Jack Hanna
A rare opportunity to protect old houses in Centretown has arisen with a new city study.
The city is in the midst of a sweeping initiative to study and protect heritage buildings specifically in Centretown.
The consultants for the study recently recommended establishing a new Heritage Conservation District (HCD) in the neighbourhood around Dundonald Park, at Somerset and Lyon. The proposed district would encompass 11 city blocks.
That’s far too little, says the Centretown Community Association (CCA). The consultants have been “conservative and minimalist,” the CCA says in a letter to the city. There are plenty of streets of magnificent century-old houses just outside the proposed HCD that “certainly merit heritage protection,” it argues.
An HCD, enabled under provincial law, lets the city regulate and guide development. The city can rule on changes to the exterior of a building or new construction, ensuring it respects and enhances a district’s historic character.
Another possible location for an HCD is the Golden Triangle, the area between Elgin Street and the Rideau Canal. “Swathes of the Golden Triangle have both a density and level of heritage resources among the highest in Centretown,” the CCA points out.
As well, the Golden Triangle has a very special boundary on its eastern side–the canal, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
There are venerable houses, gardens, parklands, and open spaces adjacent to the canal. This strip could be in danger of heavy development pressure, because the uOttawa LRT station is nearby. A Golden Triangle HCD would protect the historic character, openness, and beauty of this zone.
Centretown already has two heritage districts. The extensive Centretown HCD shapes development over some 55 square blocks. It stretches from Elgin to Kent and south to the Queensway. A second, small HCD consists of the buildings facing Minto Park on Elgin. The city intends to update the secondary plans for these districts.
The Centretown heritage initiative also includes updates to the Ottawa Heritage Register, an official list of heritage buildings throughout the city. City staff intend to add some 700 houses and buildings in the community to that register.
As well, staff will consider recommending that some spectacular older buildings be individually earmarked for the strongest level of protection under provincial law, such as that given to the Museum of Nature. About a dozen possibilities have been identified, including McPhail Memorial Baptist Church, St. Theresa Roman Catholic Church, and the sprawling, stately apartment building at 63 Cartier.
The city has created a website dedicated to its Centretown heritage work: ottawa.ca/centretownheritage