The busy downtown intersection of Bank and Somerset continues to be adversely accentuated by the shell of a century-old heritage building that was once a neighbourhood centrepiece. Derelict Somerset House is now in its eighth year of deterioration.
The saga began in 2007 when a key support in the building’s basement was damaged during remodelling, causing part of its southeast wall to collapse. The city intervened, cordoned off a four-block perimeter around the site for two months and then demolished a portion of the building its engineers deemed structurally unsound. Years of legal strife between owner Tony Kue Shahrasebi and the city ensued, concluding in 2012.
In the fall of 2013, city council approved a new design application to revive the building. A heritage permit was issued to Shahrasebi and reconstruction was eagerly anticipated. A year later, nothing had happened and Mayor Jim Watson voiced his dismay at the lack of progress. “The building continues to deteriorate, and I think the public have waited long enough for the building to actually return to what I think would be a thing of beauty for that end of Somerset,” he told city council at the time. The city had previously waived tens of thousands of dollars in sidewalk encroachment fees on the property but patience has worn thin.
Now, another year has passed and the building’s condition has not changed. Next month, the heritage permit issued two years ago will expire, as work has not begun. If the permit expires, another application will need to be submitted and approved before any work can legally commence.
D.G. Stringer, the mayor’s assistant for community relations, said in an e-mail that “city staff continues to monitor the building and inspect work associated with the building permits. That being said, there are currently no permit applications or proposed work to fit-up the building or finish construction. The city is using the tools available at its disposal to find a resolution, as well Mayor Watson has asked staff to provide him with an update on the situation and potential next steps.”
This past February, Shahrasebi told Centretown News he was still seeking tenants after a previous arrangement had fallen through, but said he hoped to get construction underway soon. “When I’m finished with it, it’s going to be one of the nicest buildings in town,” he boasted.
Then, in June, Shahrasebi told the Ottawa Sun that work would begin this fall and that completion would take about a year.
Shahrasebi declined Centretown News’ request for an update.
Somerset House sits on the southeast corner of Bank and Somerset, and marks the intersection of the Bank Street and Somerset Village BIAs.
It’s one of the most prominent intersections in Centretown, so it’s significant on the Centretown Community Citizen’s Association’s radar. All three organizations anxiously await progress.
“It’s an eyesore, and our members have, you know, mentioned it,” says Christine Leadman, executive director of the BIA.
Leadman suggests that Somerset House’s tenancy situation is something of a “chicken or the egg” dilemma. She says it’s understandable that Shahrasebi wants to tailor the reconstruction to a tenant, but tenants may not show as much interest in the property in its current condition.
In the meantime, she says, making the property more attractive from the street would be a good start. “It would be best if he acted on just moving forward with the property, but … I’m not aware of his financial status.”
Leadman has tried to reach out to Shahrasebi but says she rarely hears back from him. At the end of the day, she says that she just wants to see progress and that the Bank Street BIA is willing to provide whatever assistance it can.
She says she admires his recent work on other properties in the city and wants a similar approach applied in an area that needs it. “It’s been a lot of years. It’s a strategic corner in the downtown area and it would be nice to see something positive there.”
Somerset Village BIA chairman Derek Crain says the buildings state has dramatically affected the economic health of the area.
“The Somerset Village BIA needs that corner redeveloped, period.” He says that the BIA will “stand strongly” on the issue and work hard to press for progress as long as he’s the chairman.
Crain was Shahrasebi’s architect on the project for some years.
Centretown Community Citizen’s Association president Thomas McVeigh says that Somerset House “gets brought up a fair amount” by his members and that “there is a growing frustration.” “It has such potential and it’s such an important corner,” he contends.
McVeigh believes that tenancy is the major issue at this point, and he says he’d like to help however possible.
“I think he needs to communicate what he needs to people,” McVeigh says of Shahrasebi. “If he puts the call out there, there’s a lot of people in this community who can reach out and help him out on his behalf … he needs to tell us what kind of tenant he’s looking for, and maybe we can help him find one,” he says.