The proposed restoration of a 19th-century façade on a Sparks Street commercial building has hit another setback, as the developer failed to present an expected application to the city’s built heritage subcommittee this month.
This marks the latest in a series of delays for the controversial “Canlands A” redevelopment by Ottawa-based Ashcroft Homes.
Restoring the exterior of the vacated NCC-owned building was originally deemed a crucial element of the project, which began in 2008. It will see a new, 18-storey luxury hotel and condo facing Queen Street while attempting to preserve the historic character of Sparks Street. The building, located on Sparks Street just west of Metcalfe Street, is characterized by its decaying brick exterior and protruding Queen Anne-style windows. The building itself was erected in the 1870s, while the current façade was added in the 1890s.
City officials did not receive documents from Ashcroft Homes, so they could not proceed with any decision on the façade’s fate, says Rosemary Theriault, a spokesperson for the city. “It will likely make the November agenda,” she said in an e-mail.
But whether the façade will be saved remains unanswered, and the issue is being watched closely by heritage advocates.
When the preservation project was initially delayed in July, local architect and vice-chair of the city’s built heritage subcommittee, Barry Padolsky, sent a letter to the NCC expressing disappointment that the federal agency may have neglected the property so much that its exterior has become too damaged to be saved.
Les Gagne, executive director of the Sparks Street Mall, says he believes the NCC had decided to drop the restoration requirement.
“Part of that delay, I thought, was because the NCC made that change in terms of requiring the façade to be kept,” and now Ashcroft must “go back and redesign” the project, he says.
City heritage planner Sally Coutts also told Centretown News last month that “Ashcroft and the NCC have discussed changes to the project,” but she did not know the result.
But according to the NCC, the plan to retain the historic façade remains the same. “The NCC’s goal in working with Ashcroft Homes remains the restoration and preservation of the façade,” says NCC spokesperson Cedric Pelletier. He says the application to the city is Ashcroft’s contractual responsibility, and the NCC is not directly involved.
“Dialogue is continuous and ongoing,” adds Pelletier.
Ashcroft Homes has not responded to requests for comment.
David Jeanes¸ vice-president of advocacy organization Heritage Ottawa, says restoring the façade would go a long way towards preserving the historic nature of Sparks Street.
“That particular building has an important history,” he says.
For example, in its heyday the building housed iconic Ottawa businesses such as E.R. Fisher Menswear, which was established in 1905, and Centre Theatre, once the largest cinema in Ottawa. It was also where Pedro the stuffed Panda was stolen from Jack Snow Jeweller in a staged heist, becoming the prize for winning the annual Panda Game between University of Ottawa and Carleton University football teams.
Newton Photographic’s studio was also located in the upper level of the building. Bill Newton and his wife Jean ran the family business that employed 20 staff photographers who captured news events in Ottawa, selling them to the Ottawa Citizen. The images are preserved in the City of Ottawa Archives as a visual record of the capital’s history. Newton Photographic is survived by Greg Newton Photography in Manotick.
“It’s an important part of the memory of Sparks Street,” Jeanes says.