Tower development at Hintonburg node would demolish old Elmdale Theatre building
Jon Willing, Ottawa Citizen
Publishing date: Jul 29, 2021 • 3 hours ago • 3 minute read
The property where the old Elmdale Theatre operated in Hintonburg is part of a redevelopment proposal that would build an 18-storey tower where the current zoning restricts projects to a building half that size.
Welldale Limited Partnership, affiliated with Minto Group, has filed its development application with the city after floating plans in the spring. It’s calling for the demolition of the former theatre and neighbouring commercial building to make room for a new complex along Wellington Street West between Hamilton and Parkdale avenues.
It will eventually be up to planning committee and council to decide if the high-profile location warrants a high-rise building that goes beyond what the zoning and official plan allows for the area.
At the same time, it’s unlikely the city would move to save the old theatre, which is now home to a church, especially considering there’s potential for intensifying a main-street property with more homes.
The developer’s plan calls for 240 residential units with the tower positioned near Parkdale Avenue. The six-storey podium, which is also part of the tower design, would be the height for the rest of the complex. Two retail spaces would be on the ground floor along Wellington Street. An underground parking garage would have 137 spaces for vehicles and 245 stacked-parking spaces for bicycles.
The intersection of Wellington Street West and Parkdale Avenue is the “historic centre of Hintonburg and an important corner” that’s appropriate for a high-rise building, the developer’s planning rationale says. There’s already a nine-storey building diagonally across the intersection and a nine-storey retirement residence is under construction at another corner.
The architectural firm, DIALOG, is attempting to replicate the marquee design of the old theatre at the northwest corner of the complex, “paying tribute” to the cinema’s location, the planning rationale says. It would be part of the entrance to a ground-level retail unit.
The theatre is now home to the CornerStone House of Refuge Apostolic Church, which converted the two cinemas into a place for worship in 1994.
The building isn’t protected by heritage designation, but it’s on the city’s heritage register, signalling a cultural significance in Ottawa. Under the city’s rules, landowners who want to demolish buildings listed on the heritage register must give the city a 60-day notice in case the city wants to pursue heritage designation.
The developer hired local heritage consultant MTBA to uncover the history of the Elmdale Theatre, while also confirming that, according to the consultant’s report as part of the planning application, there are no significant impacts to Ottawa’s heritage if the building is demolished.
Still, the heritage consultant recognized the significance of old theatres.
“Despite the modifications to the building over time, (the former Elmdale Theatre) remains significant to the area’s history. The experience of the classic neighbourhood theatre creates a strong sense of nostalgia and memory, resonating strongly in the community, and the broader Ottawa area,” MTBA’s report says.
The theatre opened in September 1947 with 882 seats. One of several renovations under Odeon Theatres, and maybe the most significant, happened in 1981, when the one-screen theatre was divided into two theatres. Cineplex Odeon sold the theatre in 1988 and the theatre went up for sale again in 1991. The church rented the space for about two years before acquiring the building.
It’s not clear what the church’s plans would be when redevelopment of the site begins. The church’s administration couldn’t be reached by phone or email on Thursday.
jwilling@postmedia.com
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