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5. aPPLICATION FOR DEMOLITION of 119-121, 125, 127 Bank Street and
215 slater street, the reinstatement of FRONT OF 119-121 bank street, and
APPLICATION FOR NEW CONSTRUCTION at 119-121 bank street, in the bank street
heritage conservation district |
Committee recommendation
That Council approve the demolition of 119-121 Bank Street, 125 Bank
Street, 127 Bank Street, and 215 Slater Street; the removal, restoration and
reinstatement of portions of 119-121 Bank Street and the construction of a new
building in the Bank Street Heritage Conservation District incorporating the
façade of 119-121 Bank Street in accordance with the plans filed by Richard
Chmiel, Architects, received on December 19, 2005.
Note: Approval to Alter this property under the Ontario Heritage Act must not be construed to meet the requirements
for the issuance of a building permit.
Recommandation du Comité
Que le Conseil approuve la
démolition des 119-121, 125 et 127 de la rue Bank et du 215 de la rue Slater,
l'enlèvement, la restauration et la remise en état de parties de l'immeuble au
119-121 de la rue Bank et la construction d'un nouvel immeuble dans le District
de conservation du patrimoine de la rue Bank intégrant la façade du 119-121 de
la rue Bank, conformément aux plans déposés par Richard Chmiel, architecte, et
reçus le 19 décembre 2005.
Nota : L'approbation de
modifier cette propriété en vertu de la
Loi sur le patrimoine de l'Ontario ne doit pas être interprétée comme une
reconnaissance de conformité aux exigences de délivrance d'un permis de
construire.
Documentation
1. Deputy City Manager's report (Planning
and Growth Management) dated
31 January 2006 (ACS2006-PGM-APR-0032).
Report
to/Rapport au :
Local Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee
Comité consultatif sur la
conservation de l'architecture locale
and /
et
Planning
and Environment Committee
Comité de l'urbanisme et de
l'environnement
and Council / et au Conseil
31 January 2006 / 31 janvier 2006
Submitted by/Soumis par : Ned Lathrop, Deputy City Manager/
Directeur municipal adjoint,
Planning and Growth Management/Urbanisme et
Gestion de la croissance
Contact
Person/Personne ressource : Grant Lindsay, Manager, Development Approvals,
Planning and Infrastructure Approvals / Approbation des demandes d’urbanisme et
d’infrastructure
(613) 580-2424 x13242, grant.lindsay@ottawa.ca
REPORT RECOMMENDATION
That the Planning and Environment
Committee recommend Council approve the demolition of 119-121 Bank Street, 125
Bank Street, 127 Bank Street, and 215 Slater Street; the removal, restoration
and reinstatement of portions of 119-121 Bank Street and the construction of a
new building in the Bank Street Heritage Conservation District incorporating
the façade of 119-121 Bank Street in accordance with the plans filed by Richard
Chmiel, Architects, received on December 19, 2005.
Note: Approval to Alter this property under
the Ontario Heritage Act must not be
construed to meet the requirements for the issuance of a building permit.)
RECOMMANDATION DU RAPPORT
Que le Comité de l'urbanisme et de
l'environnement recommande au Conseil d'approuver la démolition des 119-121,
125 et 127 de la rue Bank et du 215 de la rue Slater, l'enlèvement, la
restauration et la remise en état de parties de l'immeuble au 119-121 de la rue
Bank et la construction d'un nouvel immeuble dans le District de conservation
du patrimoine de la rue Bank intégrant la façade du 119-121 de la rue Bank,
conformément aux plans déposés par Richard Chmiel, architecte, et reçus le 19
décembre 2005.
Nota : L'approbation de modifier cette propriété en vertu de la Loi sur le patrimoine de l'Ontario ne
doit pas être interprétée comme une reconnaissance de conformité aux exigences
de délivrance d'un permis de construire.
Local Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee Recommendation - 9 February 2006
No LACAC recommendation. Extract of Draft Minute to be issued separately.
BACKGROUND
This
report has been prepared to allow for the demolition of four buildings on Bank
Street, and the construction of a new office building featuring the
incorporation of the historic roof element located at 119-121 Bank Street into
the new project, which is included within the boundaries of the Bank Street
Heritage Conservation District, designated under Part V of the Ontario Heritage Act (By-law 175-2000).
The Ontario Heritage Act requires that all demolitions and all new
construction in a Heritage Conservation District be approved by City Council
before a heritage permit and a building permit can be issued (see
Location Map, Document 1).
The proposal involves the demolition of four buildings; 119-121 Bank Street, 125 Bank Street, 127 Bank Street and 215 Slater Street. These buildings were all evaluated as part of the Bank Street Heritage Conservation District Study and scored as follows: 119-121 Bank Street, Category 2, 125 Bank Street, Category 3, 127 Bank Street, Category 3, and 215 Slater Street, Category 3 (see photograph, Document 2). An historic mansard roof, the dominant feature of 119-121 Bank Street, will be removed from the structure, restored and reinstated as part of the new building.
ANALYSIS
The Bank Street Heritage Conservation District was designated under Part V of the Ontario Heritage Act by City Council in 2000. Following its designation, appeals were filed by a number of property owners and Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) pre-hearing mediated sessions were held and agreements were reached regarding certain sites, including the current site. The final OMB Hearing has not taken place and thus the outcome of the mediated sessions is not public, however, these discussions influenced the ultimate design of the project.
The construction of the proposed Telus Building will require the demolition of four structures. Two of these buildings, 125 Bank Street and 127 Bank Street are house form structures to which storefronts have been added with little regard for the original character of the houses (see Documents 3 and 4 for historic views of the streetscape). Another, located at 215 Slater Street is a two-storey stucco structure, used most recently as a fur storage warehouse. The fourth building, the former Burkholders Building, located at 119-121 Bank Street, will also be demolished but its mansard roof with three dormer windows will be removed from the site, restored and reinstated.
Redevelopment
Project
The proposed building to be located on the site is an eight-storey office building including a mechanical penthouse with retail at grade. Contemporary in expression, the building will feature gently curving west and south facades, with curtain wall glazing on all four facades, in the form of bands of clear glass windows separated by slim aluminums mullions. Vertical elements will be pre-cast concrete in a colour to complement the curtain wall system. The main entrance into the office building will be from Slater Street, while the Bank Street facade will be reserved for at- grade retail consistent with the form and character of the retail functions on the street. A mansard roof with three asymmetrically placed windows that is currently on the site, will be removed, restored and reinstated in its historic location at the front lot line. The gently curving walls of the new building will be set back from the front lot line an average of 2.4 metres (see Elevations, Document 5).
The first two storeys of the new building will evoke the low-rise retail nature of this part of Bank Street that has existed since the 19th century. The new Bank Street storefronts, both those that will be below the historic roof and those that form the base of the new building, will be articulated into small retail spaces to match the land use and design patterns of the street. The new storefronts will be set back three metres from the portion of the building under the old roof. This will emphasize the mansard roof as part of the streetscape and ensure that it continues to be an important element of the streetscape. The horizontal sign band will continue in the same plane on both parts of the building (see Elevations, Document 6).
The historic roof element will be re-roofed in leaded copper, as the current roofing material cannot be repaired, but it will appear dark grey in colour. The three dormer windows will be restored and the roof will be reinstated in its original vertical plane and location at the north end of the property, although it will be higher above the ground than it is now, in order to accommodate the floor heights of the new project, however, its relationship to the street will be the same, as it will house ground floor retail.
When completed, the Telus Building will acknowledge the low scale character of commercial development on Bank Street and the mid-scale character of surrounding post-war buildings in this part of the downtown core. The juxtaposition of old and new forms, curved and straight lines and projecting and recessing planes will create an exciting structure that respectfully acknowledges past urban forms while achieving higher densities and contributing a new design statement to the downtown core.
Conservation
Rationale
The main feature of the Bank Street of the building will be the mansard roof element. It will be treated as an architectural fragment and will not remain in place during construction. The decision to restore and reinstate the roof, rather than leave it in situ during construction is linked to the structural character of the building. Physical evidence shows that it is probable that the building is made up of three buildings and that the mansard roof was put on to unite them when the buildings were acquired by one person. In the years since the roof was added, the original character of its storefronts has been altered and little evidence of these storefronts remain. The building's foundations and footings have changed so that steel beams form its frame and the roof is no longer supported by a bearing wall. Thus, to preserve the roof in situ during construction would require the retention of the steel beams, rendering construction of the new building impossible (see Document 7, Condition Report, on file with City Clerk).
The decision to restore only the roof portion and not the original character of the entire former storefront is also linked to the structural character of the building. Originally, the building's bearing walls separated the storefronts of the building but these storefronts were altered when the steel beams were inserted and one large storefront with continuous glass windows was constructed. Since little documentary or physical evidence of the original character of the building remains, rather than re-create a storefront based on conjecture, the mansard roof will be treated as an architectural fragment and new storefronts that match the rhythm of the existing storefronts will be constructed under it.
In addition, the proposed building respects aspects of the "Central Area West Heritage Conservation District Plan" Guidelines for the Bank Heritage Precinct, Bank Street, east side, between Albert and Slater Streets that state:
· the key issue will be to attempt to preserve the scale and rhythm of the existing older buildings on Bank Street ..
· as much as possible, the existing buildings on Bank Street should be protected and conserved ..
· Ground floor space on Bank Street should continue to be retail, maximizing the number of independent retail interests within the overall frontage.
· New building elements on the Bank Street frontage should have heights not exceeding 4 storeys.
· Elements of building massing higher than that should be set back, and concentrated on the portions of the building site facing onto Laurier and Slater Streets.
· Servicing to new buildings on this site should also be off Slater or Laurier.
The above Guidelines were the subject of a mediated OMB pre-hearing held on the Bank Street precinct of the Central Area Heritage Conservation District. The results of these sessions influenced the design of the project. The Telus Building respects the "Guidelines" above because it conserves the a character-defining element of the lot, the mansard roof, it continues the retail pattern along Bank Street, it respects the lower profile of this section of Bank Street through the preservation of the mansard roof element and the articulation of the Bank Street storefronts and setbacks and its service entrances are accessed from Slater Street.
A "Cultural Heritage Impact Statement" for this development was prepared by Julian Smith and Associates, Architects at the request of the City. The "Impact Statement," after looking at the existing and proposed buildings, concluded that:
"The [Telus] building acknowledges both the low-scale character of the earlier commercial development in and the mid-rise scale of current commercial development in this part of the core area. The mansard roof itself has some interesting architectural detailing which will be fully visible, and which is likely to be more noticeable because of the contrast between it and the surrounding curtain wall structure.
The Department supports this Ontario Heritage Act application because the removal and reinstatement of the historic mansard roof and the setbacks of the new building will make a positive contribution to the character of Bank Street immediately north of Slater Street, and the eight-storey curtain wall structure, with its clean contemporary design, and new storefronts will animate the corner of Bank and Slater Streets.
CONSULTATION
Adjacent property owners and residential tenants were notified by letter of the date of the Local Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee (LACAC) and Planning and Environment Committee meetings and were provided with comment sheets to be returned to LACAC. This is in accordance with the City's public participation policies.
The Ward Councillor met with the applicants on this project and commented "On the matter of the retention of the mansard roof, I have some problems with this approach to preservation."
The Bank Street BIA was informed of this project and the dates that the report was being considered.
Heritage Ottawa has been informed of this project.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION
Document 2 Contemporary
photograph
Document 3 Historical photograph of Streetscape
Document 4 Historic photograph
Document 5 Elevations
Document 6 Detail, historic roof reinstatement
Document 7 Condition report (On file with City Clerk - Issued separately to all members of Council
and available in PDF only)
Document 8 Design Review
Panel Comments
DISPOSITION
The Corporate Services Department, Council and Committee Services Branch, to notify the applicant/ agent Richard Chmiel (Richard Chmiel Architect and Associates, 190 Bank Street, Ottawa, K1P 5N5) and the Ontario Heritage Trust (10 Adelaide Street, 3rd Floor, Toronto, Ontario, M5C 1J3) of City Council's consent for demolition, new construction and reinstatement in the Bank Street Heritage Conservation District.
Document 1
LOCATION MAP
Document 2
CURRENT PHOTOGRAPHS OF SITE
Document 3
HISTORIC PHOTO, 1905 (Ottawa City
Archives, CA18229)
Document 4
HISTORIC
PHOTO, 1954 (Ottawa City Archives, CA4281)
Document 5
Document 6
DETAIL,
HISTORIC ROOF REINSTATEMENT
