The Ottawa Technical High School faces a proposed demolition of its 70-year-old auditorium and gymnasium, according to the city’s proposed escarpment plan for Centretown.
The historic auditorium is located on the north side of Slater Street between Bay Street and Bronson Avenue and has a full gymnasium located in its basement. The building was used by the high school until it was shut down in 1991, and is now rented out by various community groups.
The planning and environment committee was presented with multiple options for developing the property at their meeting last week. Councillors were told the city could demolish the auditorium and build residences or a mix of residential and commercial buildings. They were also told these buildings could be built around the auditorium if the city decides it wants to avoid knocking it down.
George Dark, a Toronto planning consultant hired by the City of Ottawa to create the escarpment plan, says he had to present as many options to the city as possible. He says he still feels strongly, though, about keeping the auditorium intact.
“You can’t rebuild it, so at least before you decide to take it away, and you can see the community really values it, you might as well figure out if it can have another world of life,” Dark says. “It would be cool if it could.”
Before the city makes a decision on what to do with the property, it must first negotiate a deal with the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board, the current owner.
City officials also need to do a heritage impact assessment to help them decide whether or not to keep the auditorium.
David Flemming, a past president of Heritage Ottawa, says an assessment will look at the history of the building, how it fits into the landscape, and the impact it would have on the community if it were torn down.
Flemming says he has been following the development of the escarpment plan the past couple of years. The overall plan is a good one, he says, but losing the auditorium is still a concern.
“I hope they take a long, close look at trying to keep the whole building,” Flemming says.
John Archibald, a resident who lives on Bay Street between Laurier Avenue and Slater Street, says he agrees the auditorium should stay intact.
“It’s such a beautiful building and there is nothing comparable as far as I know in the city,” he says. “The community as a whole can use it, and to tear it down would be just a shame, a complete shame.”
Archibald says the auditorium is an important part of his neighbourhood, as it is always being rented out for art shows, dance recitals and choirs.