By Andrew Waldron
Lowertown’s architecture is varied and rich, spanning two centuries of settlers building along a major trade route to the interior of Canada. Only a few buildings speak to the earliest settlers, one being the Rochon Residence at the corner of St. Patrick and Sussex, beside the more prominent Valade House. A recent rehabilitation of the house by the National Capital Commission (NCC) will bring a new tenant to this small timber-framed home that has surprisingly survived since 1832.
Soldiers and labourers settled the streets of Lowertown. A modest Catholic church, St-Jacques, stood on the corner of St. Patrick and Sussex in 1832. Across the street, newly arrived Grey Nuns settled into a small square-timbered house that eventually became the home of Flavien Rochon, master carpenter for the new cathedral and the Parliament Buildings. For ninety years it was owned by the Rochons, and in 1965 was bought by the NCC when there was a major emphasis on retaining the “Mile of History” along Sussex Drive to save the streetscape as a part of protecting the ByWard Market.
The Rochon Residence was leased over the years, and in the past decade the house was in dire need of rehabilitation. It had evolved structurally with additions, alterations and replacements, but overall, the integrity of small workers cottage remained intact. By 2017, it was in poor condition. Many structural and building-envelope issues needed to be addressed: sagging beams, poor floor joists, water infiltration and other familiar issues posed significant risks. Once financial approval was secured, the rehabilitation began during the pandemic.
Stefan Krauss, lead architect at the NCC on the project, described the Rochon Residence as having “good bones,” noting that its square timbers are generally solid. His team worked on upgrading to meet national code requirements, restored the wood windows and doors, and added more insulation both inside and using a wood-fibre sheathing on the exterior. Other interventions included retaining the standing seamed metal roof, although the team discovered parts of an earlier cedar shake roof along the rear dormer.
While the federal government does not require municipal involvement, the NCC brought in the City’s heritage planners to observe the work being performed. As a recognized federal heritage building, it was subject to the Standards and Guidelines for the Conservation of Historic Places in Canada, as are all buildings within the Lowertown-West and Byward Market heritage conservation districts. Although not a conservation architect, Krauss had a strong team of practitioners on the project. Even a roof contractor from decades ago was able to add his knowledge to the project.
The NCC is in discussions with a partner to lease the site after they reached out to the local arts community in Ottawa and Gatineau. With many vacant federal heritage buildings in the region, let’s hope that a new use for the Rochon Residence will be coming soon. As we know, a used building is a saved building. Indeed, there have been challenges in terms of safety with the Rochon Residence in recent years. If successful, this pilot project may introduce more interesting uses for the NCC’s building inventory.
Not all of us have the financial means to rehabilitate our homes but retaining this early settler architecture in the Lowertown-West Heritage Conservation District brings us one step closer to maintaining a sense of place from the Bytown era.
Andrew Waldron is co-chair (with Nancy Miller Chenier) of the LCA Heritage Committee