Don’t demolish O’Connor House
at 171 Bruyère, says heritage planner
By Liz MacKenzie
A request to demolish 171 Bruyère has been put on hold by the city’s Built Heritage Sub-Committee. The property owner, Ottawa Community Housing (OCH), has been directed to come back to the committee with a report on the possibility of severing and selling the property before a ruling is made. At present, unresolved mortgage issues compromise OCH’s ability to sell.
In her report to the Built Heritage Sub-Committee, heritage planner Sally Coutts recommended that the application to demolish be refused. Like all buildings in the Lowertown West Heritage Conservation District (HCD), 171 Bruyère is protected under the Ontario Heritage Act, the HCD guidelines, the City of Ottawa Official Plan, and the Provincial Policy Statement.
Furthermore, Coutts reminded the committee that the City of Ottawa Official Plan lays out a specific responsibility to manage City-owned cultural heritage resources:
“the City will protect, improve and manage its cultural heritage resources in a manner which furthers the heritage objectives …and sets an example of leadership for the community in the conservation of heritage resources.”
Heritage Ottawa supported the staff report, as “the HCD plan specifically directs that demolition of heritage structures within the district will not be recommended for approval by City Council.”
The Lowertown Community Association Heritage Committee also supports the staff report. Researcher Nancy Miller-Chenier has confirmed that the O’Connor family lived at this site for over a century. Thomas O’Connor and Mary Curry married at the Notre-Dame Cathedral in 1853. They raised their eight children at 171 Bruyère. These early Irish residents in Lowertown were active in the St. Brigid parish after its formation in 1889. While there is some discussion about changes to the building in the 1910s and ‘30s, there is no doubt that the O’Connor family were long-time residents. Their daughter, Margaret O’Connor, was the last member of the family to occupy the house – she lived here until her death in 1954.
Ottawa Community Housing says that their funds are stretched to the limit: much of their housing stock is in need of repair, and carrying a vacant property with ongoing maintenance and security costs is a serious problem. However, it can be said that they have owned the building for more than 20 years and the deterioration has occurred on their watch.
A structural engineering assessment reported that foundation repairs and fire and safety upgrades are required. There are also costs for mechanical, electric and interior finishes. OCH faces an outlay in excess of $300,000 to bring the building to their standards and make it an income-producing asset.
On the other hand, the cost to demolish the building and install a proposed community parkette (a very small park) on the site would be about $150,000. Money saved would be earmarked for new housing elsewhere.
At a community meeting held at 181 Bruyère, neighbours and residents had concerns about the loss of housing and the demolition of the building. They reacted negatively to the suggestion of a parkette because the parkette to the west of their building is a magnet for illegal activities and they do not want more of the same. They were, however, very enthusiastic about a community garden.
The request to demolish the building will be reconsidered at a future Built Heritage Sub-Committee meeting. In the interest of protecting the Lowertown West Heritage Conservation District, heritage groups will continue to support all efforts to save the building.
Send your comments to: info@lowertownbasseville.ca