Mid-Century Modern

Dedicated to Preserving Our Built Heritage March 2020 Volume 47, No. 1 Mid-century Modern HERITAGE OTTAWA By Richard Belliveau MAY 30, 2020 ANNUAL FIELD TRIP www.heritageottawa.org ANNUAL FIELD TRIP – SAVE THE DATE! Brockville, Merrickville, Prescott Saturday, May 30, 2020 Following the success of our last three field trips, we are planning a spring coach tour to heritage-rich Esponda Mariana Photo: Brockville with stops along the way in Merrickville and Prescott, UNAM (the autonomous university of Mexico) including historical museums. The year 2019 marked the 100th neighbourhood by Andrew King; anniversary of Bauhaus, and in and a short piece by Zeynep Ekim various ways Heritage Ottawa drew covering the Create Heritage attention to this in its education workshop at Carleton University. and information programs. We mounted a walking tour led by A number of presentations at our Details will be forthcoming Sarah Gelbard to look at Brutalist lecture series this past autumn were on our website and member focused on different aspects of communications. architecture in downtown Ottawa. We published articles in this mid-century modern architecture in Stay connected! Newsletter – one by Barry Padolsky Ottawa, and from each of them, the lecturers drew attention to interesting Visit our website for more details: on what has become of “the heritageottawa.org/annualfieldtrip promise of Bauhaus“; one on the mid-century structures arising from residential jewel of the Qualicum these architectural movements and 1 Mid-century Modern (contd.) moments that lovers of built heritage thinking was that the salt air was might not have fully appreciated. the villain causing the rust, but Heritage Ottawa is a non-profit research discovered that during organization dedicated to the Globe & Mail architectural critic, the early stages of its construction, preservation of Ottawa’s built heritage. Alex Bozikovic, spoke of preserving during the transition from the Canada’s legacy of modernism with Franco era in Spain, work was Hunter McGill a special attention on institutional halted for up to a year and during Guest Editor architecture in the capital since that time, uncompleted walls were Jan Soetermans the 1960. Many of these buildings left exposed. Graphic Designer such as the old City Hall on Sussex (now federally owned), Similar background research in Katari Imaging the Carling Building (now mostly Mexico revealed that there were a Printing demolished), Library and Archives series of important maintenance Canada on Wellington street, the issues across the monumental Heritage Ottawa CBC Building on Bronson, and campus of UNAM. Built in 2 Daly Avenue only two years from 1954, the Ottawa, Ontario K1N 6E2 federal buildings on Confederation Heights, as well as interesting university campus did not have a Tel: 613-230-8841 schools like Laurentian High comprehensive maintenance plan Fax: 613-564-4428 School on Baseline Road (since or program. After the site became Email: [email protected] demolished) can be considered a UNESCO World Heritage Site Web: www.heritageottawa.org fine architecture. His point was in 2007, the authorities undertook that there is an urgency to identify a long-term management plan Board of Directors buildings of that era worthy of to ensure that the buildings in Richard Belliveau preservation that may now have the original main campus area reached their anticipated useful would be adequately protected. François Bregha life, so that action may be taken After the 2017 earthquake, many Peter Coffman to preserve and adapt them. Many maintenance issues were discovered, Julie Dompierre of these buildings are or have been so the struggle continues. Zeynep Ekim community or city landmarks, but Louise Fox little thought was given to their In the course of the discussion, Professor Esponda was asked how Ian Ferguson long-term care. modernist institutional structures that Hilary Grant At the November lecture, Carleton she had studied in Canada were making Linda Hoad professor Mariana Esponda cast out, especially in the harsh Canadian David Jeanes a different eye on revaluating climate that we combat with liberal Anne Maheux modern sites. She used as applications of salt. She remarked Leslie Maitland examples the research her team that many of the institutions, like the Heather McArthur conducted on major modernist University of Guelph, have survived architectural masterpieces such as well because they were intelligently Hunter McGill the mountaintop Fundacion Miro designed, competently built and Robert Moreau in Barcelona and the magnificent suitably managed. Carolyn Quinn campus of the Universidad Martin Rice Nacional Atonoma de México Issues to Confront Gilles Séguin (UNAM) outside Mexico City. in identifying and Katherine Spencer-Ross They undertook a huge project to restore the iconic sculptured walls saving mid-century Heritage Ottawa acknowledges the of Fundacion’s concrete walls whose modernist Buildings financial support of the City of Ottawa and the Ontario Ministry of Culture iron rebars were rusting badly and Clearly there will be a number of disintegrating the concrete. Early issues to consider when promoting 2 the conservation and possibly restoration of mid-century modern Places Saved: Five new institutional architecture. designated buildings in 2019 From a heritage point of view, the main questions will be three: what By Cass Sclauzero should be saved, what can be saved, the Heritage Inventory Project. Built and how will they be saved? as a branch of the Traders Bank of Canada in 1910, when Vars was a In looking at the “what should”, prosperous railway village, it became a how do we define the value of branch of the Royal Bank of Canada buildings from a historical in 1912 and served the community point of view, the beauty of until the 1950s. It is now a private the architecture, and the place home. The designation request was a building may occupy as a initiated by the property owner, who community landmark? The big shared with City staff their huge problem will likely not be personal collection of research about agreeing on the criteria, but the building, Vars, the Traders Bank, rather assigning priorities where and the Royal Bank. It is the first Sclauzero Cass Photo: hundreds of such buildings designated building in Vars, and one may be reaching their due dates Former Royal Bank of Canada, Vars of only six designated properties in contemporaneously. The December 10, 2019 meeting of Cumberland ward. the City of Ottawa’s Built Heritage The challenge of the “what can” Sub-Committee (BHSC) featured The Ottawa Tennis and Lawn is complicated by the use of new a trio of good-news heritage items. Bowling Club is a Tudor Revival materials and techniques in The BHSC unanimously voted in building designed by John Albert modernist architecture that may favour of designating the Standard Ewart. Built in 1923, it was modeled have not served well. The beautiful Bread Company Bakery at 951 after English cottages and manor Sir John Carling Building at the Gladstone Avenue, the former homes. It is a good example of a Central Experimental Farm did not Traders Bank at 1824 Farwel Street recreational building of its time survive the cut because of hazardous in Vars, and the Ottawa Tennis and and is associated with the growth of materials used in its original Lawn Bowling Club at 176 Cameron recreational sports in Ottawa. The construction, and the building is Avenue under Part IV of the Ontario designation was approved by Council now mostly gone. Heritage Act. just a day after being presented to The “how” may be the biggest the BHSC, to allow the Club to The designation request for the obstacle of all. The magnificent apply for a grant under the Ministry Standard Bread Company Bakery was adaptation of the old Union Station of Canadian Heritage’s Building submitted in 2010 by the Hintonburg into the temporary Senate of Canada Communities Through Arts and Community Association but put on cost millions of dollars. As was the Heritage Legacy Fund before the hold pending redevelopment plans for case in refocussing the National December 31, 2019 deadline. the property. Subsequent negotiations Arts Centre, and the building of between City staff and the current The Booth Street Complex at 552- the Bank of Canada atrium. It is owner resulted in a plan for the 568 Booth Street and 405 Rochester likely that even the most beautiful designated building to be rehabilitated Street, and the stone building at and possibly beloved old office and retained as part of a new mixed- 1820 St. Joseph Boulevard were also buildings or academic centres from use development adjacent to the future designated earlier in 2019. the mid-century boom will have a Gladstone LRT station. The 3-storey struggle to find usefulness when their building, constructed in 1924, refreshment will cost tens of millions features a four-storey tower and flared Cass Sclauzero is Heritage Register of dollars. mushroom columns on the interior. Project Assistant with the Planning, Infrastructure and Economic Richard Belliveau The former Traders Bank branch in Development Department, President, Heritage Ottawa Vars was identified in 2019 through City of Ottawa. 3 Update on the Central Experimental Farm National Historic Site By Leslie Maitland The Central Experimental Farm reached out to those groups which National Historic Site (CEF), owned After years of wrangling, in had been most engaged in the by Agriculture and Agri-Food December 2016 the decision discussions about the location of Canada (AAFC) was all the news was finally made to dedicate the hospital, with an invitation to a few years ago when the Ottawa the northeast corner of the found a Community Engagement Hospital and the Government of Farm to the new Hospital Group (CEG) to provide outside commentary on the planning for Canada announced that the new campus, a site known as the Civic Campus were to go right on the hospital.

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