The historical architecture of Centretown is one of the area’s signature traits and is a source of pride for the area’s residents. It is important enough that the city has created strong rules to protect it.
But the proposed renovations to the Canadian Museum of Nature that were unveiled last week prove this protection can only go so far.
The new ultra-modern glass tower addition proposed for the federally-funded museum doesn’t exactly suit the neighbourhood, nor does it enhance the architectural qualities of the original building.
But don’t talk to your city councillor about your concerns. They can’t do anything about it.
As a federal government project, the plans are not governed by city bylaws. That means they do not have to respect the city’s requirements for altering culturally important buildings. And that is why they are able to fundamentally disregard the integrity of the building’s original design.
For private development throughout the city, such as the Hartman’s Your Independent Grocer renovations, building plans have to be approved in relation to their municipal heritage ranking. This bylaw allows communities such as Centretown to continue to develop without losing the personality of the area.
This is not to say the museum’s design isn’t visually appealing.
But one can’t help but feel — after comparing it to archived photos of the museum — that some of the history of the building is being lost.
The architects of Barry Padolsky Architects Inc., who designed this glass creation, have been involved in the restoration of other buildings which meet the city’s heritage needs and have won many awards for their efforts.
They are based in Ottawa and came up with the appropriate design for Hartman’s.
So it is disappointing that under the freedom provided by the federal government’s veto, they have decided to disregard the essential qualities of the neighbourhood in which they are building, in favour of a sparkling show of glass.
During a recent public meeting, presenters told the public that the plans had been approved by a federal heritage committee. Maybe so, but was there consultation with city’s heritage experts?
The Victoria Memorial Museum Building is an important and integral part of the neighbourhood. The focus of any changes to it should be restoration, not alteration.
Though it is good to hear that details such as stained glass and stone carvings will be preserved, these features will have lost their focus beneath the glass addition.
We are also told that these alterations are necessary to keep the building from sinking. But surely in this age of technological wizardry it is possible to do this without destroying the essential character of a building.
—Colleen Dane