Roger Butt
The Dominican Order has quietly placed the Dominican complex, located at 96 Empress Avenue, on the market.
The fortress-like stone structure, which houses the Dominican University College (DUC), the Saint-Jean Baptiste Dominican Convent, and a church by the same name, sits prominently on the escarpment overlooking LeBreton Flats. A stately walled garden rounds out the property which altogether occupies almost an entire city block between Primrose and Somerset.
According to Somerset Ward Councillor Ariel Troster’s office, a law firm is managing the private sale and will be accepting bids until mid-December. At least one entity has expressed interest in submitting a bid, although neither its identity nor its intentions for the property are known.
Other details on the sale and the plans for the college, and the Dominicans who reside in the convent, remain unclear as a spokesperson for the Dominicans did not return requests for comment.
However, in the fall of 2022, the DUC president informed faculty that the college would close and the winter term of 2023-24 would be the final session. The college website notes that, as of January 3, 2023, new admissions to its philosophy and theology programs were to be suspended.
The origins of the college date back to 1900 when the Dominican Order established its institutional centre of studies in Ottawa. In 1967, the Government of Ontario granted it a civil university charter and it became the Collège dominicain de philosophie et de théologie, enabling it to welcome non-Dominican students and offer civil degrees in theology and philosophy in French.
It began offering English-language programs in 1992. It affiliated with Carleton University in 2012 and its official title became Dominican University College – Collège universitaire dominicain.
Much of the current Gothic Revival structure dates from 1900, but it was substantially rebuilt following a fire on February 8, 1931, which destroyed the parish church and part of the convent.
An assistant to Troster informed the Dalhousie Community Association of the impending sale at its meeting on November 23. Word spread quickly throughout the neighbourhood, prompting concern about the fate of the heritage property and, in particular, the greenspace within the stone walls which features a large number of mature trees.
The assistant noted that, “There will be a lengthy pre-consultation process for this project, regardless of who the successful bidder is, and we’ll do our utmost to bring forward meaningful consultation with the neighbours.”
In 2008, when the Dominicans put the walled garden on the market for $2.2 million, Chinatown residents lobbied the city to purchase the property for use as a park. The Dominicans subsequently removed the property from sale at that time.
While the structure is listed on the city’s Heritage Register “watch list,” it is not a designated heritage property, meaning that, if there were plans to demolish the building, the owner would simply have to provide the city with 60 days’ notice. Any further protection would require heritage designation which could be sought by the community.
A particular concern among residents is the fate of the large chimney situated on the building’s west side. It is a rare nesting site for hundreds of chimney swifts which winter in northern South America and find their way to 96 Empress each spring. The chimney swift is listed as “threatened” on the Species at Risk in Ontario list, meaning that its habitat must be protected.
If the sale proceeds, the DUC would join a long line of religious institutions in the city which have been repurposed or are heading that way. Closure of Saint Jean Baptiste parish and the college would also mark another step in the gradual decline of the once prominent French Catholic presence in this part of Ottawa.