Designation of eight properties in Britannia Village, 119, 195 and 205 Bradford Street, 73 Britannia Road, 95 Kirby Road, 2764 and 2775 Rowatt Street and 2777 Cassels Street, under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act.
I attended the Committee meeting and learned that for a Hertiage District to be created, 25 percent of buildings in that area must have a heritage designation. Staff stated they had looked at Britannia for a potential Heritage District, but it would need to be considered strategically. At this point, status is being proposed by building, due to the difficulty with drawing lines for one larger area.
The discussion of Britannia area was unique, as it is one of the first thematic heritage designation reports to be presented to the Committee based upon geography. The report recognizes Britannia as a unique Ottawa neighbourhood in Ottawa, based upon its roots as a summer resort, its geography as a peninsula which led to connections to recreation and the Ottawa River, and its unique architectural character. As a result, Britannia has a high concentration of historic cottages built during the area’s golden years from 1900-1914, when it was a popular summer resort. Through this report, eight properties in Britannia are recommended for designation under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act. These properties all have connections to Britannia’s history as a summer resort, and include seven residences, as well as the Britannia Yacht Club.
Seven of the eight properties are representative examples of the vernacular cottage style found throughout Britannia, built during a time when the area was a summer resort destination. These modest buildings typically feature a simple form, wooden horizontal lap siding, a wraparound verandah, and ornamentation elements on the roof and/or verandah. These physical characteristics demonstrate the Late Victorian desire for modest and functional seasonal cottages outside the city, that had a strong focus on transitional spaces from the exterior to the interior. The eighth property is the Britannia Yacht Club, 2777 Cassels Street. The Yacht Club is a representative example of a late nineteenth century recreational clubhouse with a simple utilitarian design. The building’s square footprint, hipped roof, dormers and wide wraparound verandah is representative of recreational architecture seen on the waterways in Ottawa and around Ontario around the turn of the 20th century.
An amending motion was accepted by the Committee to remove recommendation 2 of the report concerning the designation of 195 Bradford Street because heritage staff require additional time for discussion about the designation of that specific property with the owner due to the owner not being available for a timely discussion. In effect, the report now will seek the designation of seven properties.
This report will be submitted to Council on April 17 for consideration.
