April 16, 2010 - Glebe Report

GLEBE HISTORY
Heritage spaces, not endangered spaces
BY Joan Bard Miller
The current process to turn nearly 25 per cent of Lansdowne Park into commercial
development is inappropriate and inconsistent with its nearly 150-year
history as a public space. The park is historically associated with sports, recreation
and exhibitions, but may soon be associated with large-scale retail. For
these reasons, the Glebe Community Association has nominated Lansdowne
Park for Heritage Canada Foundation’s Top Ten Most Endangered Places List.
The annual list identifies significant heritage sites at risk due to neglect, lack of
funding, weak legislation or inappropriate development. Lansdowne Park has
suffered from all of the above threats for many years.
The grounds and the buildings, including the municipally designated Horticulture
Building, have been underutilized while maintenance to the sports facilities
has been underfunded. The city threatens its own heritage designation
by entertaining options to relocate a masonry building that is approximately
200 feet in length. Rather than finding a lucrative, adaptive reuse, the city is
considering a plan that is logistically and financially unfeasible.
Initial threats to the fabric of the Aberdeen Pavilion National Historic Site
have been mitigated, but plans for the building remain unclear. City-wide concerns
about the proposed development have led to additional reports and studies,
but they have not led to a fundamental change in what is being promised
for the site – large-scale retail. Lansdowne Park’s history and proximity to the
Rideau Canal World Heritage Site in the heart of the Nation’s capital should be
worthy of continued use as a public space of world-class caliber, not endangerment.
Heritage Canada Foundation will release its list in May 2010.
Aerial photo of Lansdowne Park circa 1930
Glebe Report April 16, 2010 15
Photo courtesy of NCC
Heritage update
Clemow Estate East Heritage Conservation District Study
By Joan Bard Miller
In other heritage news, on Wednesday, March 24, city heritage planners Sally
Coutts and Lesley Collins hosted a meeting for residents living in the proposed
Heritage Conservation District. The study area, which encompasses the houses
delineating Patterson Creek and the eastern portion of Central Park, was first
studied and proposed as a heritage district in 2004 with a public meeting held
in December 2004. The draft of the study and plan was completed this winter.
Approximately 40 local residents attended the March meeting and many of
them asked questions of the presenters. The presentation included a history of
the area’s development, an explanation of the evaluation process, objectives
and guidelines for the district. A second public meeting will be held in June
and city staff hope the proposed designation will go before the Ottawa Built
Heritage Advisory Committee (OBHAC), Planning and Environment Committee
(PEC) and city council this fall.
The draft Clemow Estate East Heritage Conservation District Study is available
online at www.glebeca.ca/committees/heritage.
Joan Bard Miller is chair of the GCA Heritage Committee.