Report
to/Rapport au :
Ottawa Built Heritage Advisory Committee
Comité
consultatif sur le patrimoine bâti d’Ottawa
and / et
Planning Committee
Comité de l'urbanisme
and Council / et au Conseil
12 March 2012 / le 12 mars 2012
Submitted by/Soumis par : Nancy Schepers, Deputy City
Manager, Directrice municipale adjointe, Planning
and Infrastructure/Urbanisme et
Infrastructure
Contact Person/Personne-ressource : John Smit,
Manager/Gestionnaire
Development Review-Urban
Services/Examen des projets d'aménagement-Services urbains, Planning
and Growth Management/Urbanisme et Gestion de la croissance
(613) 580-2424, 13866 John.Smit@ottawa.ca
REPORT RECOMMENDATIONS
That the Ottawa Built Heritage Advisory
Committee recommend that Planning Committee recommend that Council:
1.
Approve the
application to alter 150 Elgin Street, in accordance with designs by DCYSA
Architecture and Design submitted on March 1, 2012 included as Documents 3-10;
2.
Delegate
authority for minor design changes to the General Manager, Planning and Growth
Management Department; and
3.
Issue the
heritage permit with a two-year expiry date from the date of issuance.
(Note: The statutory 90-day timeline for consideration of this
application under the Ontario Heritage
Act will expire on May 29, 2012.)
(Note: Approval to Alter this property under the Ontario Heritage Act must not be construed to meet the requirements
for the issuance of a building permit.)
RECOMMANDATIONS DU
RAPPORT
Que le Comité consultatif sur le patrimoine
bâti d’Ottawa recommande au Comité de l’urbanisme de recommander à son tour au
Conseil :
1.
d’approuver la demande de modification du 150, rue Elgin
conformément au design soumis par DCYSA Architecture and Design le 1er
mars 2012 et inclus comme documents 3 à 10;
2.
de déléguer le pouvoir au directeur
général du Service de l’urbanisme et de la gestion de la croissance en ce qui
concerne les modifications de design mineures; et
3.
de délivrer le permis en matière de
patrimoine dont la date d’expiration est fixée à deux ans après la date
d’émission.
(Nota : Le délai
réglementaire de 90 jours d’examen de cette demande, exigé en vertu de la Loi sur le patrimoine de l’Ontario,
prendra fin le 29 mai, 2012.)
(Nota : L’approbation
de la demande de modification aux termes de la Loi sur le patrimoine de l’Ontario ne signifie pas pour autant
qu’elle satisfait aux conditions de délivrance d’un permis de construire.)
BACKGROUND
The Grant House, located at 150 Elgin Street, is designated under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act. A location map is included as Document 1 and the Statement of Reason for designation as Document 2. The building was known for many years as Friday’s Roast Beef House. For the purpose of this report, the heritage building will be referred to as the Grant House or 150 Elgin because the “Friday’s” restaurant name continues at a different location. The third floor of the building has been occupied by offices and more recently as an apartment. The end use of the building will be a restaurant on all three floors.
The Grant House and the adjacent parking lot were sold by the City to Morguard Corporation in 2004 in order to permit a large development extending west from Elgin Street towards Metcalfe Street. That development now has been approved through a Purchase of Sale Agreement, Zoning and Site Plan Control. Excavation of the site has taken place. The proposed development will increase in height from the three storey Grant House on Elgin Street to a twenty-one storey office tower at the west end of the property. The building will be set-back at the 4th and 7th storeys with roof-top terraces at each of these levels. An enclosed Winter Garden will link the Grant House to the overall development. The project as it will appear across the entire site is illustrated in the perspectives included as Documents 3 and 4.
This heritage application deals with the proposed alterations to the designated heritage building and specifically the Winter Garden portion that will connect the Grant House to the larger development at the rear. This report has been prepared because alterations to designated heritage buildings require the approval of City Council.
DISCUSSION
Recommendation 1;
The glass walls of the Winter Garden will extend over the North West corner of the existing two storey rear addition of the Grant House as shown in Document 10. The new glass walls will be suspended from above so that they will touch the walls and roof of the Grant House rather than be structurally dependent on them. This approach means that the detailing at the intersection of new and old can be more refined and that no additional stresses will be placed on the building.
The Winter Garden space will be accessible to the public and be used as an indoor patio by the restaurant in the Grant House as well as exhibition space for the Canadian Centre for the Arts, a major tenant in this development.
A pre-existing metal fire escape on the rear elevation of the Grant House damaged the original heritage fabric of the Grant House. This damage will now be reversed. A door exiting from the roof to the metal fire escape modified an original dormer window and cut into the mansard roof. The window will be reinstated and the mansard roof restored. Several other newer interventions at the rear will be changed including a rear porch that will be replaced by an open stair and a basement exit that will be closed. Rooftop air conditioning equipment and structural supports will also be removed. The full extent of removals and restoration on the rear elevation is shown in Document 9.
With the removal of the metal fire escape, exiting from the three floors and basement of the Grant House will be accomplished through a new interior stair leading to an existing basement window that will become an exit door. It will be largely obscured by landscaping in a new pocket park on the north side of the Grant House. The proposed exit door is shown in Document 6 and the pocket park in Documents 4 and 8.
Interior
Character defining features on the interior of the Grant House will be respected and restored. These features include the large ground floor rooms with their decorative plaster and wood detailing, marble fireplaces and the stairway. These features have been covered/protected during the building occupation by PCL contractors. A glass vestibule will be installed inside the front entrance but it will not affect the designated portions of the interior.
The building will be spinklered to meet the Ontario Building Code. Decorative plaster mouldings bordering the ceiling will be retained and restored during this process. A detailed report dealing with the application of the Ontario Building Code to this building has been prepared by Morrison Hershfield. It is Document 12 of this report on file with the City Clerk.
Standards and Guidelines for
the Conservation of Historic Places in Canada
The proposed alteration as described above and in the Cultural Heritage Impact Statement included as Document 11 is consistent with the Standards and Guidelines for the Conservation of Historic Places in Canada which was adopted by City Council in 2008 to assist with the review of interventions to designated heritage properties in the city.
Standard 11
(a) Conserve the heritage value and character-defining elements when creating any new additions to an historic place or any related new construction.
(b) Make the new work physically and visually compatible with, subordinate to, and distinguishable from the historic place.
Standard 12
Create any new additions or related new construction so that the essential form and integrity of an historic place will not be impaired if the new work is removed in the future.
Cultural Heritage Impact
Statement
A Cultural Heritage Impact Statement (CHIS) was prepared by Barry Padolsky Associates Inc. Architects, Urban Design and Heritage Consultants in accordance with the requirements of the Official Plan. Extracts from that study are included as Document 11 and the full document is on file with the City Clerk. The conclusion of that CHIS states:
In our opinion, the proposed redevelopment of 150
Elgin, as illustrated in the documents and architectural drawings provided,
specifically in its proposed massing, architectural character, interface, and
specific interventions to the Grant House, demonstrates respect and has a
positive impact on the cultural heritage values of the Grant House, designated
under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act.
Conclusion
The alteration to 150 Elgin Street will restore original aspects of the building exterior at the rear that have been compromised over time. The addition of a glazed Winter Garden will provide a sensitive link between the three-storey heritage building and the higher tower to the west while allowing the Grant House to continue its presence as a landmark on Elgin Street. The Department supports this application.
Recommendation 2;
Minor changes to a building design occasionally emerge during the working drawing phase. This recommendation is included to allow the Planning and Growth Management Department to approve these changes.
Recommendation
3:
The Ontario Heritage Act does not provide any timelines for the expiry of heritage permits. A two year expiry date is recommended to ensure that the project is completed in a timely manner and in accordance with the approved heritage permit.
RURAL IMPLICATIONS
N/A
CONSULTATION
Property owners immediately adjacent to this project that might be impacted by the proposal have been notified of this application. The Centretown Citizens Community Association has been notified and is supportive of this application. Heritage Ottawa has been notified and is supportive of this application.
COMMENTS BY THE WARD
COUNCILLOR
The Ward Councillor, Diane Holmes strongly supports this application.
LEGAL IMPLICATIONS:
There are no legal implications associated with this report.
RISK MANAGEMENT IMPLICATIONS
There are no risk management implications associated with this report.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
There are no direct financial implications.
ACCESSIBILITY IMPACT
There are no accessibility implications associated with this report.
TECHNOLOGY IMPLICATIONS
There are no direct technical implications associated with this report.
CITY STRATEGIC PLAN
Long-Term Sustainability Goals: Culture and Identity: Health and Quality of Life
C1 Contribute to the improvement of quality of life
C3 Provide a compelling vibrant destination
ES3 Reduce environmental impact
GP3 Make sustainable choices
HC4 Improve arts and heritage
APPLICATION PROCESS TIMELINE STATUS
This application was completed within the 90-day time period prescribed by the Ontario Heritage Act. The 90 day timeline expires on May 29, 2012.
SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION
Document 1 Location Map
Document 2 Statement of Reason for Designation
Document 3 Perspective View from Elgin looking North West
Document 4 Perspective View from Elgin looking South West
Document 5 Perspective View looking North East along Gloucester
Document 6 North Elevation Cross Section
Document 7 Gloucester Street Elevation
Document 8 Ground Floor Plan
Document 9 West Elevation Cross Section Demolition
Document 10 Winter Garden View
Document 11 Extracts – Cultural Heritage Impact Statement- Barry Padolsky Associates Inc. 24/02/12 (full copy on file with City Clerk)
Document 12 Application of the Ontario Building Code – Morrison Hershfield 06/02/12 (copy on file with City Clerk)
DISPOSITION
City Clerk and Solicitor Department, Legislative
Services to notify the property owner and the Ontario Heritage Trust
(10 Adelaide Street East, 3rd Floor, Toronto, Ontario, M5C 1J3)
of Council’s decision.
The
building at 150 Elgin Street is recommended for designation as being of
architectural and historical value. Built in 1875, the building was originally owned
and occupied by Sir James Grant; a prominent physician and a Member of
Parliament. The social standing of Sir James Grant is reflected in the large
ground floor rooms, the fine marble fireplaces and the well proportioned
stairway with its Victorian newel post.
Built as a
two and one-half storey brick structure with a mansard roof, to a design
attributed to Braddish Billings III, the building is an excellent example of
the homes built on Elgin Street in the 1870s. Of particular interest is the
projecting frontispiece with its fine front floor, the stone window surrounds
of the ground floor, the semi-circular arched opening of the second floor and
the dormers of the mansard roof.
PERSPECTIVE
VIEW LOOKING
NORTH ELEVATION CROSS SECTION DOCUMENT
6
GLOUCESTER STREET ELEVATION DOCUMENT
7
GROUND FLOOR PLAN DOCUMENT
8
WEST ELEVATION CROSS SECTION – DEMOLITION DOCUMENT
9
WINTER GARDEN VIEW DOCUMENT
10
CULTURAL HERITAGE IMPACT STATEMENT DOCUMENT
11
Extract from 150 Elgin
Street Development Cultural Heritage Impact Statement by Barry Padolsky
Associates Inc. Architects, Urban Design and Heritage Consultants Feb. 24, 2012
( complete copy on file with City Clerk)
CULTURAL HERITAGE
IMPACT
We have reviewed the
development proposal and assessed its impact on the
cultural heritage
value of the Grant House under the criteria outlined below:
Massing
The massing of the
proposed redevelopment is stepped down from west to east
to create a
transition in height between the twenty-one-storey office tower
(approximately 90m
high) and the Grant House (approximately 12.5m high). Two
intervening steps,
the six-storey podium and the three-storey Winter Garden
(approximately 14m high),
contribute to the visual transition.
From Elgin Street,
the Grant House is permitted to dominate the foreground
views with the
office tower (and the existing Bell Canada Building) serving as part
of the background
“high-rise” cityscape.
The visual “reading”
of the Grant House as a strong 3-dimensional mass that
anchors the historic
corner of Elgin and Gloucester streets is accentuated by the
setback of the
façades of the Winter Garden from Elgin Street and Gloucester
Street. In our
opinion, the massing of the new development respects the cultural
heritage values of
the Grant House.
Architectural
Character
The architectural
character, detailing, and materials of the proposed development
immediately adjacent
to the Grant House are contemporary in design and
distinguishable of
their own time. The predominant use of glass to enclose the
Winter Garden serves
as a foil to the masonry solidity of Grant House.
The introduction of
a one-and-a-half-storey entrance canopy with paired columns
in the Elgin Street
“parkette” between Grant House and First Baptist Church
leading to the Elgin
Street Winter Garden entrance has sufficient openness to
permit views of the
north façade of Grant House as well as the south façade of
First Baptist
Church. The flanking masonry piers on each side of the Winter
Garden entrance
contribute vertical accents that acknowledge the Grant House
chimneys, as well as
the row of buttresses along the Elgin Street façade of the
First Baptist
Church.
The glazed
triangular pediments above the Winter Garden entrances recall the
prominent south
gable end of the First Baptist Church facing the “parkette” Grant
House dormer
windows, and in a minor key, the Grant House dormers.
The use of masonry
for the first three storeys of new development west of the
glazed Winter Garden
on Gloucester Street contributes to reading the low profile
streetscape
established by Grant House and First Baptist Church.
In our opinion, the
architectural character of the new development respects the
cultural heritage
values of the Grant House.
Grant House/Winter
Garden Physical Interface
The footprint of the
Winter Garden has been designed to overlap the footprint of
the south portion of
the one-and-one-half-storey west extension of the Grant
House. This overlap
varies from approximately 2.0m to 3.0m. The architectural
objectives for this
intervention are to increase the volume of the Winter Garden,
include a portion of
the Grant House inside the Winter Garden, and permit
access to the Winter
Garden from the ground floor of the Grant House.
The physical
interface between the Winter Garden and the Grant House consists
of three storey
glazed curtain walls that abut and follow the profile of the Grant
House masonry walls
and mansard roof with no removal of heritage material.
The curtain wall
glazing above the Grant House flat roof is architecturally
suspended from the
Winter Garden roof and designed to connect to the flat roof
of the Grant House
without a load-bearing function.
The general concept
of including a portion of an existing heritage building into the
atrium of a new
building is not without precedent and has been successfully
implemented in
Ottawa. Two prominent examples are:
1. The Bank of
Canada Headquarters on Wellington Street, which incorporates
the south portion of
the historic Bank of Canada building into the multi-storey
atrium facing Sparks
Street.
2. The Carriageway
office and retail complex on Murray Street in the By Ward
Market, which
incorporates the east portion of the historic Martineau Hotel
into the atrium
connecting the new and historic buildings.
A positive benefit
of incorporating the west portion of the one-and-one-half-storey
Grant House annex
into the 150 Elgin Winter Garden is that it transforms the
neglected “rear” of
the Grant House into a “foreground” design element for the
Winter Garden public
space.
In our opinion, the
physical interface of the new development respects the
cultural heritage
values of the Grant House.
Grant House
Interventions
The proposed direct
alterations to the heritage fabric of the one-and-a-half storey
annex include
removing a series of contemporary interventions that are
unsympathetic to the
heritage values of the Grant House. These include the
removal of: the
existing steel fire escape; the wood frame covered entrances; the
second floor
entrance door that cuts through the mansard roof; and the roof top
mechanical
equipment.
The proposed new
interventions include the restoration of the full form of the
original mansard
roof on the west façade, the infilling of the basement exit
opening with
matching stone, the introduction of a new simple steel exit stair at
grade on the north
side of the Grant House leading to the “parkette”, and the
introduction of a
simple steel convenience stair with steel and glass railings from
the ground floor
into the Winter Garden.
In our opinion, the
direct alterations to the heritage fabric respect and enhance
the cultural
heritage values of the Grant House.
Conclusion
In our opinion, the
proposed redevelopment of 150 Elgin, as illustrated in the
documents and
architectural drawings provided, specifically in its proposed
massing,
architectural character, interface, and specific interventions to the Grant
House, demonstrates
respect and has a positive impact on the cultural heritage
values of the Grant
House, designated under Part IV of the Ontario
Heritage Act.