An historic slate-roof building along Centretown’s western boundary may be under threat from a new condo development plan.
An old slate-roof building near the O-Train may be in jeopardy.
The Dalhousie Community Association has brought the historic Centretown building to the attention of the city in hopes of saving it.
The building, located at 290 City Centre Ave., just north of Somerset Street West along Centretown’s western boundary, may be affected by the city’s condo development plan expected in the vacant lot between Somerset and Bayview transit station.
“We’re not in this to force somebody to keep it,” says Eric Darwin, president of the association. “We’re not in this to block development of the site. We’re in it for a genuine way of saying; let’s have a more fun neighbourhood, let’s keep this little old building.”
Darwin says the building didn’t even exist on city plans a month ago. He said he has made the city planner aware of it in hopes of having the city heritage committee decide for themselve whether the building is economically worth saving. Darwin says he would like the building to be incorporated into the redeveloped area.
“We don’t want it to suddenly disappear because nobody ever thought of questioning something about it,” says Darwin.
The building currently serves as the head office for Ottawa retail stores Pom Pom Inc. and Bank Street Framing, and has since at least 2003, according to Nick Ianiero of Bank Street Framing. The property is owned by Equity One Real Estate.
But there have been many previous tenants in the century-old building. The building has been shown on maps as early as 1902 and is believed to have been built shortly after the 1900 Hull-Ottawa fire which took out most of the area surrounding LeBreton Flats, says Darwin.
The building originally served as a woodworking factory. The slate roof protected it from fires, since the building was right next to a railway track which used steam engines.
Other than its signature roof, citizens and passersby enjoy its scotch bond brickwork, cement or stone details, and the prominent gable of the main entrance, said David Jeanes of the board of Heritage Ottawa, in an email.
But Darwin, who was unsure of the current tenants’ situation, says there are many options to make the building fit with its new surroundings.
For one, the new bike path which will run adjacent to the O-Train might make it sensible for the place to be turned into a bike shop. Darwin also recommended a coffee shop or a retail store.
“I love the contrast of the old and the new right together,” says Darwin. “I want the building to be used; I want it to modernized and used. I’m not saying, hey you can’t build around it; I’m not saying you have to spend $2 million on it. It’s a question of making sure we’re aware of what the building is and how it could be used and how it could be repurposed.”
City officials did not return calls about the development plan.