Dedicated to Preserving Our Built Heritage May 2019 Volume 46, No. 2 Expropriate Somerset House, HERITAGE OTTAWA 2 018 says Heritage Ottawa WALKING By David B. Flemming TOURS My first memories of Somerset House date back to the late 1960’s when it was known as The Ritz Hotel. The main floor tavern and the basement www.heritageottawa.org “ladies & escorts’’ section was a welcome gathering place for my Join our experienced guides for walks through some of Ottawa’s most friends and colleagues for lunch, after interesting areas like Lindenlea and work or on special occasions. Food the Civic Hospital Neighbourhood. was served in a small restaurant off Our program offers a number of new the rear of the tavern where one could tours as well as returning favourites. enjoy a cheap yet hearty meal. Information about the 2019 tours, the knowledgeable guides, and meeting When I returned to Ottawa in locations is available on our website 2000 after a 25 years absence, it was at heritageottawa.org known as Somerset House with the Walking Tours are $5 for members Lockmaster Tavern on the ground Somerset House in 1900 when Bank and $10 for non-members. floor and the Duke of Somerset pub and Somerset was a happening place. located in the basement replacing our Visit our website and beloved “downstairs at the Ritz.’’ Victorian Italianate style with its then mark your calendars! red brick walls, contrasting stone When the business finally closed in banding, brick corbelling and large heritageottawa.org/heritage- 2003, I was president of Heritage ottawa-walking-tours display windows. In 1900 a 4-storey Ottawa and we were pleased to learn flat roof apartment block of a that the building had been sold to similar style was added to the east TKS Holdings which planned to side of the building. modernize the interior. We looked forward to this important part of It was first home to Crosby & Ottawa’s built heritage again being Carruthers Dry Goods Company put to a commercial use. and other commercial enterprises before it became The Ritz Hotel in The building had not always been a 1937. From the 1930’s until the tavern. Built in 1897-98 by Thomas 60’s it was part of a vibrant Cleary it was a fine example of the commercial area of Bank Street. Archives with permission of Ottawa Photo: City 1 Expropiate Somerset house cont’d. Heritage Ottawa is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of Ottawa’s built heritage. Richard Belliveau Guest Editor Jan Soetermans Graphic Designer Katari Imaging Printing Heritage Ottawa 2 Daly Avenue Ottawa, Ontario K1N 6E2 Tel: 613-230-8841 Flemming David Photos: Fax: 613-564-4428 Email: [email protected] Somerset House from Bank Street in 2018 – abandoned Web: www.heritageottawa.org Two other hotels – the Gilmour and servicing on all floors of an Board of Directors House and the Alexandra – further existing four-storey hotel’’ and south on Bank Street formed later to “install a new structural Richard Belliveau a “golden triangle’’ of drinking non-combustible floor infill in François Bregha establishments. a four-storey off retail building.’’ Peter Coffman City inspectors met with the owner’s Julie Dompierre Although the Ritz’s owner blamed engineer in September in anticipation the City’s smoking bylaw with the Zeynep Ekim of the approval of revised plans for decline in business in the early 2000’s, Louise Fox cellar excavations. it was evident that the old downtown Ian Ferguson taverns were fast giving way to newer On Friday, October 19, there was Hilary Grant establishments in other parts of the a partial collapse of the southeast Linda Hoad city. By the 1980’s, the Alexandra and corner of the building. In excavating David Jeanes the Gilmour had closed and the Ritz the cellar, a worker driving a Bobcat David Longbotham needed an upgrade if it was to survive. dislodged a support beam. Although Anne Maheux he was trapped in his vehicle for Somerset House was designated Leslie Maitland nearly two hours, he escaped under Part V of the Ontario Heritage uninjured. An assessment seemed to Heather McArthur Act in 1967 as part of the Centretown indicate that too much soil had been Hunter McGill Heritage Conservation District. removed causing an underpinning of Robert Moreau a portion of the walls. Carolyn Quinn Bad Things Started Martin Rice The Ontario Ministry of Labour Katherine Spencer-Ross to Happen declared it an unsafe worksite, which thwarted attempts to assess Plans to renovate the building were Heritage Ottawa acknowledges the the building’s condition. The City’s financial support of the City of Ottawa submitted in 2005. Building permits Chief Building Official subsequently and the Ontario Ministry of Culture were issued to permit the removal of then issued an emergency demolition “all interior walls, partitions, finishes 2 order for the building. Heritage Take Action, says opposed the owner’s application Ottawa strongly opposed the for further partial demolition until recommendation and urged the City Heritage Ottawa it had assurances that the 2017 not to make a final decision until In December 2007, Heritage Ottawa proposal would proceed. Despite our a thorough assessment could be recommended the creation of an objections, the City approved the undertaken. We also provided the emergency protocol to enable the further demolition of a substantial City with a list of structural engineers various city departments to respond section of the north wall and some with heritage restoration experience. in a timelier manner to heritage of the interior floors buildings at risk. (Five years later the Because of the Ministry of Labour’s The City continues to issue work City instituted such a protocol.) unsafe work place edict, the engineers orders to protect the surviving had to inspect the building from a Meanwhile, further work on the structure, the latest of which had “cherry picker.’’ It was recommended building ceased while the City and an April 30, 2019 deadline for that a large portion of the building the owner argued over responsibility completion. A third proposal, could be saved if there was a for both the collapse and the further to erect a six-storey apartment controlled demolition of some badly demolition and the cost of security building incorporating the surviving damaged portions of the walls and and traffic re-routing arising from the façade, is expected later this year. roof. This was done and the owner collapse. This matter was settled out- In the meantime, it has also been was ordered to take measures to of-court in December 2012. rumoured that the owner is seeking further secure the structure. to sell the property or to purchase The owner has since then submitted adjacent properties on Bank Street Local merchants whose businesses two proposals for the restoration of for in corporation into a much had been severely curtailed by the the building (2013 and 2017) both larger development. street closures, were successful in of which were approved by the City convincing the City to re-open at but resulted in no action by the The property is on the “Heritage least one lane of traffic and one owner. A steel support structure was Watch List’’ instituted in 2015 at sidewalk on both Bank and Somerset. built to support the north side of the Heritage Ottawa’s urging and the It would however be months later building. Heritage Ottawa strongly Mayor’s Heritage Matters Task Force until normal street traffic resumed. are provided with regular updates on the status of the property. Heritage Ottawa believes that given the owner’s seeming inability or interest in developing the property, the City should consider expropriation of the property and its resale on the condition that the current structure be incorporated as part of a new building. The City has this authority to do this under the Ontario Municipal Act, but clearly lacks the political will to take such action. Meanwhile, the building has endured a twelfth winter exposed to the elements with no end in sight. Stay tuned! David Flemming is co-chair of the Advocacy Committee Rear of Somerset House from Somerset Street of Heritage Ottawa 3 Former Union Station is New Home of Senate of Canada By Carolyn Quinn Photos: Courtesy of the Senate of Canada CourtesyPhotos: of the Senate Aerial view of the new Senate of Canada Building and the city beyond in late fall 2018. Last December I had the privilege of In what seems like twisted logic, building rather than erect an interim touring the new Senate of Canada Union Station was then slated Senate Chamber in the courtyard of Building with some of the talented for demolition to make way for the East Block. Rob Wright, Assistant and committed people who helped cars and buses to park during the Deputy Minister for Public Services make the transformation of Ottawa’s 1967 Centennial. Destroy history and Procurement Canada who old Union Station possible. As well to celebrate heritage. Thankfully, welcomed our tour, told the group as adapting the historic Rideau Street pioneering advocacy efforts by that the decision bumped the former landmark to meet the requirements Heritage Ottawa’s founders saved Union Station from the bottom of of a functioning Senate, the six year the noble pile, which allowed for the list of federally-owned heritage rehabilitation project restored its most its renovation two years later into buildings in need of refurbishment to spectacular interior spaces. the Government of Canada the top, while saving taxpayers some Conference Centre. $200 million. A Beaux-Arts gem completed in 1912 as Ottawa’s central train station, the Forty-plus years on, the deteriorated The upgrades are impressive.