Committee approvals showcase Ottawa’s diverse history

The Built Heritage Committee today approved several designations, highlighting stories and voices from Ottawa’s diverse communities. The historic buildings being protected document the City’s art scene, women’s history, Islamic growth and francophone roots. The Committee approved designating the ByTowne Cinema at 323-327 Rideau Street under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act. The property meets six of nine criteria for designation. Originally the Nelson theatre, the property is a two-storey movie theatre built in 1947. It is a representative example of a purpose-built post-war neighbourhood movie theatre, featuring elements of the Moderne architectural style through its rounded profile, streamline stone cornice, smooth brick cladding, and metal accents. The theatre was constructed during Ottawa’s post-war neighbourhood cinema boom when movie attendance and the theatre business in Canada reached new heights. Local proprietor Hyman Berlin opened the theatre to serve as the neighbourhood movie house for Lowertown and Sandy Hill residents. By 1989, the theatre was operating as the ByTowne Cinema, screening different cult, classic, foreign, independent, and alternative films daily. The Committee moved to designate three former Bell Telephone Exchange Buildings at 251 Besserer Street, 200 First Avenue and 43 Eccles Street under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act as they meet five of nine criteria for designation. The Rideau Exchange, 251 Besserer Street is a two-storey red brick building, located at the corner of Besserer Street and King Edward Avenue, built in the Beaux-Arts style featuring a symmetrical façade with seven bays of windows. The Carling Exchange at 200 First Avenue is a near architectural twin. The Sherwood Exchange at 43 Eccles Street is a two-storey red brick Edwardian Classical building located between Booth Street and Bronson Avenue in the Dalhousie neighbourhood. The buildings have direct associations with the Bell Telephone Company and the development of telecommunications in Ottawa and women in the Canadian workforce. In fact, by 1900, Bell exclusively hired women to work as switchboard operators. These Exchanges are linked to the city’s growth and development in the early 20th century and the expanding demand for telephone services. The Committee moved to designate the Ottawa Mosque at 251 Northwestern Avenue. The property contains a two-storey, brown brick clad, irregular-shaped mosque with a dome and minaret with Modernist architectural influences, constructed between 1973 and 1979 and meeting five of nine criteria for designation. The building is the earliest purpose-built mosque built in Ottawa and among the earliest in Ontario. It is a unique as the only Modernist mosque in Ottawa, with traditional Islamic architectural features including its characteristic dome, minaret, and prayer hall with a square plan. It has direct associations with the Ottawa Muslim Association, a grassroots organization founded in 1962 to serve the Muslim community in the National Capital Region. The property documents Ottawa’s early and contemporary Muslim community and is a landmark due to its prominent location north of Scott Street and the high visibility of its iconic architectural features. The properties meet at least seven of nine criteria for designation and highlight the significance of French Catholicism in Ottawa. The Committee also designated two French catholic churches, Église Saint-François d'Assise at 1062 Wellington Street West, and Église Saint-Joseph d’Orléans at 2757 St. Joseph Boulevard under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act. Both churches are landmarks in their neighbourhoods and within the city due to their architectural features and materials, large scale and massing, and prominent locations on main thoroughfares. Items from today’s meeting will rise to Council on Wednesday, May 28 with the exception of the report to designate 172 O’Connor Street which will rise on Wednesday, June 11. Related topics

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