Dedicated to Preserving Our Built Heritage October 2014 Volume 41, No. 4 Heritage News Now Editor’s Note This article and the one that follows attest to the fact that the loss of rural and suburban heritage to urbanization is not new. Heritage Ottawa plans to address Action Sandy Hill the issues of identification and loss of rural heritage at our Heritage Forum, to be calls for More held in February 2015. Heritage Protection 910 Bank Street Road, The History of a House built in the Suburbs of Ottawa in 1876 By Ken Elder If it wasn’t for a pair mid-1920’s with a pair of gable dormers and postcards, captioned Annesley three inside chimneys with corbelled College, that I stumbled on, it is caps. The overhang of the gables are unlikely this brief history would decorated with elaborate wood verge ever have been written. I had never boards. The stone trimmed brick Photo: David B. Flemming David Photo: heard of Annesley College, but it was walls have tall rectangular windows On Wednesday September 17 obviously located in a large Victorian with carved stone label arches. Other heritage supporters from Sandy house, in a park-like setting, set well architectural features include an Hill and friends marched from All back from a busy thoroughfare.. oriel window centred on the slightly Saints Church, a designated heritage building which is currently for sale, The house itself to 261-275 Laurier Avenue East, the is two storey site of the proposed demolition of 6 low rise apartment buildings, to brick over a encourage the City rock face stone to preserve the historic character basement, of Sandy Hill. built in the All Saints Church and the 6 buildings Gothic Revival at the corner of Laurier and Friel style with a contribute to the overall character picturesque of Laurier Avenue East, one of the most historic streets in Ottawa, home plan, cruciform to three former Prime Ministers in shape. The and countless other prominent picturesque contributors to the building of silhouette of the Collection) (K. Elder Postcard: this country. roof is achieved See page 7 for more News Now. by four steeply Postcard. Annesley College, Ottawa. Published by Crabtree Co. pitched gables c. 1925. Front View of Campus 1 910 Bank Street Road cont’d. projecting bay on the Alexander MacLean principal facade (1834-1908) was Heritage Ottawa is a non-profit organization dedicated to the and a bull’s- a successful preservation of Ottawa’s built heritage. eye window businessman of centred Scottish origin Linda Hoad in each who arrived Editor gable. Two in Ottawa in Jan Soetermans one-storey 1872 after Graphic Designer verandahs, teaching Katari Imaging with posts school and Printing and brackets running a are worked business in Heritage Ottawa Example, by of Canada; or Success Men 2 Daly Avenue into the angles Paris, Ontario, of the wings then pursuing a Ottawa, Ontario K1N 6E2 Photo: 1895) Garretson, Bradley, (Brantford: IV. Vol. on the principal career in newspaper Tel: 613-230-8841 Fax: 613-564-4428 façade. A Classical publishing in Alexander MacLean Email: [email protected] style entrance feature, Cornwall. In 1873 he Web: www.heritageottawa.org projects slightly from went into a partnership Leslie Maitland main verandah. Taken together with John Charles Roger (1841- President the architectural treatment of this 1925), foreman at the Ottawa Times, building is studied and sophisticated to form MacLean, Roger & Co. David B. Flemming Past-President and likely the work of an experienced and take over proprietorship of the architect. Ottawa Times. The company recorded David Jeanes and sold debates in the Senate and Vice-President Operations After considerable searching it turns House of Commons until 1875 Katherine Charbonneau out this house stood on Bank Street when the Government took over this Vice-President Programs opposite Clarey Avenue, where there work. MacLean Roger & Co. lost Willam R. Price is currently a Beer Store. The former first the business of recording the Secretary campus is now an asphalt covered debates, then the first contract for (vacant) parking lot. The house was built by printing the new Hansard (leading Treasurer Alexander MacLean. (vacant) Legal Consultant Danielle Jones Webmaster Directors: Jay Baltz, Richard Belliveau, Laurie Brady, Linda Dicaire, Ken Elder, Ian Ferguson, Louise Fox, Linda Hoad, Danielle Jones, Robert Martin, Heather McArthur, Katherine Spencer-Ross, Carolyn Quinn. Heritage Ottawa acknowledges the financial support of the City of Ottawa and the Ontario Ministry of Culture Postcard: (C. R. McGuire Collection) (C. R. McGuire Postcard: Postcard. Annesley College, Ottawa. Published by Crabtree Co. c. 1925 2 to the closure of the newspaper in 1877), and finally contract printing for the Queen’s Printer in 1888 when all printing was transferred to the Government Printing Bureau. Maclean was elected as an alderman in Wellington Ward in 1889, one of two newly elected aldermen residing in the newly annexed territory of Nepean. He ran again successfully in 1890, and in 1893 and 1894 he was elected alderman for Victoria Ward. “He was one of the most active aldermen, in 1890, in procuring K. Elder Photo: the adoption of the electric railway Bank St. from Thornton St., looking south-west, 2012. Site of Annesley College, 1925-1949. in Ottawa, as in 1893-94 he was for completing the amalgamation Alexander MacLean is listed in the had a frontage of 333 feet on Bank of the horse and electric railway City Directory as living at both 77 Street Road and a depth of 158 feet companies.” Albert Street and at a house on Bank which reached all the way through to Street Road. Likely while the Gothic Monk Street, in the block bounded In November, 1903 MacLean was Revival house shown in the postcards by Thornton Street on the north and appointed Canadian commercial above was under construction, the Centre Street (now Holmwood Ave.) agent in Japan, serving first in family remained at the Albert Street on the south. The nearest neighbour Yokohama and then briefly in location which was given up the to the MacLean’s would have been Shanghai, China. Alexander following year. Mayor C. H. Mackintosh, who was MacLean died in Shanghai on living in “Abbotsford”, the former December 22, 1908, and was Bank Street Road at the time was Mutchmor house, to the south. The interred at Beechwood Cemetery a continuation of Bank Street numbering of properties on Bank beside his wife, who had predeceased in Ottawa, passing through the Street (which occurred in 1891) him in 1897, on March 18, 1909. Township of Nepean until it reached assigned it the number 910. Billings Bridge. “Quite a number of Alexander MacLean married in gentlemen’s residences were scattered At the time of the Canadian Census 1863 and lived with his growing along its whole length.” The lot of 1901 Alexander MacLean, now family at 77 Albert Street. In 1876 66 years of age, was still living in the 910 Bank Street house with two sons and a daughter. By the following year the house had been rented, and Alexander Maclean had moved to The Gilmour, a hotel on Bank Street. His daughter Margaret, who had been given the Ottawa house in 1899, sold 910 Bank Street to Charles Hopewell on August 2, 1906. Hopewell in turn sold it on March 1, 1907 to the Trustees of the Holiness Movement Church in Canada. A new chapter in the life of 910 Bank Street began. Photo : K. Elder Photo The Holiness Movement Church was a sect started by Bishop Ralph Ecclesiax Church (former Holiness Movement Church), 27 Monk St. at corner of Cecil Horner (1853-1921) in 1895 Fifth Ave., 2012 3 The Fire Insurance plan of 1956 shows a somewhat shocking change to the pastoral setting of the former College. At the Thornton Avenue – Bank Street corner is a Supertest gasoline service station (1936). What was the property of Annesley College is occupied by a used car lot operated by Ottawa Motor Sales Limited (1946). At the Holmwood Avenue – Bank Street corner is another gasoline service station operated by McColl-Frontenac Oil Co. Ltd (1950). The original MacLean house is no longer in Credit: LAC. e010689440-v8.jpg LAC. Credit: evidence. As noted by John Leaning in his book The Story of the Glebe: Fire Insurance plan of the city of Ottawa, Ontario, Volume II, December 1902, revised “The first garages were built north June 1912. Sheet 152. Detail of Glebe Avenue and south of Fifth Avenue until by the mid-twenties when he broke with the Methodist there were about eleven.” Church. The membership of the Despite protests from church leaders sect was drawn largely from rural Bank Street Road at the time was and certain citizens in the Glebe, people in the Ottawa Valley but a continuation of Bank Street a Brewers Retail Store was erected the headquarters was in Ottawa, in Ottawa, passing through on the former Annesley College site which oddly furnished very few the Township of Nepean in 1959. members. To outside observers, the until it reached Billings Bridge. services conducted by Bishop Horner One tangible reminder of the appeared to be very noisy affairs. “Quite a number of gentlemen’s Holiness Movement Church sect The act of prostration, which led residences were scattered along is the Ecclesiax Church on the to the unflattering name of “holy its whole length.” south-west corner of Fifth Avenue rollers”, was for Horner proof that and Monk Street. The red granite God was changing the seeker’s life cornerstone reads “Holiness from inside out. Movement Church Erected AD 1917, the year that Bishop Ralph 1900-1921”.