An artist’s rendition of the new 17-storey Bank and Slater street office building.
The planning of a new 17-storey office building on the corner of Bank and Slater streets has taken a step forward with design approval by the heritage advisory committee.
The tower will incorporate the façades of two heritage buildings on Bank Street. The façades will be altered slightly, with old photographs of the area acting as a blueprint for design teams.
“We wanted to make sure that we incorporated the history and heritage of the area into our new project,” says Brian Athey, director of development at Morguard Investments.
Morguard is spearheading the project and working alongside B+H Architects and other consultants in an effort to design a building that will house a combination of office and retail space.
Plans are to use approximately half of the ground floor for restaurants and cafés, but it is too early to tell what particular tenants will settle into the space, says Athey.
“The existing retail tenants that are on the ground floor likely wouldn’t be back. We are looking to reanimate the street,” says Athey. “We see this as creating a whole new retail opportunity that will help revitalize that portion of Bank Street.”
The current retailers in the heritage buildings include Popeye’s Supplements and Teriyaki Plus.
One of the buildings was built in 1890 and original tenants included a grocer, a shoe store and a florist.
The other was built four years later and early tenants include Lee Ying and Co. tea merchants, whose occupancy provides evidence of the presence of a Chinese community in this area of Centretown from the late-nineteenth century.
Despite the developer’s attempts to incorporate these heritage buildings into their designs, some hoped they would be preserved beyond their façades.
“It’s too bad that the buildings can’t be more protected than what they are,” says Christopher Mulholland of the Ottawa Built Heritage Advisory Committee.
Approval of the design went through, with several members saying that their hands were tied due to the zoning of the area.
“It's making the best of a difficult situation,” said David Flemming, president of Heritage Ottawa.
Others at a recent meeting also spoke of concerns about the imposing height of the building and the possibility of the heritage buildings simply looking “glued-on.”
The building will incorporate 132-138, 152-158 and 160 Bank St., including an empty lot between the heritage buildings. Though the heritage buildings will remain in brick, the office tower will be mostly glass.
New additions to the heritage buildings will include reconstructing the original second cornices and brick pillars.
“Our challenge to our design team was to try and make it look like a glowing jewel box. . .and give it an urban look,” says Margaret Knowles, senior vice president of development at Morguard Investments.
The next step in the process is for plans to go through city council, and the attainment of building permits.
“Once we get our site plan approval, we’ll be ready to go,” says Athey.