By John Chenier
Ian Johns first introduction to building in Ottawa was as the chief designer for Bill Teron in the development of Kanata and other projects in the city such as 300 The Driveway and Belvedere Gate. When Teron accepted the post of president of CMHC, Ian opted to go along with him.
While at CMHC, he worked with a team of architects on a project to come up with designs that would make living in the urban core more acceptable to suburbanites, thus diminishing the pressures that were leading to urban sprawl.
The team developed various models of medium-density housing (200 persons per acre) which reflected the values of a single family home and respected three essential principles. Each housing development had to ensure:
- sound privacy;
- visual privacy; and,
- a private outdoor space.
When he left CMHC Ian started his own company (HABCOM) with the intention of putting those three principles into action. The first place he chose to do this was Lowertown.
Below: Overhead view of Cathcart Mews project. Google Maps
Cathcart Mews is built on land the city had expropriated as part of the urban renewal undertaken in the 1960s. Situated on the east side of King Edward Avenue between Cathcart and Bruyere, the project, consisting of freehold townhouses, mews houses and four-storey condos, occupies almost all of a square city block. The Mews has been cited in a number of places including the Blackader-Lauterman Library of Architecture as a demonstration that it is not necessary to build multi-story structures to obtain density.
Johns next building project, Springfield Mews, took him away from Lowertown to Lindenlea. That project has also been cited in various architectural books and magazines as an important development for its concept of bringing urban density and community to the urban core.
Preserving Heritage
Over the years, Johns made several attempts to bring his talents back to Lowertown. He was unsuccessful in his bid to preserve and convert the old Daly building, a good example of the Chicago School of architecture, into a condo/shopping complex. After years of neglect and mismanagement, the Department of Public Works ordered the Daly Building demolished. The complex known as 700 Sussex was built on the site.
Another proposal to convert a heritage building on Murray Street into a small boutique hotel was also turned down because it did not fit in with the financing/mortgage models of that time.
He was finally successful in his bid to repurpose the Jeanne d’Arc residence on Sussex Drive. His achievement of preserving the external structure while completely renewing the internal elements to bring these up to modern building code standards was recognized by the Ottawa Heritage Society.
Unlike most developers, Ian and his wife, Sarah Jennings, have lived in all of HABCOM’s major building projects. They still retain an apartment in the Jeanne d’Arc complex.
Many of Ian Johns’ projects include art installations. The Cathcart Mews complex had three sculptures installed. The Jeanne d’Arc project is home to two well known public sculptures, Dancing Bear (donated by Ian Johns and Sarah Jenning), and Young Girl (National Capital Commission). These are located in the tranquil courtyard. The Dancing Bear is recognized as one of “Five Great Places to discover public art” in Ottawa. https://www.ottawatourism.ca/ottawa-insider/public-art-in-ottawa/
In recognition of his achievements, in 2017 Ian Johns received the Federation of Citizen’s Association of Ottawa Builders Award for making an “Outstanding contribution to improving the quality of life of the city’s citizens.”
Lowertown has been beneficiary of much of that contribution.