4. Designation of Ottawa City Hall,
111 Sussex Drive, under Part IV of The Ontario Heritage Act

Designation de l’hôtel de ville d’Ottawa,
111, promenade Sussex, en vertu de la partie IV de
la Loi sur le patrimoine de l’Ontario

Committee Recommendation as Amended

That Council approve that Ottawa City Hall be designated under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act according to the Statement of Reason for Designation, below, and;

That City Council request a designation study to be brought forward for the designation of the 1992 addition, renovations and significant exterior and interior features under the Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act as soon as possible, due to its site and setting, its scale, its architectural expression, its association with significant events in the City of Ottawa and international prominence of its designer and design brought to the City.

Recommandations modifiées du comité

Que le Conseil municipal approuve que l’hôtel de ville d’Ottawa soit désigné en vertu de la Partie IV de la Loi sur le patrimoine de l’Ontario, conformément à l’énoncé des raisons motivant la désignation ci-dessous;

Que le Conseil municipal demande qu’une étude sur la désignation soit menée quant à la désignation de l’ajout, des rénovations et des éléments extérieurs et intérieurs d’importance de 1992 en vertu de la Partie IV de la Loi sur le patrimoine de l’Ontario, et ce, dès que possible, en raison de sa taille et de son emplacement, de l’échelle, de l’architecture, du lien avec les événements d’importance dans la Ville d’Ottawa et de l’importance internationale de son concepteur et de la conception pour la Ville.

Report to/Rapport au:

Local Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee/

Comité consultatif local sur la conservation de l’architecture

Planning and Development Committee

Comité de l’urbanisme et de l’aménagement

and Council/et au Conseil

08 December, 2000 / le 8 décembre 2000

Submitted by/Soumis par: Edward Robinson, Commissioner/Commissaire,

Department of Urban Planning and Public Works/Service de l’urbanisme et des travaux publics,

Planning Branch/Direction de l’urbanisme

Ref N°: ACS2000-PW-PLN-0184

SUBJECT :

OBJET:

DESIGNATION OF OTTAWA CITY HALL,

111 SUSSEX DRIVE, UNDER PART IV OF

THE ONTARIO HERITAGE ACT

File: OHD4300 SUSSEX 111

DÉSIGNATION DE L'HÔTEL DE VILLE D'OTTAWA,

111, PROMENADE SUSSEX, EN VERTU DE LA PARTIE IV
DE LA LOI SUR LE PATRIMOINE DE L'ONTARIO

Dossier: OHD4300 SUSSEX 111

Que le Comité de l’urbanisme et de l’aménagement recommande au Conseil municipal d’approuver que l’hôtel de ville d’Ottawa soit désigné en vertu de la Partie IV de la Loi sur le patrimoine de l’Ontario, conformément à l’énoncé des raisons motivant la désignation ci-dessous.

Local Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee Recommendation - January 16, 2001

< The Committee concurs and so recommends.

Yeas: (7) L. Corbin, R. Rodgers, R. Bellamy, C. Borgal, A. Horrall, D. Showman and P. Stumes

Nays: (1) T. Laverty

Additional Local Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee Recommendation - January 16, 2001

< That City Council request a designation study to be brought forward for the designation of the 1992 addition, renovations and significant exterior and interior features under the Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act as soon as possible, due to its site and setting, its scale, its architectural expression, its association with significant events in the City of Ottawa and international prominence of its designer and design brought to the City.

Yeas: (7) L. Corbin, R. Rodgers, R. Bellamy, C. Borgal, A. Horrall, D. Showman and P. Stumes

Nays: (1) T. Laverty

BACKGROUND

Reasons Behind Recommendation

Ottawa City Hall is a well-known local landmark. It is also acknowledged to be an important example of modern architecture. For these reasons, the 1957 section of Ottawa City Hall is recommended for designation as a significant example of the International Style in Ottawa. When completed, the building was heralded for the quality of its design, receiving the prestigious Massey Medal for architecture in 1959. Its quality was also recognized internationally when Nicholas Pevsner, a leading architectural historian, included the building in his international survey, A History of Building Types, as a fine example of a post Second World War city hall. The importance of the building was acknowledged by City Council during the process that led to the addition of the Moshe Saifde addition to the rear, when the decision was made to retain the building and add on, rather than demolish it. Finally, City Council recently endorsed the designation of the building by instructing staff to prepare a report recommending it be designated under the Ontario Heritage Act. The Statement of Reason, below, describes the significance of the building.

Statement of Reason for Designation

Ottawa City Hall, 111 Sussex Drive, is recommended for designation under the Ontario Heritage Act for architectural and historical reasons.

After an open competition awarded the design of Ottawa City Hall to the Montreal architectural firm of Bland, Rother and Trudeau, the building was completed in 1957. With its completion, the City had its first City Hall since 1931 when fire destroyed the 1878 City Hall. Princess Margaret on August 2, 1958 officially opened the building and since then it has been the seat of municipal government in Ottawa. As such, it embodies the history of municipal government in Ottawa. As of December 31, 2000 the building will cease to be Ottawa City Hall.

Ottawa City Hall, winner the prestigious Massey Medal for architecture in 1959, is an excellent example of the International Style. The building sits upon a pedestal, slightly above street level, set back from Sussex Drive. Twin statues, originally fountains, designed by Louis Archambault, that flank the front entrance are integral to the building and its site. The building is composed of two flat-roofed rectangles; a small three-storey unit, emblazoned with the City Crest, interpreted by the sculptor Art Price, containing the former Council Chamber and Mayor’s Office that projects from the front facade, and an eight-storey office block. The ground floor of the office block is typical of International Style buildings - sheathed in large panes of glass set between stone clad columns, it is transparent and creates the impression that the rest of the building is floating above it. The upper seven stories are distinguished by window panels, each containing ten panes divided by slim aluminium bars, set flush with the walls. Symmetrical and monumental, the building is as elegant today as when completed and evokes the goals of the International Style to create a new architecture that did not rely on historical precedent but reflected new steel and reinforced concrete construction techniques.

Fine detail and public spaces distinguish the interior of City Hall. These include the spiral staircase from the first to the second floor public areas, the former Council Chamber and Mayor’s office, the white marble wall inscribed with the names of former mayors, the stone- sheathed columns, the elevators and the terrazzo floors. These areas and features are included in this designation.

The 1992-1993 addition is not included in this designation.

The designation of City Hall complies with Chapter 11, the Heritage Chapter of the City of Ottawa Official Plan that states as one of its objectives:

“To protect, improve, and manage City-owned heritage resources in a manner which furthers the heritage objectives and policies of the Official Plan, and which sets an example of leadership in the community in the conservation of heritage resources ”

The 1992 section of the building is not included in the designation because only eight years have passed since its completion, an amount of time not sufficient to judge the addition for its heritage merits. This view is consistent with the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, which only consider buildings, completed after 1975 for designation if their architect has been dead for five years. It is also consistent with the policies of the Federal Heritage Buildings Review Office, which only evaluated buildings 40 years or older and the American National Parks Service, which stipulates that buildings must be 50 years or older to be considered for designation.

1. Department of Corporate Services, Statutory Services Branch, to advertise and notify the owner (the Corporation of the City of Ottawa, 111 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, K1N 5A1) and the Ontario Heritage Foundation (10 Adelaide Street East, 3^rd Floor, Toronto, Ontario, M5C 1J3) of City Council’s decision to designate Ottawa City Hall under the Ontario Heritage Act.

2. Office of the City Solicitor to prepare the designation by-law and submit it to City Council for enactment.

Location Map Document 1

Heritage Survey and Evaluation Form Document 2

Photographs Document 3

DESIGNATION OF OTTAWA CITY HALL, 111 SUSSEX DRIVE,
UNDER PART IV OF THE ONTARIO HERITAGE ACT / DESIGNATION DE L'HÔTEL DE VILLE D'OTTAWA, 111, PROMENADE SUSSEX, EN VERTU
DE LA PARTIE IV DE LA LOI SUR LE PATRIMOINE DE L'ONTARIO

Chair Hunter drew the Committee’s attention to the staff report, noting there was both a staff recommendation and a recommendation from the Ottawa Local Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee (LACAC). Councillor Little indicated his intention to move that the LACAC recommendation be included in the recommendation rising to Council.

Councillor Harder noted the former Ottawa City Hall was recently sold to the Federal Government and questioned if they were aware of this decision and were they in agreement with it.

Sally Coutts, Heritage Planner, advised the designation of the 1958 portion of City Hall was discussed by the former Ottawa City Council (in a public forum) when negotiations were approved for the sale of the building.

Responding to further questions from Councillor Harder, Ms. Coutts stated that once the building was designated, any substantive changes to the exterior of the building and certain elements of the interior, proposed by the purchaser, would require the approval of City Council. As well, Ms. Coutts pointed out the Federal Government has its own heritage policies that require that every building over 40 years old be evaluated for its heritage value. She said it was likely the Federal Government would designate the building under their own policies.

Councillor Little pointed out the heritage designation was included as a condition of sale.

Councillor Arnold stressed the importance of a heritage designation for both the 1958 portion and certain portions of the new building (including Victoria Hall) of the former Ottawa City Hall, as a signal of the value placed on the building by the community. She urged the Committee to support both the staff recommendation and the inclusion of the LACAC recommendation.

Committee Chair Hunter stated that while he was not against what the former City of Ottawa LACAC is proposing in their recommendation, he would prefer that it be referred to new City of Ottawa LACAC (when it is constituted). He explained that because the recommendation would require a commitment of costs and resources, it should be determined by the City’s new advisory committee whether or not this project should be a priority.

Moved by S. Little

That the Ottawa LACAC recommendation of 16 January 2001 be approved, as follows:

CARRIED

(G. Hunter dissented)

The Committee then considered the recommendation a amended.

That Ottawa City Hall be designated under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act according to the Statement of Reason for Designation, below, and;

CARRIED as amended