The Bank of Canada’s atrium will no longer be a public space.
The iconic garden court area of the Bank of Canada building will be saved but the space will not be open to the public, even after renovations, the bank says.
The bank, located at 234 Wellington St., started renovations this month as part of a head office renewal program that will cost more than $460 million and is expected to last three years.
The grey-granite building, constructed in the 1930s, is the centre of the bank. Two glass towers border it and a 262-foot high atrium connects all three structures. The towers and atrium were designed by internationally acclaimed Canadian architect Arthur Erickson in the 1970s.
Landscaping played a large role in Erickson’s work and can be seen in his design of the garden court in the atrium, the centrepiece of the building.
Tourists and citizens enjoy meal breaks and wedding parties use the space to take photos by the tropical plants and reflecting pool.
“The Bank of Canada building is a very fine building, one of the best buildings in Canada. And we really hope it can (remain) available to the public, ” says Natalie Bull, executive director of Heritage Canada Foundation, an organization that focuses on saving historic places in Canada.
Part of the renovations access to the atrium garden has been closed off, generating concern that the garden court would be removed from the atrium.The bank says this will not happen.
“The garden court area will continue to be the centerpiece of our building. Yet, the security requirements of a central bank in the 21st century are very different than they were during the 1970s,” says Josianne Ménard, media relation’s consultant at the bank.
“The need to secure the space around our central building means that the garden court will no longer be open to the general public.”
Bank employees will use the newly renovated garden court for meetings and receptions and the garden area will also be the entrance to the bank’s executive conference centre.
Leading members of the architectural community and local heritage groups are not happy with the proposed changes and the loss of access. The Heritage Canada Foundation and the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada have requested and been offered a meeting with bank officials to further discuss the renovation plans.
“It’s challenging because the Bank of Canada is sort of taking advantage of a loophole in the normal process that would govern changes to federally owned buildings,” Bull says.