8. DESIGNATION
OF THE FORMER MARCH HOUSE RESTAURANT, 806 MARCH ROAD, UNDER PART IV OF THE
ONTARIO HERITAGE ACT DÉSIGNATION DE L'ANCIEN RESTAURANT MARCH HOUSE, SITUÉ
AU 806, CHEMIN MARCH, AUX TERMES DE LA PARTIE IV DE LA LOI SUR LE PATRIMOINE
DE L'ONTARIO |
COMMITTEE
RECOMMENDATION
That Council
approve the designation of the former March House Restaurant, 806 March Road,
under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act in accordance with Statement of
Reason for Designation attached as Document 4.
RECOMMANDATION DU
COMITÉ
Que
le Conseil approuve la désignation de l'ancien restaurant March House, situé au
806, chemin March, aux termes de la Loi sur le patrimoine de l'Ontario,
conformément à l'énoncé ci-joint des raisons motivant la désignation (document
4).
Documentation
1. Development Services Department General Manager’s report dated 16 September 2003 (ACS2003-DEV-APR-0114).
2. Extract of Draft Minutes, 9 October
2003.
Report to/Rapport
au :
Local
Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee
Comité consultatif sur la conservation de l'architecture locale
Planning and
Development Committee
Comité de l'urbanisme et de l'aménagement
and Council / et au Conseil
16 September 2003 / le 16
septembre 2003
Submitted by/Soumis par : Ned Lathrop, General
Manager/Directeur général,
Development Services/Services d'aménagement
Contact Person/Personne ressource : Grant Lindsay,
Manager / Gestionnaire
Development
Approvals / Approbation des demandes d'aménagement
(613)
580-2424 x13242, grant.lindsay@ottawa.ca
REPORT
RECOMMENDATION
That the Local Architectural
Conservation Advisory Committee recommend that Planning and Development
Committee recommend Council approve the designation of the former March House
Restaurant, 806 March Road, under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act in accordance
with Statement of Reason for Designation attached as Document 4.
RECOMMENDATION DU RAPPORT
Que le Comité
consultatif sur la conservation de l'architecture locale recommande au Comité
de l'urbanisme et de l'aménagement de recommander au Conseil d'approuver la
désignation de l'ancien restaurant March House, situé au 806, chemin March, aux
termes de la Loi sur le patrimoine de l'Ontario, conformément à l'énoncé
ci-joint des raisons motivant la désignation (document 4).
BACKGROUND
The City of Ottawa recently
has purchased the March House Restaurant, 806 March Road, to allow for the
widening of March Road and the construction of a new intersection at the corner
of March and Klondike Roads. The
proposed roadwork means that the former March House Restaurant cannot remain in
its present location. This report has
been prepared in order to ensure that the building is preserved, not
demolished, and moved from its site within the community, so that it can
continue to be a part of the small hamlet of March's Corners.
DISCUSSION
The former March House
Restaurant is located in the former City of Kanata at the corner of March and
Klondike Roads (see Document 1). Constructed in 1851, the building is a one and
a half storey, stone structure that
served as a private house and a general store in the late 19th and early
twentieth centuries (see historical photograph, Document 2 and Heritage Survey and Evaluation Form, Document 3).
Prior to amalgamation, Kanata did not have a Local Architectural Conservation
Advisory Committee (LACAC) to recommend the designation of heritage properties
for individual designation to Council under the Ontario Heritage Act. The City of Kanata did, however, have a list
of properties of significance and this structure was included on the list.
March Road has been the
subject of many studies over the last 20 years, all of which have focused on
its widening. In the early 1990s, recommendations were made to Kanata City
Council to relocate the building to allow for the widening of the road. The
roadwork proposed at that time never went ahead. During the 1990s when the road widening was discussed in the
media and by former City of Kanata staff, it was assumed that the March House
Restaurant would be preserved and moved on the site. This expectation still
exists in the community.
Part IV of the Ontario
Heritage Act gives municipalities the power to designate properties with
cultural heritage significance. In order to be designated, the City's LACAC
considers the designation and makes a recommendation to City Council. The Act
requires that a short statement of the property's cultural heritage
significance, including its heritage attributes, be prepared and published in a
local newspaper (see Document 4).
The Official Plan, approved
by City Council, has policies related to the designation of buildings under
Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act; "Individual buildings, structures and
cultural heritage landscapes will be designated as properties of cultural heritage
value under Part IV of the Heritage Act."
Furthermore, the Policy
2.5.5.16 of the Official Plan stresses that the City must lead by example,
stating that
As the owner of many heritage resources, the City will
protect, improve and manage its heritage resources in a manner which furthers
the heritage objectives of this plan and sets an example of leadership to the
community in the conservation of heritage resources, including:
a) Designating
its resources under the Heritage Act where appropriate ….
The Official Plan also
addresses the issue of the moving of heritage resources in Policy 4.6.1 3:
The City may consider the option [moving a designated
structure] provided that:
a) The building is retained on site, but moved to another part
of the property for integration into the new development, or, if that is not
possible;
b) The Building is relocated to a site appropriate to its
cultural heritage value outside the proposed development or property.
In May 2003, a consultant
engineer with experience in the moving of heritage structures, was hired to
prepare a report for Transportation, Utilities and Public Works outlining the
cost and feasibility of moving the former March House Restaurant on the site.
His report concluded that the building is sound enough to move and that it
would cost $204,000 to move it. Rehabilitation of the structure and
construction of a new wing to allow for future uses would add to the costs. It
should be noted that these additional costs could be absorbed by a new owner if
the City chooses to sell the structure.
This report does not address the future use of the building.
The Development Services
Department initiated this designation because of the building's significance
and importance to the community and because Official Plan policies direct the
City to lead by example in the management of City-owned properties. The Department acknowledges that the
building will be moved and does not intend that this recommendation would
prohibit the moving of the building from its present site. If the building were to be moved away from
March's Corners, the Department would not support its designation because its
significance would be dramatically reduced if it were no longer located within
its historical context and therefore would no longer be eligible for
designation.
CONSULTATION
Key individuals associated
with the City's purchase of this property, and the road- widening project
scheduled for the site were consulted in the preparation of this report. Real
Property and Asset Management, Corporate Services, concurred with the
designation and recommended that the building be moved to a site adjacent to
the City-owned former March Township Hall, just north and west of the subject
site.
The Councillor was informed
of the proposed designation and forwarded the following comment:
I certainly support the proposed heritage designation for
this site. Especially in a relatively-new community like Kanata, the retention
of heritage assets is very important; we have already lost too many. In terms
of relocating the building, I am certainly willing to take the advice of
heritage experts on this matter.
No other comments on the proposed designation were received within
the time-frame allotted.
Heritage Ottawa has been
informed of the proposed designation.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
The cost of the one-time statutory advertising of the designation in
the Citizen shall be paid from the operating budget of the Development Services
Department, Account Number 112762-502210
SUPPORTING
DOCUMENTATION
Document 1 - Location Plan
Document 2 - Historical
Photograph
Document 3 - Heritage Survey
and Evaluation Form
Document 4 - Statement of
Reason for Designation
DISPOSITION
CORPORATE SERVICES
DEPARTMENT, SECRETARIAT SERVICES BRANCH to notify the property owner (City of
Ottawa, Corporate Services, Real Estate and Property Management, Property
Services, 110 Laurier Avenue, Ottawa, Ontario ) and the Ontario Heritage
Foundation Foundation (10 Adelaide Street, 3rd Floor, Toronto, Ontario, M5C
1J3) of Council's decision to designate 806 March Road, under Part IV of the
Ontario Heritage Act.
CORPORATE SERVICES
DEPARTMENT, LEGAL SERVICES to prepare designation by-law and submit it to City
Council for enactment.
DEVELOPMENT SERVICES
DEPARTMENT, PLANNING AND INFRASTRUCTURE APPROVALS BRANCH to advertise the
Notice of Intention to Designate.
LOCATION
PLAN Document
1
HISTORICAL
PHOTOGRAPH Document
2
HERITAGE SURVEY AND
EVALUATION FORM Document
3
STATEMENT OF REASON FOR
DESIGNATION Document
4
As a long-time local
landmark that illustrates the early history of March Township and the type of
dwelling built by more prosperous settlers, the former March House Restaurant,
806 March Road, is recommended for designation under Part IV of the Ontario
Heritage Act.
The building was built in the 1850s as a private house at a time when most settlers were building crude log structures. Its original owner is unknown but it was occupied by the McMurtry family, a prominent March Township family, from the 1850s until the 1890s. During the family’s ownership it remained a private house. In 1897, it was sold to the Gow family, who operated it as a General Store and Post Office until 1938. As a grocery store, it was a hub in the small hamlet of March’s Corners. From the late 1930s it served a number of functions, ending up as a restaurant in the 1980s. It was purchased by the City of Ottawa to accommodate the widening of March Road in 2003.
The March House is a
rectangular, one-and-a-half storey, gable roofed structure constructed of
rough-cut stone laid in irregular courses. It is extremely plain in character,
having its gable end facing March Road, a centrally placed door flanked by
large windows, gabled dormer windows and a recent addition. The original
rectangular windows remain, although the original two- over- two sash windows
have been replaced with one-over-one windows. “Ghosting” on the brick and an
historical photograph indicate that it had a shed roofed veranda on its north
and west facades in the 19th
century.
The recent addition is not to be included in this designation.