By Linda Ip
When Mira Shane moved to Ottawa almost 20 years ago, she chose to live in Centretown mainly for its convenient and safe location.
She may be able to add another reason if the city succeeds in declaring the west area of Centretown a Heritage Conservation District.
“I like to see a complementary mix of heritage and modern buildings,” she says. “If you go from Gloucester up to Wellington, it’s a concrete jungle.”
The proposed district covers the area east of Bronson Avenue to the canal and from Wellington Street south to Gloucester Street. It also includes parts of Elgin and Lisgar streets.
There are 10 heritage districts in Ottawa. Areas are declared heritage districts if they have buildings of architectural or historical significance.
The city began the study over a year ago. It hired Toronto architect Mark Fram to head the consulting team. The first public meeting was at Regional Headquarters last Monday night.
Fram says while most of the area’s architectural work has survived, there are “ghosts of buildings” since the details are gone.
“We need to look at what to do with these fragments of history,” he says. “We’ll be wrestling with the aesthetic value along with the urban function.”
Some public concerns about heritage designations include tax increases and the cost of restoring buildings.
Over 140 buildings were photographed and researched. An evaluation team ranked the buildings’ historical and architectural value. Members included city staff and Centretown councillor Elisabeth Arnold.
A community may benefit economically from being declared a heritage district, like the Byward Market, which was declared one in 1991.
“Heritage and culture are being seen as real economic boosts from the tourism point of view,” Arnold says.
Dee Stubbs, an artifact conservator, says age isn’t always important.
“A lot of people think if a building’s old, it’s heritage,” she says. “That’s ridiculous. Likewise, you shouldn’t tear it down just because it’s old.”
The city still has to wait another year before its application is approved. There will be a final public meeting in May and a final report will be given to city council in December. The Ontario Municipal Board (OMB), is responsible for planning and heritage issues. It takes between six and eight months for the OMB to approve designations.
Once a heritage application is approved, city council has control over district changes. Application for exterior changes can be rejected if a building’s historical character will suffer.
Fram says it’s too early to say if the proposal will be approved.
“It’s pretty clear we wouldn’t declare the whole area,” Fram says. “We saw a lot of [buildings] we wouldn’t want to protect.”
Shane says heritage conservation improves an area.
“Old buildings give [an area] a scale that is almost comforting,” she says. “You get the feeling that people care for the area. I know it’s a cliché, but it’s true. Once heritage is gone, it’s gone.”