated it at $4.4 million.
Nepean Point was named in 1876 in honour of colonial affairs secretary Sir Evan Nepean after the apparent purchase of a large piece of land from aboriginal Canadians by the British Department of Indian Affairs.
In 1915, the Samuel de Champlain statue, one of the capital’s most prominent monuments, was unveiled, commemorating the 300th anniversary of Champlain’s first trip on the Ottawa River.
The Champlain statue was later relocated and amphitheatre seats were added in 1967 for a sound and light show on Parliament Hill to mark the centennial of Confederation.
Nepean Point is considered the backyard of the National Gallery, which has installed several works of art, including One Hundred Foot Line in 2010.
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