Proposed Demolition of Historic Rockcliffe Houses Opposed
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Dedicated to Preserving Our Built Heritage Winter 2008 Volume 35, No. 1 Proposed Demolition of Historic Rockcliffe Houses Opposed sie web By Brian Murphy Ottawa shbury College in Rockcliffe Park intends Ashbury filed its of Road to demolish two homes at 204 and at completed plans with City A 212 Springfield Road and the old Village the city 14 August Map: Springfield Springfield pump house on Maple Lane to build a new student 2007. Then in October, Lane residence. These buildings, among the earliest the City of Ottawa Maple houses in the community, form a cohesive and began its heritage attractive enclave along with a third and as yet assessment, which unthreatened home at 224 Springfield. Their oddly enough, was location in the Village of Rockcliffe Park Heritage written by an Ashbury- Conservation District doesn’t appear to offer them paid consultant. Not the protection they deserve and many friends of surprisingly, she heritage, from both Rockcliffe and beyond, have concluded that the Map from the Application under the been struggling to preserve them. buildings had no Ontario Heritage Act to Demolish 204 and 212 Springfield Road (properties shown in black outline). Application for construction of new dormitory, Ashbury college, Rockcliffe Park Heritage Conservation District. heritage merit. Others disagreed. The issue went to the Local Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee (LACAC) 10 January 2008, where 13 people spoke against the demolitions, against y h p r aspects of Ashbury’s proposed u M l 52 unit residence, and against l i W : the Ashbury heritage report. o t o h LACAC unanimously P recommended that the Two of the oldest houses in the former Village of Rockcliffe Park, now in danger. 1 Proposed demolition... Short, Samuel’s father, had brought his family to Canada in 1873. They owned a dairy farm and existing Heritage Conservation District provisions business, the Rockcliffe Dairy, on Springfield Road not be altered to allow the demolition. The until the 1920s. Henry Schinzel’s brother, Otto, was Planning and Environment Committee of City a streetcar driver in the early 1890s for the Ottawa Council received arguments and considered City Passenger Railway Co.; the steetcar route ran the issue 12 February. In a series of votes, it from Ottawa to Rockcliffe. Otto lived on Lime Kiln recommended that 204 Springfield, but not 212, Road, now part of the Rockcliffe Park Driveway, in be preserved. At the council meeting on February 1889 and probably earlier. Square-timber log houses th 27, there were a series of debates and votes that built by mid-19 century loggers could be found confused almost everyone. A further debate is along this road. Thus the Short, Jackson and Schinzel scheduled to take place on March 26 to resolve families lived in what was to become Rockcliffe the issue. when the land was still wilderness and farms. They are among Rockcliffe’s pioneering and founding Early History of the Three Houses and families. It is remarkable that they were all still in their Owners the Village in the 1960s, and astonishing that all Only five families have owned the three houses their houses survived as an enclave until today. from the time of their development in the 1890s Architectural Significance until they gradually came into the possession of Ashbury. The Samuel Short house at 224 The age and the relative architectural integrity of Springfield Road was built in 1892 on land the the three houses argue for their preservation. 22- year-old Short (1867-1963) had bought three Other than the alteration of the front door and front years previously. He owned and lived in the house window of 204 during a 1961 renovation and the until his death 71 years later. Both 204 and 212 rear addition and modern covering of 212, the Springfield Rd were built in spring 1899, probably houses probably remain as they were 100 years or from the same plans, by the Sylvester family of more ago. These three buildings in the Rockcliffe Graham Bros., seedsmen and florists. Like the Short Founding enclave are now probably the second, house, they have had long term ownership: 212 third, and fourth oldest surviving houses in was owned and occupied by the Jackson family Rockcliffe. Only the 1887 Crichton Lodge at from c1907 until c1980; 204 was occupied by Henry 160 Lisgar Road, now the Norwegian Embassy, Schinzel (who also worked for Graham Bros) from is earlier. Certainly, they form the only surviving 1899 until his death more than 60 years later. cluster of nineteenth century houses in Rockcliffe. Although Short, Jackson, and Schinzel were Historical Significance among the earliest residents of Rockcliffe, they had The Short, Jackson, and Schinzel houses, homes of even earlier connections to the Village. Thomas farmers, commercial florists, and vegetable gardeners Heritage Ottawa is a non-profit Directors: John Arnold, organization dedicated to the Richard Belliveau, preservation of Ottawa’s built Marc Billard, Ken C. Clavette, heritage. Gordon Cullingham, Robin Dorrell, Ken Elder, David B. Flemming Ian Ferguson, Meryl Oliver, Veronica Vaillancourt Heritage Ottawa President Editor 2 Daly Avenue Peter O’Malley, David Jeanes William R. Price, Paul Stumes Jan Soetermans Ottawa, Ontario K1N 6E2 Vice-President Graphic Designer Tel: 613-230-8841 David Ivison Heritage Ottawa acknowledges Tina & Company Fax: 613-564-4428 Treasurer the financial support of the Printing Email: [email protected] Carolyn Quinn City of Ottawa and the Web: www.heritageottawa.org Past-President Ontario Ministry of Culture 2 for more than 60 years, were also known for the the community until 1908, never banned servants quality of their vegetable and flower gardens. They or members of the service trade from living in the paved the way for modern ornamental gardening Village. Thomas C Keefer placed no restriction on in Rockcliffe. Schinzel, in addition to working for race, income, class, or occupation – which cannot Graham Bros. (whose green houses two blocks be said of other planned communities, including away at Rideau Terrace lasted until at least the one that provided a model for Rockcliffe – 1960s), maintained the food and flower gardens of Llewellyn Park in New Jersey. Because the origins the Wilson Southam family on Crescent Road. of these early residents differ from those of present These gardens had been laid out by Frederick Todd, day Rockcliffe, it has been – and still is – easy to be a celebrated American landscape architect. Until oblivious to or dismissive of the community’s the1940s, a part of the Southam gardens was what social heritage. is now the public Rockeries off Acacia Ave. Schinzel There are those who believe that Rockcliffe is, was also a famous builder of purple-martin bird and should be, the preserve of the present and houses. Indeed, Mackenzie King recorded in his future corporate, professional, and social leaders of diary 16 April 1932 that he “... drove out to Canada. Most people, whether from Rockcliffe or Rockcliffe to visit Schinzel to see some of his bird- not, will pause at such a perspective. This little houses for Kingsmere, for the purple martins ...”. heritage enclave, both surrounded and isolated by Ashbury, should be preserved because it is a witness to an unknown part of the origins of Rockcliffe Park. The existing Village of Rockcliffe Then in October, the City of Park Heritage Conservation District protecting these three houses, the pump house, Ashbury’s Ottawa began its heritage c1910 – 1912 buildings designed by Allan Keefer, assessment, which oddly enough, and the rest of Rockcliffe must be respected. Given the extensive property owned by Ashbury, was written by an Ashbury-paid the new residence could be built in an area other than the one currently proposed. In this way, the consultant. Not surprisingly, older heritage buildings can be preserved for generations to come. Ashbury, Rockcliffe and all of she concluded that the buildings Ottawa should protect and cherish this founding had no heritage merit. cluster of buildings. Brian Murphy is an archivist with Library and Archives Canada. His parents owned 204 Springfield, 1961-2002. In In addition to their farms and gardens, Short the 1960s he and his family heard about early farming and and Jackson were well known for their municipal gardening from Gordon Jackson and Samuel Short. Brian’s employment. Samuel Short was an early Village mother always referred to 204 as her “farmhouse”. trustee. He lived to be 96 years old and was often interviewed about his long life. His recollections appeared in various newspapers and elsewhere. Sources: Land ownership & transfer records, Thomas Jackson served as the Village constable and City of Ottawa Archives (used here as from also provided various forms of public works, such Ashbury heritage consultant Laurie Smith); annual as road clearing, for the community. This type of City of Ottawa Directories, 1885 to 1900; anecdotes municipal employment – like professional garden- received in the 1960s from the Short & Jackson ing – was part of the service trade. Workers moved families; Hamilton Southam, unpublished to Rockcliffe and provided the services needed to reminiscences, c1995; Mackenzie King Diaries run the estates of the Village. Without their services (LAC MG 26 J13) online; Rockcliffe Park LACAC, many of the large properties, even the Village Walking in the Village of Rockcliffe Park, Ottawa, 1982; administration itself, could not have been and Martha Edmond, Rockcliffe Park: a History of the maintained. The Keefer family, who controlled Village, Ottawa, 2005. 3 and the community are strongly lobbying the Mayor From the President…. and Council to support their respective positions. Although we recognize the right of Ashbury The winter 2008 issue reflects College to expand, Heritage Ottawa has opposed the variety of matters undertaken the development unless the proponent agrees to by Heritage Ottawa since the preserve the three late 19th century buildings on last issue.