Report
to/Rapport au :
Local Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee
Comité consultatif sur la
conservation de l'architecture locale
and /
et
Agriculture
and Rural Affairs Advisory Committee
and Council / et au Conseil
29 April 2009 / le 29 avril 2009
Submitted by/Soumis par : Nancy Schepers, Deputy City Manager /
Directrice municipale adjointe,
Infrastructure Services and
Community Sustainability
Services d’infrastructure et Viabilité des
collectivités
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 RECOMMENDATION
That the Local Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee recommend
that Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee recommend that Council approve the
designation of the St. Isidore Roman Catholic Church, 1135 March Road, under
Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act in
accordance with the Statement of Cultural Heritage Value, attached as Document
4.
RECOMMANDATION DU RAPPORT
Que le Comité consultatif sur la conservation de
l’architecture locale recommande au Comité de l’agriculture et des questions
rurales de recommander à son tour au Conseil municipal d’approuver la désignation
de l’église catholique St. Isidore, située au 1135, chemin March, aux termes de
la partie IV de la Loi sur le patrimoine de l’Ontario, conformément à
l’énoncé des raisons motivant la désignation de biens ayant une valeur sur le
plan du patrimoine culturel, qui font l’objet du document 4, ci-annexé.
BACKGROUND
St. Isidore Roman Catholic Church, 1135 March Road (see Location Map, Document 1 and Bird’s Eye View, Document 2), was constructed in 1885 to the designs of Georges Bouillon, a priest-architect, and has served the local community since then. Recently, the increasing suburbanization of this part of Ottawa has lead to a dramatic increase in the size of the congregation and overcrowding at the church. Faced with the need to expand the facilities, the church began to examine its options to accommodate growth in 2007. Originally it was thought that the project would involve a renovation and expansion of the existing building, however, costs and concerns about the condition of the building lead to the eventual conclusion that a new church was the preferred option of parishioners.
Heritage staff received inquiries about St. Isidore’s heritage status throughout the above decision-making process. Callers interested in having the building designated under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act were advised to submit a request to the City.
In July 2008, a request to designate was received. Preliminary research conducted by staff confirmed that St. Isidore Roman Catholic Church has cultural heritage value and is worthy of protection under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act. The property owner was subsequently notified of this request and informed that he would be notified when a report was scheduled to be presented to the Local Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee (LACAC), Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee (ARAC) and City Council.
DISCUSSION
Individual buildings, structures and cultural heritage landscapes will be designated as properties of cultural heritage value under Part IV of the Heritage Act,” and that
The City will give immediate consideration to the designation of any cultural heritage resources under the Heritage Act if that resource is threatened with demolition.
The recommended designation of St. Isidore Roman Catholic Church is consistent with these policies.
Section 2.6.1 of the Provincial Policy Statement (2005) contains policies regarding the conservation of cultural heritage resources: “Significant built heritage resources and significant cultural heritage landscapes shall be conserved.” Research conducted by staff confirmed that St. Isidore Roman Catholic Church has cultural heritage value and is worthy of protection under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act. Ontario Regulation 09/06 outlines the criteria for determining cultural heritage value or interest (see Document 3). Designating the property will be consistent with the PPS.
The church was constructed on land deeded from parishioner and early settler, James Lahey. Initially the congregation worshipped in a simple log structure, eventually building the present church in 1887. St. Isidore was constructed to the designs of Georges Bouillon, a Roman Catholic priest who was also an architect who lived and worked in the Outaouais at the time. Bouillon was particularly active in the 1880s; during the decade, he designed the Chapel of the Rideau Street convent, now rebuilt inside the National Gallery of Canada and St. Dominique Church in Luskville, Quebec, Saint Hugues in Sarsfield and many others. Interestingly, St. Dominique shares many characteristics with St. Isidore and features the same round arch windows, gable roof and stone construction.
St. Isidore Roman Catholic Church is a rectangular, stone structure with a steeply pitched gable roof and an open bell tower. The stone of the principle façade is rough cut and laid in even courses. Smoother stone is used for the other facades. The upper part of front façade is distinguished by a large round-arched window flanked by two smaller windows and, below it, a large round-arched door flanks two smaller doors. The doors and window have stone voussoirs. There are five round arch windows on the north and south facades. A small round window is featured in the gable end.
Stylistically, the building is similar to many of the small, simple Roman Catholic churches built in rural Quebec and Ontario in the latter part of the 19th century. The design of these churches often ignored the Gothic Revival style so popular for church architecture at the time and referred back to classical idioms, with their round arched windows, symmetrical facades and relatively unembellished exterior surfaces (for the Heritage Survey Form, please see Document 4).
St. Isidore Roman Catholic Church meets a number of the criteria in Ontario Regulation 09/06. It has design value as a good example of a small stone Roman Catholic church found in eastern Ontario and western Quebec in the latter part of the 19th century; it has associative value as a reminder of the early history of the Roman Catholic population of March Township and is a rare Ontario example of the work of Georges Bouillon, a notable priest architect. Finally, St. Isidore, has contextual value within the rapidly changing landscape of this part of Ottawa as a reminder of the former way of life in the rural township of March. Its setting beside the Rectory (built 1899) and the cemetery, with access from March Road along a tree-lined driveway evokes the rural character of the area, making it a local landmark.
The Act requires that a statement of the property’s cultural heritage value or interest, including its heritage attributes, be prepared and published in a local newspaper. Please see the Statement of Significance at Document 5.
Conclusions
The proposed designation of St. Isidore Roman Catholic Church is consistent with the Official Plan and the Provincial Policy Statement and it meets one or more of the Criteria for designation in Regulation 09/06. Staff thus recommends that the building be designated under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act.
CONSULTATION
The Archdiocese of Ottawa, and the administration and congregation of St. Isidore Roman Catholic Church have been notified of the request to designate the church and the City’s intention to do so. They have raised strong objections to the designation as expressed in the correspondence included as Document 6. The factors are related to liturgy and function, such as the absence of a meeting room, narthex, and baptismal font. Other issues include the lack of washrooms, adequate space for services, a damp crawl space and cracks in the masonry. These factors, however, are not used in determining a building’s cultural heritage value. There have been strong objections to the proposed designation by the archdiocese and the community.
Councillor Eli El-Chantiry, Ward Councillor for West Carleton-March is aware of the proposed designation and does not support it.
Heritage staff met on two occasions with representatives of St. Isidore’s and the Ward Councillor. In October 2008 a meeting was held at the church at which the designation request, process, provincial regulation 09/06 regarding criteria for determining cultural heritage value were discussed. Staff also met with the project architect to discuss the congregations’ program requirements.
The Ontario
Heritage Act provides that for a Part IV designation, Notice of Intention
to Designate is to be given followed by a 30-day period in which objections may
be filed. If no objections are filed,
Council may pass a by-law to designate the property.
If one or
more objections are filed, a hearing is held by the Conservation Review
Board. The Conservation Review Board
would then complete a report for Council’s consideration. Council is to consider the report and then
decide with to continue with or abandon the designation of the property.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
N/A
SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION
Document 1 Location map
Document 2 Bird’s Eye View
Document 3 Regulation 9/06, Criteria for determining cultural heritage value
Document 4 Statement of Cultural Heritage Value
Document 5 Heritage Survey and Evaluation Form
Document 6 Statement of Significance
Document 7 Letters of objection
DISPOSITION
City
Clerk and Legal Services Branch, Legislative Services to notify the property
owner (St. Isidore Roman Catholic Church, 1135 March Road, Ottawa,
Ontario, K2K 1X7 and the Archdiocese of Ottawa, 1247 Kilborn Place, Ottawa,
Ontario, K1H 6K9) and the Ontario Heritage Trust (10 Adelaide Street East,
3rd Floor, Toronto, Ontario, M5C 1J3) of Council’s decision to
designate St. Isidore Roman Catholic Church, 1135 March Road, under Part IV of
the Ontario Heritage Act.
Planning and Growth Management branch to
advertise the Notice of Intention to Designate according to the Act and
subsequent Notice of the passage of the designation by-law.
Legal Services to prepare the designation by-law, submit it to City Council for enactment, serve the by-law and register it on title following passage by Council.
ONTARIO REGULATION 9/06
CRITERIA FOR DETERMINING CULTURAL HERITAGE
VALUE OR INTEREST
Consolidation
Period: From January 25, 2006
to the e-Laws currency date.
No amendments.
This
is the English version of a bilingual regulation.
Criteria
1. (1) The criteria set out in subsection (2) are
prescribed for the purposes of clause 29 (1) (a) of the Act. O. Reg. 9/06,
s. 1 (1).
(2) A property may be designated under section 29
of the Act if it meets one or more of the following criteria for determining
whether it is of cultural heritage value or interest:
1.
The property has design value or physical value because it,
i.
is a rare, unique, representative or early example of a style, type,
expression, material or construction method,
ii.
displays a high degree of craftsmanship or artistic merit, or
iii.
demonstrates a high degree of technical or scientific achievement.
2.
The property has historical value or associative value because it,
i.
has direct associations with a theme, event, belief, person, activity,
organization or institution that is significant to a community,
ii.
yields, or has the potential to yield, information that contributes to an
understanding of a community or culture, or
iii.
demonstrates or reflects the work or ideas of an architect, artist, builder,
designer or theorist who is significant to a community.
3.
The property has contextual value because it,
i.
is important in defining, maintaining or supporting the character of an area,
ii.
is physically, functionally, visually or historically linked to its
surroundings, or
iii.
is a landmark. O. Reg. 9/06, s. 1 (2).
HERITAGE SURVEY AND
EVALUATION FORM DOCUMENT
5
HERITAGE SURVEY AND EVALUATION FORM
|
||||||||
Address |
1135
March Road |
Building
name |
St.
Isidore Roman Catholic Church |
|||||
Construction date |
1887 |
Original
owner |
Roman
Catholic Archdiocese of Ottawa |
|||||
|
||||||||
PHASE ONE EVALUATION |
|
|||||||
Potential significance |
Considerable |
Some |
Limited |
None |
|
|||
Design |
|
2 |
|
|
|
|||
History |
3 |
|
|
|
|
|||
Context |
|
2 |
|
|
|
|||
Phase One Score |
7 / 9 |
|
||||||
|
|
|
||||||
Design or Physical Value |
prepared
by Sally Coutts |
|
month/year
January 2009 |
||
Architecture
(style, building type, expression, material, construction method) |
||
St.
Isidore Roman Catholic Church is a rectangular stone structure with a steeply
pitched gable roof and an open bell tower. The stone of the principle façade
is rough cut and laid in even courses. Smoother stone is used for the other facades,
The upper part of front façade is distinguished by a large semi-circular
window flanked by two smaller windows and, below it, a large semi-circular
door flanked by two smaller doors.
The doors and window have stone voussoirs. There are five semi-circular windows on the north and south
facades. A small round window is
featured in the gable end. The church is similar to the type of smaller churches
built by the Roman Catholic church throughout Quebec and eastern Ontario in
the 19th century. The design of these churches was influenced by
French classical traditions in church architecture and demonstrates that that
the Catholic church often chose not to build in the Gothic Revival style
which was so popular for Protestant churches at the time, choosing instead
flat symmetrical facades, round, not pointed arch windows and doors. |
||
Craftsmanship/Artistic
merit |
||
The church was built by local labour and a large
portion of the funds for its construction were raised in the community. The bell was purchased and added in 1891. The rectory, a large red brick structure, was constructed
in 1899. The
stained glass memorial windows were installed in 1934. |
||
Technical/Scientific
merit |
||
N/A |
||
Summary |
||
St.
Isidore Roman Catholic Church is a good example of the type a small rural
parish church built by French Canadian church architects in the 19th century. It demonstrates the
role that the parish church played in Ottawa’s earliest settlements. |
||
Sources |
||
St.
Isidore’s Roman Catholic Church web-site, www.stisidorekanata.com Trépanier,
Paul, “Eclecticism in the architecture of Québec Catholic Churches…” on www.patrimoine-religieux.gc.ca Kalman, Harold History of Canadian Architecture
(1994) |
||
Historical and Associative Value |
prepared
by Sally Coutts |
|
month/year January 2009 |
||
Date of
construction (factual/estimated) |
1887 |
|
Themes/Events/Persons/Institutions |
||
The
history of the Roman Catholic Parish of March and its church is similar to
the history of many churches of all denominations across Canada. Early settlers struggled to attract
priests of ministers to their communities and to build churches. As the lands
were taken up and the population grew, the churches expanded and new
buildings replaced old. These
churches are an abiding part of Canada’s rural landscape and serve as a
reminder of the settlement of the land and the role that religion played in the
day-to-day lives of Canadians in the 19th century. |
||
Community
History |
||
St.
Isidore Roman Catholic Church was located in March Township, Carleton County,
now part of the City of Ottawa. March
Township was settled by soldiers who had received land grants after serving
in the War of 1812. From the 1820s
additional settlers arrived, predominantly from Ireland. For many years the
community was served by visiting priests and services were held in private
houses. In 1836 the first church, a
small log structure, was constructed and then consecrated by Bishop Bourget
of Montreal. This church was enlarged
in the 1850s and eventually demolished with the completion of the stone
church in 1887. By 1884 there were 97 families in the parish and the local
priest believed that a new church was warranted. He obtained a loan from the Diocese, hired architect-priest
Canon Georges Bouillon to draw up plans and supported the efforts of the
community to raise money for the construction of the new church. The land for the church was donated by
James Lahey, an early settler, and one of the first parishioners. |
||
Designer/Architect |
||
Father
Georges Bouillon (1841-1932) Bouillon
was a Catholic priest and an architect.
He studied in Ottawa and Quebec, where his talents as a draftsman were
noted. During his long career, he
designed or contributed to the design of many churches in Quebec and eastern
Ontario. His most famous local work was the Rideau Chapel which was
demolished and later reconstructed in the National Gallery. Other works by
Bouillon include St-Francois-de-Sales, Pointe Gatineau, a chapel (now
demolished) at the University of Ottawa, and a number of small churches (see
attached list). Bouillon’s commissions were influenced by a trip that he took
to Europe early in his training as a designer where he visited many churches.
|
||
Summary |
||
St.
Isidore’s is a good example of a small 19th century parish church
and the work of priest-architect Canon Georges Bouillon. Its history represents the development of
the Roman Catholic community in March Township. |
||
Sources |
||
See
above |
||
Contextual Value |
prepared
by Sally Coutts |
month/year January 2009 |
|
|
|
Community
Character |
|
St.
Isidore Roman Catholic Church is located on March Road, a busy north-south
road in the historic former township of March. Recent years have seen
extensive development of housing and complexes associated with the technology
industry along March Road and its long-time rural character has ceased to
exist. The church is located on a large property and is surrounded by open space,
much of it devoted to parking lots. |
|
Context/Links
to Surroundings |
|
St.
Isidore Roman Catholic Church is provides a link to the former rural
character of March Township. |
|
Landmark |
|
St.
Isidore Roman Catholic Church is a local landmark. Its attractive setting,
flanked by the rectory and cemetery, with a tree-lined driveway leading to
its front entrance, enhances its landmark status. |
|
Summary |
|
St.
Isidore Roman Catholic Church is a local landmark that evokes the rural
character and history of the former Township of March. |
View of St.
Isidore’s, looking west, showing tree-lined driveway.
Catalogue de l'œuvre architecturale de Georges Bouillon dans la région
de la capitale fédérale et en Outaouais
1871 Ottawa, Plan du cimetière Notre-Dame, Complété en 1872
1872 Hull,
Plan du décor intérieur de l'église Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, Église
construite en 1870-1871 et détruite par le feu en 1888
1876-1882 Ottawa, Décor intérieur de la
basilique-cathédrale Notre-Dame,
Complété en 1883
1879 Gatineau, Plan du presbytère
Saint-François-de-Sales, Complété en 1881
1881 Ottawa,
Plans de l'édifice et du décor de la chapelle de la maison mère des
Sœurs de la Charité, Complétée en 1885; très altérée dans les années 1960
1881 Papineauville,
Plans du presbytère Sainte-Angélique, Construit en 1882
1884 Luskville, Plan de l'église Saint-Dominique, Construite en 1884-1885
1885 Ottawa,
Plans du décor intérieur de l'église Saint-Jean-Baptiste, Réalisée en
1885-1886, détruite par le feu en 1931
1885 Kanata, Plan de l'église Saint-Isidore,
Construite en 1887-1888
1886 Sarsfield, Plan du presbytère Saint-Hugues,
Construit en 1887-1888
1886 Gatineau, Église Saint-François-de-Sales,
Construite en 1886-1887
1886 Vanier, Plans de l'église Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes,
Construite en 1887-1888, détruite par le feu
1887 Ottawa, Plans de l'édifice et du décor de la
chapelle du convent de la rue Rideau, Chapelle construite en 1887-1888, décor
intérieur transféré au Musée des beaux-arts du Canada en 1988
1887 Ottawa, Plan du décor intérieur de la chapelle de
l'Université d'Ottawa, Détruite par le feu en 1903
1898 Ottawa, Plan du
couvent des Dominicains et et façade de l'église Saint-Jean-Baptiste, Travaux
entrepris en 1899 jamais terminés, détruit par le feu en 1931
1901 Gatineau, Plans du décor intérieur de l'église
Saint-François-de-Sales, Réalisé en 1902-1903, rénové
1904 Aylmer, Plans pour la reconstruction de l'église Saint-Paul et
plans des son décor intérieur, Construite en 1893-1894, détruite par le feu en
1904 et reconstruite telle quelle en 1905-1906
Source
: Luc Noppen, Au Musée de beaux-arts du Canada, « Une
des plus belles
chapelles du pays », Musée des beaux-arts du
Canada, 1988, p. 103-105.