Local real estate developer Doug Casey has honoured several of his former Lisgar Collegiate Institute teachers by naming units of his newly built Lisgar Street condominium — The Merit — after them.
As a businessman who strives to revitalize Ottawa’s core and serve his community, the Charlesfort Developments president says he’s paid homage to his former teachers and school for helping him become what he is today.
Fitting, then, that The Merit is located just a short stroll along Lisgar Street from Casey’s alma mater.
“I’m not a good reader,” says Casey. “But I managed to get through school and I have my teachers to thank. Everything they taught me has stayed with me and I owe a lot to them.”
He adds: “What’s great about the school, is it’s cool to be smart, and there were just great people. It encouraged you to reach for excellence and merit for reward, and that’s the idea behind naming the building The Merit.”
Lisgar Collegiate Institute itself boasts a building with history and prestige, and it was there where Casey’s interest in architecture and urban design emerged.
“On my trek north to school, I would pass all sorts of really neat residences on urban streets like Cartier and along the canal in what is now called the Golden Triangle,” says Casey.
Understandably, the former accountant pays great attention to detail in his buildings, and it’s not only the name of the condo project and its individual units that reference his former teachers. Even the finer details, such as the layout of the spaces, relate to those who taught him more than 40 years ago.
“Wright Neil was the principal, he was a solid guy, firm and the top man, so it was fitting to name the penthouse after him and design it in such a way,” Casey explains.
Similarly, Mrs. Meech, the developers former history teacher, was the inspiration behind the Meech suite, a simple and sweeter design for someone he refers to as “just a lovely lady.”
Another of the units is named after William Fraser, Casey’s former English teacher at Lisgar, who also helped Casey with open houses after he retired. Fraser says he was flattered when Casey contacted him about using his name for one of his designs.
“I’ll never forget. He called me and asked how I felt about him honouring me, what would others feel about it, and he made sure he tracked down people before he used their names — which speaks volumes about him,” Fraser says.
“He’s a person of great character and integrity, and it’s a lovely tribute and I’m very flattered that he praised me as a teacher. But he had the ingredients to flourish and would have succeeded no matter what.”
Casey says that when it came to notifying his former teachers, he wanted to ensure he did the right thing by them and got their blessing.
“I wanted to get a hold of them in order to let them know I wanted to pay tribute to them all,” he says. “They had a big part in helping me get to where I am and they were just great people.”