Committee to consider integrating former Legion headquarters facades in ‘iconic’ highrise

Ottawa’s built heritage committee is to consider a proposal on Tuesday that would incorporate midcentury facades from the Legion House on Kent Street into a 27-storey residential tower project.

Under the proposal, the south and east facades of The Legion House would be dismantled and reconstructed on the same footprint using the 1,200 units of existing limestone cladding. The north and west facades would be “reinterpreted” using new material and a contemporary design.

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A report from city staff  recommends that the application be approved

The application from Taggart Realty Management covers a package of three properties: the Legion House, a mid-century office building and former headquarters of the Royal Canadian Legion’s Dominion Command at 359 Kent St., and two houses at 436 and 444 MacLaren St.

The reconstructed Legion House would have institutional or community uses on the Kent Street frontage. The 27-storey tower would contain 289 residential units. There would be a four-storey red brick podium on the east side of the site fronting on Gilmour Street and four levels of underground parking.

The tower portion of the proposal would be set back about 2.5 metres from the Gilmour Street facade and three metres from the Kent Street facade, which would ensure that the Legion House remained the “dominant feature” on the site, according to the city report.

The MacLaren properties, a pair of two-and-a-half-storey brick houses built between 1879 and 1901, are designated under the Ontario Heritage Act as part of the Centretown Heritage Conservation District. They will be restored and integrated into the overall landscaping and site design.

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According to the proposal, 436 MacLaren St. would be used for local community-based organizations and 444 MacLaren St. would remain either as an office or a restaurant. Meanwhile, a privately-owned public space on the north side would replace existing parking, connecting the Legion House with 436 and 444 MacLaren St.

Taggart’s Heritage Impact Assessment describes the proposed tower as a “beacon.”

“Its dramatic shape not only acts as a guide to the downtown core but will also be visible as a new iconic piece in the Ottawa skyline from the Queensway. The slender shape of the tower with its sculpted facades, is designed to create visual interest from far and near. A large shroud crowns the building and flows upwards to capture the top of the tower. It bisects the building mass to emphasize the verticality of the tower and creates possibilities for outdoor spaces on the upper floors.”

The cultural heritage value of the Centretown heritage conservation district lies in its role as an early residential neighbourhood, the city report said. Conserving and integrating the two MacLaren buildings into the project is “fundamental to the overall site redevelopment and its ability to respect and maintain the historic residential character of the neighbourhood.”

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Legion House, designed by the architect J.L. Kingston, was built in two stages between 1956 and 1959. The 1997 Heritage Conservation District Plan did not identify the Legion House as a “contributing building” under the plan. The original application from Taggart didn’t include retaining the building.

But city staff reevaluated the property and decided the Legion House had cultural value as the postwar headquarters for the Canadian Legion’s Dominion Command, whose primary purpose was to support returning Second World War veterans trying to adjust to civilian life. The property has been identified as a contributing building in the updated Centretown Heritage Conservation District Plan approved by city council in 2022.

“It’s not only the actual structure, but the role of the institution played in Canada’s history,” said Hunter McGill, a member of the Heritage Ottawa board and its advisory committee.

Heritage Ottawa, which champions preserving heritage buildings, has had no concerns with the consultation process, which has taken over two years, he said. But there are concerns about the height and mass of the residential tower.

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“The district is largely two-and-a-half- to three-storey brick buildings with a lot of consistency. This would be dramatically different,” McGill said.

“We feel it’s not respectful to the district and its architectural features and character.”

Heritage Ottawa plans to outline its objections to the project to the built heritage committee on Tuesday. “It would change the character of the neighbourhood just by virtue of its height and mass,” McGill said.

If the built heritage committee approves the proposal, it will go to city council.

The staff recommendations include stipulating a four-year expiry date for heritage approval, noting that the Ontario Heritage Act does not provide timelines for the expiry of heritage permits.

“Given the scale, complexity and scope of the project, a four-year expiry date is recommended to ensure that the project is completed in a timely fashion,” the staff report said.

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