Ottawa Art Gallery’s new building expected to open this spring
By Madeline Lines
The new Ottawa Art Gallery building is slated to open this spring despite construction delays late last year, a manager on the project says.
The new gallery is a part of a greater, city-backed redevelopment plan to build a cultural hub around the current Arts Court building at 2 Daly Ave, just east of the Rideau Centre.
“Due to unforeseen delays at the end of 2017 by the contractor, not uncommon for a project of this size and complexity, the handover to the City was delayed by a few weeks,” Marco Manconi, manager of design and construction for the development, said in an email interview. “We are still on track to meet the spring 2018 opening date.”
A legal dispute over unpaid bills has erupted between construction companies involved in the project, according to a Jan. 18 Ottawa Citizen report.
The multifaceted project will see the construction of the new OAG building, as well as interior renovations to Arts Court, and a mixed-use residential tower. The project broke ground in 2015 with support from the city.
Last spring, the project was approved for a $5.25 million boost in federal funding through the recent Canada Cultural Spaces Program, after being denied funding by the previous Conservative government. “This funding had an impact on the size and scope of the project,” Manconi said.
The finished OAG building will span five floors and is to include a café, gallery space, a large multipurpose room and rooftop terraces. The multipurpose room already has retractable seating and a tech booth installed, and two lobbies in the building are almost ready to go, according to Véronique Couillard, manager of communications at the OAG.
“Most of it — if someone would walk in to it, it would seem complete. So it’s more behind-the-scenes stuff for every room,” Couillard said. “We’re down to the details, so that’s why it feels very exciting and very close.”
The new OAG connects to the Arts Court through the gallery’s side, where the historic building that houses local independent art organizations from film festivals to theatre companies continues its interior makeover.
The Arts Court phase of the development, which was always slated to open in spring 2018, is on track. Major interior features are being revamped, with SAW Video’s headquarters re-opening recently, and the Arts Court box office beginning its renovations this month.
“It’s a very big project that we are very eager to see complete. It’s a completely new space for people to get together in the arts community,” said Mayor Jim Watson’s spokeperson, Livia Belcea. Watson recently told CBC Radio’s Ottawa Morning that he wants “…to invest in projects like the Ottawa Art Gallery,” as part of his vision for 2018.
“To be opening a new art gallery in a city where there’s many other wonderful cultural national institutions — it’s really important to have a place to represent local art,” said Couillard.