Established in 1967 1HERITAGE L+J Fall 1998
Celebrating our 30th year LAM OTTAWA L+J Volume 25, No. 3
Dedicated to Preserving Our Built Heritage
IS LANSDOWNE PARK A CULTURAL LANDSCAPE OF HERITAGE SIGNIFICANCE TO THE REGION? President's Report Read on for two views presented by Fern Graham and John Leaning. By Carolyn Quinn
The brief history of Lansdowne Park Within a few years major improvements The Union Mission included in the Canderel proposal to the had been made, and by 1874 a new main It is with sadness and frustration that City downplays the significance of the display building was being planned. This Heritage Ottawamust report the grounds by skimming through its early octagonal building with radiating wings upcoming loss of 53 Daly Avenue owned was designed by local architect James years and denigrating its first buildings as by the Union Mission. On October 141 ° The "park" Mather, the winner of a competition for "simple farmlike buildings". City Council (with the exception of is also criticized for not being a real park, the design. Dismissed as a "rustic octa- because it was "only an indifferent gon" by Canderel, it was the centrepiece of Councillor Richard Cannings) voted in collection of mainly wooden buildings set the grounds that were described in 1879 as favour ofgranting permission to demolish in worn out grass with few trees..." etc. "the finest, with a single exception, in the the 1872 building despite not having the This does not do justice to the grounds, Dominion". requisite plan for a replacement residen- and worse, it completely misconstrues the In the Main Building were displayed tial building consistent with city policies. intended purpose of the "park". works of the household arts, as well as the It is slated to comedown this December. The Ottawa Agricultural Society (OAS) latest in small manufactured goods. Other Some nine months ago, council placed was formed in 1868 "to establish united buildings on the grounds included an art a moratorium on the application to action among the different counties of gallery, halls for the display of horticul- demolish, allowing the community the machinery, and carriages, a Central Canada in the interest of Agricul- ture, stoves, desperately needed time to put together a was the predecessor of dance hall and refreshment booth, tel- ture". This society rescue package for the site. That obliga- the Central Canada Exhibition Association egraph office, grandstand and show ring, a (CCE). Two decades before the CCE was dairy and a dozen barns and stables for tion was admirably fulfilled. Many formed, the OAS was talking about a livestock. There were two gates on Bank individuals and organizations contributed regional mandate. The singly most Street and one at Elgin, as well as separate time and expertise to the project proposal important means for the society to achieve docks for exhibitors and the public, The and its future development. (See Vol. 25, its goals was the annual agricultural society had offices and a council room on No.2 of this publication for more infor- exhibition, which required a permanent site, as well as police quarters. This was mation). site. no dog & pony show-the OAS held an After being approached by Heritage The site that the society chose for their annual fair from 1869, and hosted three Ottawa, the Strategic Planning Initiative fairgrounds was ordnance land, and they Provincial Exhibitions and two Dominion Committee of the Ottawa-Carleton offices spent five years negotiating with the Exhibitions . submitted a proposal With additions and changes, the of Investors Group government, with the help of the Secretary office making the organiza- State, to get a good price. Ultimately grounds were constantly adapted to meet to their head of fund-raising campaign for the they struck a deal "in consideration of the the needs of the exhibition. Eventually tion of a object for which [the grounds] were they grew form 19 acres to 66, expanding rehabilitation of the site into a 12 bed designed-for a merely nominal sum"- to the north into an area that had been laid facility their priority proposal for 1998. i.e., the bargain price was a direct result of out for residential development . This Investors Group's Winnipeg Head Office the intended public use. writer is unconvinced, however, that any responded by committing $45,000 to the The first annual fair was held in 1869, land was added to Lansdowne that had project over a five-year period as well as at the "splendid new grounds near the actually been built up. Many plans of the making a commitment to use their city". The society had built a display hall, area show farm lots subdivided for extensive resources to fund-raise for entrance gates, ticket office, a show ring, development, but much of it lay empty for further financing. barns and pens for the competing live- stock-hardly a few poor farm buildings. Continued page 2 Continued page 2
prominent history in Canada. Elsewhere continued Lansdowne Park ... continued President's Report ... in the country, cities are beginning to could then have decades after it was surveyed. For recognize the importance of that heritage The Union Mission example, a plan of 1879 shows the area on by preserving the buildings and the contributed the approximately $30,000 it grounds com- grounds-but there are few left to pre- has to pay for the building's demolition in the northern edge ofthe the pletely divided into town lots, but a bird's serve. It is rare enough to still have a more positive way. The Board of shows that it grounds-consider Kingston and Hamil- Directors' decision to reject these eye view done the same year the was still open farmland. Most of the ton, for example. At Lansdowne, commitments came as a shock to those grounds have been in continuous use for Glebe was not intensively developed until involved. expanded to its present the purpose for which they were originally after Lansdowne The site is At a time when the heritage commu- boundaries by 1908. designed for nearly 130 years. a significant component of the urban and nity is working hard to create new The Canderel analysis of Lansdowne's partnerships with sectors like business, the assump- regional cultural landscape. character as a park is based on point as tourism and education the rejection of tion that it was intended to be pleasure I have been asked to argue this Park or Major's a heritage issue. Clearly it is also an Investors Group's offer of financial grounds, like Strathcona owned Hill with shady footpaths, playing economic one. A piece of publicly support is particularly disappointing. simply property of this size in the urban core is an Recycling and reusing a heritage building fountains and flowerbeds. This is position untrue-such a park would be unsuitable extremely valuable resource. My makes economic and ecological sense. that in view of its history and its for an agricultural exhibition. Lansdowne is This could have been an occasion to show always been an events-oriented park, significance to the heritage of the entire leadership in bringing together the private has it is vital that every possible effort with facilities for presenting a wide range region, sector and community services. be made to maintain Lansdowne intact as a of goods and competitions to large The loss of 53 Daly will of course and public events facility. If we fail to recog- gatherings of people. A grandstand explore have a negative impact on a historic facilities have been part of the nize its historic character, and to sports fully its potential as a regional public streetscape that can easily be described as grounds since the 1870s. In particular Ottawa's jewels. Hopefully it will Confed- events venue, we risk losing a unique asset one of football in Ottawa dates back to the example to be followed eration, and Lansdowne was home to the forever. not become by the owner of the neighbouring building RoughRiders since early this century. By Fern Graham Frank Clair Stadium stands on the oldest to the east that has suffered from a similar part of the park, apart of the original 19- Editor's Note : Fern Graham is a consult- lack of maintenance and care over several acre ordnance purchase. ing architectural and landscape historian . years. Will it be next? The Agricultural and Industrial Arts Exhibition is an event with a long and Pooley's Bridge Rehabilitation Except for the Aberdeen Pavilion, the The Region ofOttawa-Carleton has Horticulture Building and the Coliseum, initiated a study to reassess the condition the two former of which are to be kept, [in ofPooley's Bridge and to consider the Canderel proposal], there is nothing of various options with respect to the heritage or history left at Lansdowne Park, of this crossing as a in 1966. When the 1909 continued use it was destroyed facility. The Region is stadium was demolished in 1965, much pedestrian-cycling also co-ordinating repairs to five other L;J history went with it. The claim for the HERITAGE memory of the Ottawa Rough Riders is stone arch bridges over the aqueduct in r.:~ history since they did not the Lebreton Flats area on behalf of the f`~J also dubious even begin at the Park. They began at the existing owners who are, apart from the REOTTAWA Metropolitan Grounds of the University of Region, the National Capital Commission 0 Ottawa in 1876, only getting the title of and the City of Ottawa. Rough Riders in 1896, and not winning Pooley's Bridge and the five stone Heritage Ottawa is a non-profit organisation their Grey Cup until 1939. They disap- over the aqueduct were all preserva- arch bridges dedicated to advocating the peared in 1996 due to mismanagement. In Pooley's, built by and adaptive re-use built circa 1876. tion, restoration, 1966 the old stadium was replaced by the Coltrin Keefer in 1873 as an National Capital's built and scale and ugly Frank Clair Thomas of the present out of part ofthe waterworks system natural heritage. Stadium and an enormous and environ- integral mentally disastrous, yet totally inadequate used to supply water power to Ottawa, Membership fees: Individual $25 ; its has been given a heritage designation by $15 parking lot. The removal of all that and Family $30; Student/Senior ; by housing and parkland can the City of Ottawa and the others are on Corporation $75 replacement Patron $50; only be an improvement . the Heritage Reference List. Heritage Ottawa, 2 Daly Avenue, Stanley Consulting Group and Barry By John Leaning Ottawa, ON, K1 N 6E2, Tel . 230-8841 Padolsky, Heritage Architect, have been ISSN 1483-9032 Editor's Note : John Leaning is a local appointed to undertake the study. architect and member of Ottawa's Local The Region initiated a monitoring Editor: Carolyn Quinn Newsletter Architectural Conservation Advisory program in 1970 to assess and record the Ltd. Layout: Tyrell Reproductions Committee . structural deterioration ofPooley's
HERITAGE OTTAWA Bridge. Due to cracking and loss of stone and the continuous water penetration that has led to deterioration of the mortar the structure has been completely closed to vehicular traffic since 1983. Five alternative rehabilitation schemes ranging from dismantling and rebuilding to construction of a new modern structure were examined in 1994 but to no end result. The most recent assessment ofPooley `s Bridge reveals continued deterioration along with other possible additional failures. It was concluded that rehabilita- tion of the bridge using existing materials is not feasible. Six rehabilitation-reconstruction The September 27th Walking Tour ofVictoria Island and Chaudiere Falls a public proposals were unveiled at with guide Mark Brandt information session on November 16`''. The alternatives range from a rehabilita- tion-reconstruction using new elements at a cost estimate of $3,750,000, to a total for more. As a finale to the season, a 30"' you goes out to David McKay for finding removal of the existing bridge redirecting anniversary trolley tour, filled to near the appropriate material in our archives, pedestrians and bicycles through the capacity was organized for October 41°. setting up the display and being there to service road to the pumping station and Because of the interest demonstrated, the interpret the story on the evening of the the east arch, at a cost estimate of Walking Tours sub-committee will be celebrations. $475,000. looking at further expansion for next year. On October 14th Heritage Ottawa, The good news is that the five other I would like to extend a special thank along with twenty-five other arts and stone arch bridges over the open aqueduct you to all the volunteer guides who heritage organizations, participated in a in the Lebreton Flats area are in much helped to make the Walking Tours cultural round table hosted by Mayor Jim better condition due to the type of stone Program so successful: Fern Graham, Watson to discuss some practical and used in the original construction, and Judy Deegan, Paul Stumes, Terry de achievable ideas for managing and require relatively minor repairs. March, Louisa Coates, and Mark Brandt. distributing the cultural resources of the If you have any comments or questions I look forward to working with you again City of Ottawa. Discussions focused on please forward them to: V.K. Sahni, P nextseason. how to better market arts and heritage and Eng., Manager, Structural Branch, In pursuit of our goal to inform people the leadership role the city could take by Environment and Transportation Depart- about the economic, cultural and histori- facilitating access to available resources. ment at 111 Lisgar Street Ottawa, K2P cal benefits of heritage conservation, A steering committee composed of 21_7 or telephone (613) 560-6001 ext. Heritage Ottawa will maintain the representatives from the Cultural Leader- 1338 . momentum generated by the Walking ship Committee, the Council for the Arts Tours by offering a series of lectures and/ in Ottawa, the Council of Heritage Walking Tours or armchair slide tours this coming Organizations in Ottawa-Carleton and a Heritage Ottawa is pleased to report a winter. Stay tuned for further informa- staffmember from the Mayor's office will very successful 1998 Walking Tour tion. be meeting to determine a possible Season. The program began with archi- strategy. tectural historian Fern Graham's excellent Other News tour of the Parliamentary Precinct, where Heritage Ottawa was invited to she shared some of the less well known participate in the celebration marking the stories about the evolution of the site, and 1001'' Anniversary ofthe Aberdeen ended with architect Mark Brandt's Pavilion on September 19`h hosted by the captivating visit to one of the city's less City of Ottawa. As well as participating well known yet very important heritage in the staged events, Heritage Ottawa sites, namely Victoria Island and displayed in photographs and words the Chaudiere Falls. And during the inter- story of our organization's involvement in vening weeks six other informative and the fight to prevent the demolition of this unique tours kept participants returning magnificent building. A special thank
HERITAGE OTTAWA 3 Besserer House - 149 Daly Avenue A RE-ZONING HOSTAGE? by Edgar Tumak
Editor's Note: Heritage Ottawa learned at the time ofprinting that the application to change the toning of 149 Daly fiom residential to commercial did go before City Council where it was passed unanimously. The re oning is restricted to chancellery use, and only on the ground floor; and the property is now subject to a heritage easement giving itprotection inperpetuity. Suchprotection, however; can be meaningless ifthe owner sells theproperty to an embassy or consulate not bound by the vervprovincial and municipal legislation created to protect our heritage structures. It seems ironic that the preservation oflocal heritage seems to depend increas- ingly on its ownership byforeign mission. Has the City lost control ofits own history?
esserer House, Sandy Hill's most The application to change the zoning acquired an interest in the property as part B ancient structure, and one of was submitted to the City councillors on of a loan to the former owner, and subse- Ottawa's oldest and most significant the Planning and Economic Development quently acquired the mortgage from the heritage buildings, is facing an uncertain Committee on 23 June 1998. Delegations bank when the past owner defaulted on future. Constructed in 1844 for the from the community and the ward council- payments. Mr. Zlepnig believes the best founder of Sandy Hill, the gracious stone lor Stephane Emard-Chabot, opposed the way to to recoup his investment is through residence is for sale, with the current change. The greatest concern was the re-zoning, but did state that if he doesn't owner apparently intent on changing the intrusion of commercial uses in a residen- get a re-zoning he is prepared to demolish zoning from residential to commercial on tial area, as this would be against the the building and leave the site vacant. By the ground level. Chancery use has been policies of the Official Plan, and contrib- contrast when faced with a property that is highlighted for the office component. ute to the erosion of the residential fabric not selling, most other members of the The property was acquired under power of the neighbourhood which in this area is community lower the price rather than of sale, and has been on the market for already challenged by the heavy traffic of insist on a zoning change. several months. Asking up to $585,000., King Edward Avenue. Mr. Zlepnig did not respond to the this price tag is substantially higher than Unlike other areas of Sandy Hill, if any concern that the marketing of the property the current real estate market appears to more residential space is lost along this has not taken advantage of the regular support for Sandy Hill residences which stretch of the road, the current zoning for options available to sellers, such as, are larger, better maintained and in quieter the whole zone will become questionable . always having a for sale sign by the areas. Besserer House needs costly Other concerns were parking problems on building, prominent advertising, and repointing of all the masonry walls a site with little space for the flow of listing with a high profile realtor. Better (including the stone garden wall), new commercial activities, the effect that attention in marketing might sell the roof cladding, and major repairs to the re-zoning might have on residential property with its residential zoning. north chimney. For most buyers of upper- property values and community integrity, The concern about demolition is not end houses, expensive upgrades might also the "dead" space that occurs outside of something to be treated lightly. If an be desired for components such as the office hours, and the concern that the owner of a property with the heritage washrooms . heritage qualities of the structure may be significance of Besserer House would The owner Fred Zlepnig has directed compromised by office use. even contemplate demolition, it is evident his marketing efforts primarily to commer- The request was unanimously rejected that heritage preservation is not a promi- cial uses, in the hope of achieving a higher by the Planning and Economic Develop- nent concern. Losing Besserer House price. Respecting the concerns of the ment Committee, and the owner promptly would not be a pity, it would be a cultural community to retain a residential basis expressed the desire to demolish the crime! does not appear to be a priority. There- building. Rather than proceed with either If truly threatened, would the City be fore, Besserer House, which has served the demolition or re-zoning applications prepared to intervene? Expropriation for continuously as a residence for more than (the latter would normally have gone to the purpose of heritage preservation has 150 years, may become a re-zoning City Council for a final decision), the been used in the past at 503-507 King hostage with the current owner threatening owner agreed to delay while alternate Edward Avenue (at the corner of Wilbrod to demolish the building if a commercial options were explored. Street)-buildings which are historically use is not allowed. Although Besserer Councillor Emard-Chabot organised a and architecturally less significant . If House is a designated structure, the meeting with members of the community Besserer House was seriously threatened, Ontario Heritage Act only delays demoli- and heritage specialists, which was and the City did not respond strongly, tion for a maximum of 270 days once a followed by a meeting with the owner and would any heritage property in Ottawa be demolition application has been submit- his son on 10 September. During the safe? ted. meeting Mr. Zlepnig stated he first Continued page 5
HERITAGE OTTAWA
30TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION TROLLEY TOUR A GREAT SUCCESS! It was a perfect autumn day on October4th when a full double-decker bus departed from Lisgar Street for the Heritage Ottawa tour of Sandy Hill, New Edinburgh, Lowertown, the Byward Market, the Glebe and the Billings Estate. The tour provided an opportunity to celebrate the preservation of so many of Ottawa's heritage buildings and districts over the past 30 years and also to remember the preservation failures that remind us of the importance of our advocacy work. Many thanks go out to long-time members Marian and Dick Heringer for their hard work in organizing the tour and to Carolyn Quinn and Gordon Cullingham for their entertaining commentary. Heritage Ottawa thanks our Guest of Honour Mayor Jim Watson for his participation as well as Councillor Inez Berg and the many members and new friends who shared this event with us.
October 4th Anniversary Trolley Tour showing fiom left to right: Gordon Cullingham, Carolyn Quinn, Councillor Ine Berg, Mayor Jim Watson and Jean Palmer.
149 Daly Avenue ... continued assistance through tax reductions or, the preservation of this heritage treasure is because of the extreme heritage signifi- uneventful. Contentious situations always Some might ask whether the municipal cance, offer special preservation incentives prove costly in terms of time and money. governments should take a responsibility beyond the current modest heritage grants. In the case of Besserer House, delays in that would incur financial commitment? As always it will be the community's attending to the substantial work required Local government does bear responsibility passion which will be the critical factor in on the masonry will result in further for 1960s municipal planning that caused preserving its heritage properties, and in deterioration and devaluation of the the current traffic problem for Besserer ensuring appropriate uses. Numerous property. If the structure is unheated House. At that time King Edward Avenue other sites in Sandy Hill have been during the winter, or ignored for an was envisioned as the King Edward protected by this passion, and one could extended period, deterioration will Freeway and, accordingly, the Inter- presume that with the outstanding heritage progress exponentially as is the nature of Provincial Bridge was constructed to pedigree of Besserer House, Sandy Hill failing masonry construction. accommodate high speed and high volume and the City's heritage community as a traffic. Perhaps the City should acknowl- whole will be extremely concerned . Editor's Note : For a history of149 Daly, edge that the site has been compromised For the sake of the building and please see "The Heritage ofBesserer by past municipal activities and offer everyone involved, however, here's hoping House" in this issue.
HERITAGE OTTAWA 5 THE HERITAGE OF BESSERER HOUSE The Genteel Spirit ofPioneering, or Combatting aRude Environment with Elegance
By Edgar Tumak
Constructed in the rough and rude pioneer in 1848 in the still unfinished Cathedral. nent historians and a scion of the Woods years of early Bytown, Besserer House in Besserer, who lived until 1863, never had Manufacturing Co., Shirley Woods, jr., Sandy Hill is a building ofexceptional pedi- more mundane services such as safe water, lived in the house as a boy. gree. In 1844, when it was charitable to sanitation, and fire protection during his life Besserer House is one ofOttawa's fore- call Ottawa a "sub-arctic lumber town" (the in Bytown. most heritage resources because of its as- lumber industry was still relatively small), Besserer initiated the development of sociation with the early town life ofOttawa. Louis-Theodore Besserer commissioned Sandy Hill in 1838 with the help of a dy- The Billings Estate Museum, while an in- the construction of the elegant stone house namic agent, William Stewart . Stewart laid valuable resource, only became a town that still bears his name. out a street plan for Sandy Hill in the area building when urban development sur- Today, located along the busy King Edward bounded by Rideau Street, the Rideau rounded it in the 1950s. Many years ago Avenue in the central areaof Ottawa, many River, Laurier Avenue East (originally demolition deprived Ottawa of the resi- people may not appreciate the bold spirit called Theodore Street) and Waller Street dence of Nicholas Sparks-the other key of Besserer as a gentleman pioneer. and beganto sell lots in a businesslike man- developer ofcurrent central Ottawa. Besserer was a notary and member of the ner. BessererHouse also has immensoarchi- Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada in When Besserer arrived in Bytown he re- tecturalsignificance. The classically based, Quebec City from 1833 to 1838. In 1839 sided on Rideau Street. To spur develop- Georgian styled building has walls of he left his comfortable life inwhatwas then ment ofhis land, Besserer, with his second roughly finished stones set in regular Canada's most gracious town, to occupy wife Marguerite Cameron, had Besserer courses, with thecomers finished by smooth and develop the remote land that was House prominently located on the brow of quoins. Prior to the 1918 addition of the granted in 1828 to his brother, Lieut. Sandy Hill. With the expectation thatpeo- stone wing at the rear, the kitchen of Rene-Leonard Besserer, for service in the ple wouldpurchase property near a church, Besserer House was located in the base- Warof 1812. Louis-Theodore was the heir- Besserer gave land to several religious de- ment. This was a common household plan at-law as his brother died in 1823. nominations. In 1845 St. Paul's Presbyte- in Ottawa until the end of the 1870s, be- The Bytown that greeted Besserer, and rian, at the corner of Cumberland and Daly, cause the warm air rising from the ever- in which he erected a genteel stone resi- became the first permanent church in Sandy burning kitchen fire helped heat the storeys dence, lacked basic services and institu- Hill (the current St. Paul's Eastern United above-a centuries old form of fuel con- tions. Although Besserer was accustomed Church is a later structure). In the same servation. Reportedly the great bake-oven to due process of the law and legislative year Besserer also gave several lots to the fireplace is covered over but still extant. participation, Bytown at this time was a Roman Catholic Church forthe purpose of Another reminder ofpioneer Ottawa are the garrison town controlled by the British Ord- erecting a college thereon, although the exposed, and unfinished tree trunks sup- nance, where military, not civil, authority church controlled College of Bytown (later porting the ground floor. was the basis ofthe local government. The University of Ottawa) did not relocate to The groundlevel originally consisted of Ordnance controlled and prevented devel- the site until 1856. three grand spaces extending from the front opment in the land between Bank and Besserer did not greatly profit from his to the rear: the wide central stair hall, and Waller streets (the latter being Besserer's land holdings because the development of the parlour onthe south andthe diningroom western property line) until 1848, and the Sandy Hill remained slow until the arrival on the north each measuring approximately municipal incorporation of Bytown was of the civil service in the 1860s. Even late 17 by 28 feet. The transfer of food and resisted by the Ordnance until 1850. Fur- in life Besserer was forced to sell several dishes fromthe basement kitchenwas aided thermore, it was not until the 1850s that the hundred lots to settle a debt of just over by means of a dumb waiter. In 1964 the local economy benefitted from a vibrant £2000. After Besserer's death the family large formal dining room was divided to lumber industry, and the town's new status sold the house in 1866 to William create a library/den at the front ofthehouse, as the capital of the Province of Canada McDougall, a Father of Confederation. In and a still commodious dining room at the (Ontario and Quebec). 1867 McDougall was responsible for the rear. Unfortunately all the mouldings on Besserer also had to make due with purchase of the great Northwest from the the ground level were changed in 1964. primitive religious facilities-then consid- Hudson's Bay Company, which doubled the Insurance plans, early photos, and care- ered essential institutions. For a Roman land mass of the new Dominion. ful viewing ofthe stonework and windows, Catholic like Besserer, the Cathedral of McDougall lived in the house until 1870, show that originally Besserer House had a Notre Dame on Sussex Street (renamed and since then the residence has been oc- ground-level verandah on all sides, and a Sussex Drive in the 1960s) was only started cupied by a succession of prominent gov- widow's walk at the top of the truncated in 1839, and the first bishop ofthe diocese, ernment officials, military officers, and . One of Ottawa's mostpromi- Joseph-Eugene Guigues, was consecrated businessmen Continued page 8
HERITAGE OTTAWA
REMEMBERING THE FATE OF THE FRESCOES Ann Faulkner Preservationists the world over mourn By Jean Palmer the passing of Ann Fatkner, a farsighted leader and tireless achiever, whoc lost her brave fight against cancer on ?3 Septem- It's good news. The frescoes ofthe Franciscan Monastery on Stanley Street will her, 1998 . 13er achievements in life not be flattened by a bulldozer. Our last newsletter carried a story lamenting the were numerous and always had a probable loss of the wonderful frescoes and mosaics done by Ugo Chyurlia in the significant impact. Included in Ann's many achieve- late 1950s. ments were tier role as a member of the The last of the elderly priests left the monastery in May when the church and pionecring group that developed the monastery were sold to John Doran, a local developer who planned to build condo- Canadian lnventclry° of Historic Build- miniums. ings. 1-his unique archive of thousand ,, The Heritage Ottawa Board viewed the art works in May and our representative of buildings became the foremost worked with City Councilor Richard Cannings, community supporters, arts com- re,ouree for CVCCV major study of munity activists and the artist's son, Jerome Chyurlia to save the frescoes. Efforts architecture in Canada . the monastery had to The esteem of her coltea,)ues was were made to find other uses for the church, even if the rest of Nest demonstrated when she was invited be demolished. In the end there was no purchaser for the church, but help came to accept the po,ition of Executive from another quarter. Director of the Association for Preserva- Ian Hodkinson, Professor Emeritus of Art Conservation from Queen's Univer- tion Iecltnolo,y (AY.T.) . an interna- sity, and a local restoration firm, Craig Johnson Enterprises, have succeeded in tional society of dedicated profe,sionals removing nearly all of the frescoes and mosaics using time-tested methods. The and amateur herita~,, e conservationists . There, ,Art organized several confer- job will be completed before the demolition date. ences with hundreds of panicip.trlls from Jerome Chyurlia explained the process for fresco removal, a particular challenge ail corners of the gtohe. In the mean- since the painting is done on wet plaster and is not on the surface but embedded in timc the A.P.T. BULLETIN beettme the the plaster. nxrst important forum for the exchange First the colour is consolidated, and then a water soluble,-enzyme-based adhe- of knoWtedL2c in the technolo1_'y of sive is applied to the surface and covered with a linen canvas. When dry, the linen monument restoration. Jt would take and fresco come off in one piece ready for storage. On a new site, a concrete wall pages to list all the,cminars, coursev with wet plaster and the fresco is quickly installed against it. All that and study tours that were held %while is covered Ann was at the helm. soluble adhesive revealing the original fresco. remains is to remove the canvas and Ann also found tithe to write l-tit/uu
HERITAGE OTTAWA CELEBRATE HERITAGE DAY!! Monday, February 15, 1999
In celebration of Heritage Day, an Laurier Avenue East and Chapel Saints' and their significance to the evening of entertainment will be pre- Street). history of the City as a whole, such as: the sented by the City of Ottawa's Heritage Activities will focus on life in Sandy church's chief founder and benefactor Sir Programmes Unit, the Council of Herit- Hill and Ottawa, ca. 1899-1900 at the Henry Newell Bate, the city's grocer-king age Organizations in Ottawa, Laurier time when All Saints' was established. and, from 1899-1917, the first chairman House National Historic Site, Action The evening's programme will feature of the Ottawa Improvement Commission Sandy Hill, and All Saints' Anglican music by Lisgar Collegiate Music (later National Capital Commission); Sir Church, Sandy Hill-a recently desig- Department, and the All Saints' organ and Robert Borden the eighth Prime Minister nated heritage building. Ottawa's only chime (9 bells) and the of Canada; statesman Sir George H. The event will occur between 7:00 annual "Great Ottawa Challenge" Herit- Perley; and lumber industry and military p.m. and 10:00 p.m., on Monday 15 age Day quiz where City councillors outfitter Lt.-Col. James W February 1999 in the parish hall of at compete with media personalities. There Woods.Admission is free, and refresh- All Saints' Anglican Church, Sandy will also be exhibits, tours of the church ments can be purchased. The refresh- Hill, at 10 Blackburn Avenue (the complex, and an illustrated presentation ments will be organized by Ottawa's church is located at the corner of of the houses of the founders of all culinary historian Kathleen Walker:
Heritage .. . continued traffic of King Edward Avenue, and the someone who can appreciate this wonder- threat of neglect or demolition. ful heritage inheritance and who knows that hipped roof. From this vantage point one What Besserer House needs now is some- the thick stone walls shut out the noise of would have had commanding views of the one who again is prepared to use gentility to the busy traffic. Perhaps that someone may Ottawa River and the Gatineau Hills. The improve an imperfect urban environment- even create a mid-19th century heritage verandah on the north (now enclosed by muchlike Besserer, or more recently thepeo- showpiece by re-creating the residence's glass) is accessed by floor-length casement ple who led the early heritage movement in original configuration, such as the two great windows. Similar windows in the south Sandy Hill. By saving decaying venerable rooms on the ground level, the wrap-around parlour would have also led to the wrap- structures, these people did much to revital- verandah, the roof top widow's walk, and a around verandah. The current front porch ize the neighbourhood. Similarly, the resto- multi-purpose large stone kitchen in the dates from the close of the 19th or begin- ration of Besserer House might serve as the basementleading directly onto a walled gar- ning ofthe 20th centuries. It is a solid Geor- catalyst to activate long-delayed plans to den. gian revival design, withhigh quality wood- make King Edward Avenue a more liveable work and enduring roof cladding of lead. street. When more people demonstrate their Editor's Note: Edgar Tumak is an Looking at Besserer House one sees a concern about the appearance of King architectural historian and heritage proud structure which, with its gracious form Edward, more attention will be directed to specialist who lives in Sandy Hill. and commanding location, defied the rude this thoroughfare by politicians andplanners. Historical sources used in the writing of qualities of early Ottawa. Now it faces the Besserer House needs someone who can this article will be distributed by Herit- even greater challenge of the intimidating see the glories notthe deficiencies ofthe site, age Ottawa upon request .
MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION
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