Heritage Properties of Ottawa & Gatineau

[Urbanarchit]

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[HighwayStar]

Originally Posted by defishel

If the building is sold off to a developer or the city, then they can foot the bill. But otherwise the building still can be used by the school board, so they should foot the bill. They were aware of this property they owned and its historical ties to the neighbourhood, and it was their responsibility to be maintaining their facilities anyway, instead of neglecting them for years. They neglected the property and subjected children and residents to its poor conditions, and then were banking on demolishing it to construct new facilities. They could have asked the architect to gut it and then include it as a wing to a newly designed building. This could have allowed space for fields and surface parking (it makes sense to put that underground though).

Instead, they went ahead with designing a new building with the intentions of erasing proof of their neglect, and never spending more than the minimum on inner-city schools. So now, they can pony up the money for a building that they can still use. I feel it's safe to say that instead of blaming those who supported heritage designation for forcing the OCDSB to spend more on this project, they could have saved money if they just maintained their facilities or planned to include it in a redesign in the first place.

I'm a little uncomfortable with the woulda/coulda/shoulda argument here. School Boards purpose is to provide an education.... not to cater to the whims of historical architecture enthusiasts. I'm not in a position to state that $xxx spent 25 years ago would have been enough to salvage the building for the next 100 years... but I do think it realistic that property owners can put a lifespan on their holdings, and make future investment plans based on such.

Originally Posted by defishel

Alternatively they could give it to NHS next door and allow them to use in place of portables or whatnot. The school is already over-capacity (when I started there Laurentian and another school closed down so we had an influx from students who'd be going there). Classes were really full, and they added a few more portables, so why not give it to them considering its proximity and similar style?

Nice idea... but it sounds like the ongoing maintenance costs alone are prohibitive... not to mention the full plumbing/electrical/HVAC retrofit likely required. I've lived in the neighbourhood 20 years and like the architectural ambiance as much as anyone... but in this day and age I don't believe it prudent to remove money from education based on the arbitrary whims of a committee.

I'm not denying that the building is more attractive than a parking lot... by a long shot.. but I do think it's unfair to expect the OCDSB to cover the cost.

[Urbanarchit]

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[silvergate]

I wonder if combining with the Catholic School Board would give the public system enough funds to renovate buildings like this.

[rocketphish]

City planning panel approves Broadview school heritage designation

Matthew Pearson, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: February 24, 2015, Last Updated: February 24, 2015 12:43 PM EST

Ottawa’s planning committee approved a heritage designation for the oldest portion of Broadview Public School on Tuesday.

A property can be designated under the Ontario Heritage Act if it meets one or more of the following criteria: design or physical value, historical or associative value, and contextual value, a heritage planner told the committee.

Broadview meets all three, according to heritage planner Lesley Collins.

Her recommendation to designate only applies to the building’s exterior.

Although the designation — if approved by council — could create a delay of up to three months, Ottawa’s public school board says it will forge ahead with plans to build a new, $15-million Broadview Public School on the same lot as the current school.

What the OCDSB does not appear ready to do, however, is spend an estimated $5 million to renovate the two-storey “tower,” which was built in 1927 in the collegiate gothic style popularized in the early 20th Century. It is the only portion of Broadview slated for heritage designation.

“We have no plans for using that building,” said Mike Carson, the OCDSB’s chief financial officer.

In fact, according to him, the board stands to lose 30 per cent of its provincial funding for the project if the current building is to be used for classroom space. The province has approved funding based on the complete demolition of the current school.

Possible future uses of the old Broadview building, if designated, remain unknown at this point. The OCDSB may seek to sell the land, but provincial law dictates that it can only do so at fair-market value and must first circulate it to other public bodies, such as the city and publicly-funded colleges and universities.

Kitchissippi Coun. Jeff Leiper has suggested there is a lack of community space in the neighbourhood and pushed for those options to be considered before signing off on the building’s demolition, as the OCDSB had intended.

mpearson@ottawacitizen.com
Twitter.com/mpearson78

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-...ge-designation

[HighwayStar]

I think the OCDSB should call the cities bluff on this one.... scrap the school project and propose to spend $5m to "rehabilitate" the tower... then call it even.

Again... I have nothing against old buildings... I just find it beyond the pale that one small group of architecture enthusiasts has the power to abstractly determine (i.e. just look at the criteria) how another group should spend $5m on their OWN real estate.

If this group of architecture enthusiasts (NOT the city) were to fund the project, then thats one thing... but like this ????

aaarrrggghhh!!

[1overcosc]

Heritage rules are a mixed blessing. On the one hand they protect our collective memories, on the other hand they inhibit redevelopment and lead to a waste of space. How many heritage buildings do we know that are abandoned for years because the heritage designation makes it almost impossible to do anything with them?

Kingston has this problem in its historic core, especially with churches. It's very hard to repurpose a church. One was converted into an event space, another may become a weird sort of condo project, however the price point (necessitated by the high cost of dealing with such a structure) is putting it into doubt due to Kingston's low real estate values.

As for schools... there's at least two schools in the Kingston core that are sitting, abandoned, with no plans to repurpose them, a number that could hit 6 by the end of the decade.

[gjhall]

In fact, according to him, the board stands to lose 30 per cent of its provincial funding for the project if the current building is to be used for classroom space. The province has approved funding based on the complete demolition of the current school.

Sounds like a job for the local MPP to get the funding formula changed for this project to make it right. Not an insurmountable problem.

[rocketphish]

Lowertown rectory up for heritage designation

By Emma Jackson
Ottawa East News, Mar 02, 2015



A rectory built in the 1920s behind Saint Anne Catholic church in Lowertown will be designated a heritage building if a city planning committee decision is approved by council.

Saint Anne’s rectory at 17 Myrand Ave. off Old St. Patrick Street is an ornate Beaux-Arts style building designed in 1921 by W.E. Noffke, the same architect responsible for the Champagne bath on King Edward Avenue and the Elisabeth Bruyère Hospital down the street.

Noffke designed several Roman Catholic rectories in Ottawa in the early 20th century, but according to the city none are as large or as grandiose as Saint Anne’s.

“The assertive style and considerable size of Saint Anne’s rectory makes it a visual focal point at the edge of (Jules Morin Park) and a transition point between the high-rise infill and the small scale housing of the neighbourhood,” a staff report presented to planning committee said. “Saint Anne’s rectory is both a visual and historic landmark in Lowertown.”

The two-and-a-half storey former clergy residence is now home to the National House of Prayer, a Christian organization that welcomes representatives from across the country to live in residence and pray for Canada’s leaders.

Fran Parker, the organization’s co-founder and permanent resident in the rectory, said she and her husband are happy the city is protecting her home of 10 years.

“It is a beautiful building and we just want to see it protected,” she said.

The “striking building” certainly makes an impression, with an arcaded balcony on the west side and gable dormers across the top and front doors that are accessed by a short flight of steps leading to a two-storey veranda with large columns.

It’s even prettier inside, Parker said, noting that only the kitchen has been modernized. The intricate fireplaces and ceiling mouldings are still intact, and original cherry and oak panelling throughout give it a rich feel similar to the Parliament Buildings, she said, adding it’s large enough to accommodate up to 40 visitors.

Rideau-Vanier Coun. Mathieu Fleury said the building may be tucked away behind the church, but it gets more glory now that the park has been redeveloped.

“With the renewal of Jules Morin Park, people are going to see that property,” he said. “It ties it into the park in many ways.”

The park was once known as Angelsea Square, and in 1852 became the first piece of land the city put aside for public use. After the rectory was built in the 1920s, the building became an impressive focal point at the northern end of the space.

Fleury said the heritage designation is especially positive because all parties are on side; often the property owner is against the designation because it can add maintenance costs and limit future expansions.

“In this case we haven’t heard from them, so they must have a strategic plan,” Fleury said.

Members of the planning committee passed the recommendation unanimously, with the exception of Coun. Stephen Blais, who was absent. Council will consider the designation on March 25.

http://www.ottawacommunitynews.com/n...e-designation/

[rocketphish]

Heritage designation to be discussed for Mechanicsville works site

The Ottawa Citizen
Published on: March 19, 2015, Last Updated: March 19, 2015 5:11 PM EDT



Ottawa Council’s built-heritage subcommittee is set to discuss heritage designation for a 70-year-old industrial building in Mechanicsville at its meeting next week.

The property at 7 Bayview Rd. — also known as Municipal Works Building No. 4 — is an early 1940s example of an industrial building influenced by the “modern style,” according to a city staff report to the subcommittee that recommends designating the structure as heritage.

The move has been expected for months. The Bayview building is included in the first phase of a planned Innovation Centre that was approved by the last term of council with the expectation that the building would be protected as a heritage site. The first phase of the plan is scheduled to cost $30 million. The province committed half the money last year; the city will provide the remainder, including the property, which is assessed at $8 million.

The meeting will take place at City Hall next Thursday at 9 a.m. (a half-hour earlier than usual).

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/0320-bayview

[McC]

Originally Posted by rocketphish

[B][SIZE="4"]H
The move has been expected for months.

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/0320-bayview

Jebus, I thought that had been done a couple of years ago?!

[LeadingEdgeBoomer]

Ottawa seeks heritage designation for 332 Sandy Hill buildings


By Lucy Scholey
Metro


Hundreds of buildings in Sandy Hill could soon join the city’s heritage family tree.

On Thursday, the built heritage sub-committee approved 332 buildings for the heritage registry, plus a new historical boundary around Sandy Hill that would set building guidelines for new developments and renovation projects.

Rideau-Rockcliffe Coun. Tobi Nussbaum, the committee chair, hailed it as “great news for heritage in Ottawa and great news for Sandy Hill.”

The reports will go to the planning committee for consideration.

This study of the community’s heritage is about eight years in the making.


In 2002, realtor firm Les Jardins Pondev Ltée demolished two buildings on the Nicholas Waller Triangle without permits. The city launched a lawsuit, which was settled with a $250,000 payment to Ottawa. Of that, $150,000 was to be used for a study of Sandy Hill’s heritage, which was launched in 2007.

With beginnings in the mid-19th century, Sandy Hill is one of Ottawa’s oldest residential neighbourhoods.

Long before university students dominated the area, it was home to many Parliament Hill politicians and senior civil servants.

The University of Ottawa’s master campus plan, which was recently brought before the planning committee, fits with the proposed heritage guidelines, according to several members of the heritage committee.

If the plan makes it to council, and passes, those 332 property owners would be required to give the city at least 60 days notice before demolishing the buildings.

"The University of Ottawa’s master campus plan, which was recently brought before the planning committee, fits with the proposed heritage guidelines, according to several members of the heritage committee."

Looks like ASH will not be able to use heritage issues to complain about development of uOttawa.

PS--Moderator can can you correct the typos in the heading---I have not had enough morning coffee yet to be alert.

[1overcosc]

Sandy Hill is chocked full of heritage structures, possibly Ottawa's best preserved collections of them. In particular it's got a large number of prewar apartments, which are otherwise rare in this city.

[rocketphish]

Source: http://metronews.ca/news/ottawa/1369...ill-buildings/


A sketch of the proposed heritage district for Sandy Hill.

[Proof Sheet]

Not a lot of speculative investment likely to occur between King Edward to Range Road, Osgoode to Laurier.

[rocketphish]

Sandy Hill to become city’s newest heritage area
Community concerned guidelines lack teeth

By Emma Jackson, May 5, 2015
Ottawa East News

Some may call it “sweet justice,” but a new heritage area for Sandy Hill might not have the legal strength to protect itself.

That’s the concern for Chad Rollins, who represented Action Sandy Hill at a built heritage sub-committee on May 14 to support a set of sweeping changes to the area’s heritage status.

After nearly 10 years of study, the sub-committee approved several new heritage protections for the neighbourhood:

• The creation of a new “cultural heritage character area” stretching generally from King Edward Avenue to the Rideau River, and from Besserer Street to Somerset Street West.
• Guidelines for developing and renovating historic properties inside the new character area.
• Management plans for the neighbourhood’s five existing heritage conservation districts.
• The addition of 332 buildings to the city’s heritage register, which requires owners to notify the city 60 days before demolishing a structure so staff can protect it if necessary.

Those are all great steps, Rollins said, but he’s worried the guidelines – which suggest preferred treatment for everything from chimney repair to paint colours – won’t actually prevent developers from changing or knocking down buildings as they see fit.

“There may not be enough teeth to it to actually achieve the goal of preserving our significant built heritage in this area,” he told the committee.

He said the association would have liked the entire area to have been designated under the Ontario Heritage Act, which would have given staff more power to control what gets demolished and changed.

Some of the area already is protected. There are currently five small heritage conservation districts in Sandy Hill that are designated under the heritage act, and some individual buildings as well.

But for buildings without heritage status, as long as a developer’s plans jive with the zoning requirements on the property, they can pretty much do whatever they want – even if it contravenes the new guidelines, staff confirmed at the meeting.

However this situation could just be temporary, at least for some of the choicest historic streets in the neighbourhood.

Staff have flagged four individual properties and four potential new heritage conservation districts in the neighbourhood, for which they will have to come back to committee in 2016 to recommend whether or not they should be designated.

The four properties up for heritage designation are École Saint-Pierre at 353 Friel St., École Franco-Jeunesse at 119 Osgoode St. and houses at 55 Russell Avenue and 323 Chapel Street.

The new conservation districts would cover:

• Russell and Blackburn avenues and Chapel Street between Laurier Avenue and Osgoode Street.
• King Edward Avenue and Henderson and Nelson streets between Laurier and Osgoode.
• Marlborough Avenue and Range Road between Laurier and Osgoode.
• Besserer Street and Daly Avenue east of Charlotte Street.

That’s good, Rollins said, but after 10 years of study he said the city should have just gone ahead and approved those districts now instead of adding another year or more to the wait.

This particular heritage study goes back to 2004, when the city received a legal settlement of $250,000 from a developer that illegally demolished two heritage buildings at the corner of Nicholas and Waller streets. Planners decided to put some of that money toward a comprehensive heritage study.

When the new protections were introduced, committee chairman Coun. Tobi Nussbaum called the outcome “sweet justice” since the demolish of heritage buildings led to greater protection for the neighbourhood.

http://www.ottawacommunitynews.com/n...heritage-area/

[rocketphish]

I'm continuing this discussion in the heritage thread:
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=214270

[waterloowarrior]

merged with the heritage thread
staff report - Sandy Hill
http://app05.ottawa.ca/sirepub/agdoc...&itemid=331178

[rocketphish]

UofO properties to be reviewed for heritage character

By Emma Jackson
Ottawa East News, Jun 01, 2015

The University of Ottawa has until October to convince the city its King Edward Avenue properties shouldn’t be included in a new heritage area in Sandy Hill.

The planning committee approved a cultural heritage character area for the neighbourhood on May 26, but for now it’s holding off on deciding what to do with three blocks the school owns along King Edward.

The built heritage sub-committee voted to include the blocks between Laurier Avenue and Somerset Street on May 14, but by the time the item got to planning committee, heritage chairman Coun. Tobi Nussbaum had backed down to give staff until October to make a decision.

“The university expressed an interest in being able to sit down, and as chair I didn’t think that we were contradicting the vote, we’re just pushing it off,” said Nussbaum, councillor for Rideau-Rockcliffe. “It was to give all the actors an opportunity to sit down and hash it all out.”

The properties in question are part of the university’s 10-year master plan, although Rideau-Vanier Coun. Mathieu Fleury said the specific redevelopment proposal is still unclear.

“That remains a bit of a grey zone, those are elements that we’ll have to figure out: what are they planning and what’s our expectation,” he said.

Without a concrete plan, it’s impossible to decide at this point whether the buildings should be subject to the same heritage guidelines as other property owners in Sandy Hill, he added.

“That’s why taking it aside and looking at that specific zone is probably the right way, because it’s not black or white.”

University of Ottawa planner Andrew Sacret said on May 14 that including the properties would add extra bureaucratic hoops to jump through in order to redevelop the properties.

The heritage character area does require extra scrutiny in the planning process for redevelopment outside of the conservation districts, but it doesn’t stop redevelopment as long as it jives with the zoning on the property.

The Sandy Hill Heritage Study has been underway since 2004. The approved plan applies a character area to most of Sandy Hill and implements guidelines for developing inside the area’s five existing conservation districts. It has also kicked off a process to consider creating four new heritage conservation districts inside those boundaries, and will add more than 300 other buildings to the city’s heritage register.

It is one of several planning studies affecting the neighbourhood over the next five years, including infill bylaw reviews Phase 1 and Phase 2 and the planned review of Sandy Hill’s secondary plan.

Staff will meet with Action Sandy Hill community association and university planners over the next six months and return with a recommendation on the King Edward lands in October.

http://www.ottawacommunitynews.com/n...age-character/

[rocketphish]

Former Westboro gas station recommended for heritage status

Patrick Smith, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: August 6, 2015 | Last Updated: August 6, 2015 7:25 PM EDT



A former gas station noted for its architecture, location and historical value is being recommended for heritage status by the City of Ottawa.

The cottage-like building in Westboro served as a gas station while motor vehicles were in their growth period. Initially owned by Benzolene in 1934, the station was sold to Champlain Oil Products in 1937 for $1. It was eventually sold and reborn as a used car lot before shutting its doors for good in August 2014.

Kitchissippi Ward Coun. Jeff Leiper credits Ottawa Citizen columnist Andrew King with the revived interest in the building.

“Much of the impetus to designate this building is due to the work of city-chronicler and artist Andrew King, who exhaustively researched the Champlain Oil station for his Ottawa Citizen column,” said Leiper in the recommendation, quoting multiple passages from the 2014 article.

“It is a symbol of how our city grew, and gives us pause to think about how we want it to continue to grow,” he added.

Architecture trends at the time of the building’s construction in 1934 suggested that these gas stations should resemble their surroundings. This building, at the corner of Richmond Road and Island Park Drive, was designed to resemble what the recommendation calls an “English cottage with its steeply pitched gable roof, its round arched doors and windows, and twin chimneys.”

Factoring into the city’s decision to push for heritage status is its historical value as one of the earlier businesses devoted solely to selling gasoline. Prior to the advent of the conventional gas station, automobile owners purchased their fuel in cans, often from blacksmiths or hardware stores. The first drive-thru station was built in the United States in 1921, and this gas station is one of the few remaining examples.

The city also cites the location on Richmond Road as important, as the gas station is “a reminder of the historical importance of Richmond Road to the development of Ottawa.” The recommendation states that the road served as the main highway between Ottawa and rural villages west of the city.

The owner of the building, Toronto developer Main & Main, could not be reached for comment Thursday evening. It was made aware of the city’s proposed heritage designation, according to the recommendation, but there was no indication of whether the developer approved of the proposal or not.

In 2014, a representative of the company told the Citizen that the building was “currently underused and has more potential to serve the community in the future.”

psmith@ottawacitizen.com
twitter.com/plsmithca

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-...eritage-status