By Ilona Horvath
A cemetery of four religious denominations in the second half of the 19th century and a beautifully landscaped park and one of Ottawa’s major tourist attractions in the early 20th century, the Macdonald Gardens Park in Lowertown East is now one of the noteworthy recreational parks in the heart of our city. It is widely known as a popular sledding destination for kids in the wintertime and frequented by residents of all ages throughout the year. It is both a gathering place for the park community and a significant green space for different outdoor activities. In addition, dog owners enjoy off-leash privileges in the west side of the Park.
Completed in 1914, the Park received heritage designation in 2017 and is protected under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act. Since the official recognition of the Park’s heritage, the Lowertown community has advocated for the preservation of its main heritage values through the Friends of the Macdonald Gardens Park and the Lowertown Community Association’s Heritage Committee.
We were pleased to learn earlier this year that our efforts have come to fruition. With support from then Councillor Fleury, the City gave the green light and the work on a conservation plan for the park began. Note that the heritage value of a historic place including this park– as described by the Standards and Guidelines for the Conservation of Historic Places in Canada – is embodied in its character-defining elements. Thus, materials, forms, location, spatial configuration, uses etc. having aesthetic, historic, cultural etc. significance must be retained. (See below for the park’s main heritage attributes.)
The plan is intended to provide a strategy for the conservation and management of Macdonald Gardens Park heritage values and attributes while respecting the vision of Frederic Todd, who designed the Park more than 100 years ago. The conservation plan is meant to be used as a concise guiding resource. As such, it will provide specific guidelines on any future interventions, alterations, repairs, updates, construction methods and materials. The resulting document can then be used by the City’s planning and maintenance staff. Over the years, the Park has benefited from generous donations by private donors and individuals and the plan–once completed and approved–will be used as a guide for assigning and managing similar funds for the Park.
The community has also long advocated for the rehabilitation of the green space (preserving mature trees, shrubs, grass etc.). We expect that the Park conservation plan will address current deficiencies. This will necessitate the provision of adequate funds for proper maintenance of the green space as well as possibly dealing with other issues. For example, some later additions are incompatible elements in a heritage park. The environmental station on the east side of the park was erected in the Park without a City permit, and there is now a proliferation of unsightly utility boxes.
Indeed, short- and long-term work guidelines and sufficient funding will be needed to implement any proposed changes. We appreciate and commend the City and the consultant for their ongoing work and look forward to the next stage–some time in early 2023–when the plan will be presented for public consultation.
Please stay tuned!
Key heritage attributes of the Macdonald Gardens Park:
- The landscaped grounds and pathways including its mature trees
- Remnants of the landscape architect-designed plan by Frederick Todd
- Hexagonal stone summer house with round arches on top of hill
- Large open lawn on east side with sloped grass-covered hill on west side
- Tree-lined path following the old route of Charlotte Street
- Stone retaining wall on the northwest side of the park
- Ottawa Improvement Commission fixtures in the park, including the iconic National Capital Commission light posts
Source: City of Ottawa’s Heritage Designation document, June 2017.
Ilona Horvath is a member of the Friends of the Macdonald Gardens Park.
