What’s been called Ottawa’s first openly gay bar, the Centretown Pub, is still on the market months after news of its planned sale sent a buzz through the city’s LGBTTQ+ community.
The pub, located in a century-old building on Somerset Street, has been an important part of Ottawa’s gay community since the business opened in 1984.
“It’s a bit of an institution for the LGBTQ community in the city, having been here open since the ’80s,” said Claude Jobin, a volunteer with the Ottawa Senior Pride Network. “Pre-social media and the apps which facilitate meeting, it was THE place. Now… in my experience, it’s simply a great place to have a drink, or two, in a very comfortable setting.”
The pub remains open for business, but has been listed for $399,000 since January, with the building also for sale for a listed price of $849,000. The three-storey complex also houses Cellblock, another gay bar that often hosts live bands, drag shows and local DJs.
“One thing I like is that it caters to all ages,” Jobin says. “You can go for a drink, go play pool, dance, or meet up with your friends.”
Centretown Pub is one of only a handful of gay bars left in downtown Ottawa. The number of such businesses in Ottawa has been decreasing over the past few years, said Jeremy Dias, executive director of the Canadian Centre for Gender and Sexual Diversity. This is likely due to factors such as meet-up apps, which have made the need for separate spaces less prevalent, he said.
“In terms of gay bars, I always am reluctant to say that less gay bars means more acceptance,” Dias said, “because if you look at other communities, like San Francisco or Toronto…we’re seeing more gay bars and villages, and there is a lot of acceptance of the LGBTQ community in those communities…So why are we in Ottawa seeing a decline in gay bars?”
It is also very easy for people from Ottawa to travel to Toronto or Montreal, cities with more established gay villages, to experience nightlife, Dias said. “I think that that definitely has to be noted as a reality… it’s hard to compete with Montreal or Toronto.”
What would happen to the building, if it is sold, could be complicated. Because of the building’s historic status, the new owner could confront some significant roadblocks to any planned changes, said Dana Collings, program manager of heritage and urban design services at the City of Ottawa.
The pub falls within the Centretown Heritage Conservation District, so there are many rules surrounding any proposed alterations to the building, said Collings. Heritage conservation districts were established to preserve areas with a special cultural heritage and historic value, and have put constraints on demolition and renovation in those areas to ensure that those neighbourhoods are protected from the addition of incompatible structures, according to the City of Ottawa’s website.
“Inclusion within a district means that exterior changes to the building require approval under the Ontario Heritage Act,” said Collings. “Changes that have a negative effect on the character of the building and its associated streetscape would not be supported.”
Developers must get permission under the Ontario Heritage Act before altering any buildings that fall within a Heritage Conservation District, she said, adding that, “changes must be consistent with the guidelines in the Heritage Conservation District plan. Staff would not support the demolition of the building.”
However, the Ontario Heritage Act does not regulate the use of protected buildings, Collings said, so there’s no guarantee the Somerset Street building would continue to be a pub.