FORMER RICHMOND RD CONVENT - DEMOLITION BY NEGLECT STRIKES AGAIN
HERITAGE OTTAWA
Heritage Ottawa was notified that a new development is being proposed for the former Sisters of the Visitation Convent at 114 Richmond Road in Westboro. After serving as a cloister for over a century, the property was designated heritage before being sold in 2009 to Ashcroft Homes, who left it vacant and decaying for some 15 years.
The site recently sold to Concorde Properties following a court-approved receivership process.
A bit of background
In 2019, Heritage Ottawa reluctantly supported a development proposal by Ashcroft Homes that included demolition of a portion of the convent on the understanding that the rest of the heritage designated building would be restored, as was stipulated in the agreement with the City.
The approved development was never carried out and the heritage convent continued to sit vacant and suffering from demolition by neglect, as none of the conservation work was undertaken.
Current situation
The new owner has submitted a zoning bylaw amendment to the City proposing to build much needed low-rise housing. Heritage Ottawa supports in principle the development of the site at a lower density than previously approved, however the construction of 170 housing units comprised of six stacked townhouse blocks and a four-storey apartment building will require the demolition of 66% of the convent, including the chapel and its distinctive belle cote.
"Although Heritage Ottawa appreciates that Concorde Properties is not responsible for the neglect caused by the previous owner,” said Linda Hoad of Heritage Ottawa’s Advocacy Committee. “We are opposed to the development plan in its current form. It comes at a devastating cost to the heritage designated former convent and its cultural landscape.”
The demolition of the full western half of the convent building means the destruction of the unique central courtyard cloister, a rare example of its kind in Ontario, and an important part of the property's cultural heritage value.
The distinctive Gothic Revival-style house known as The Elms, constructed in 1864, and the east wing will be spared.
The current proposal would also see the removal of the mature maple trees that delineate the publicly accessible ‘Nun’s Walk’ pathway on the east side of the property to the south of the convent, one of the key heritage attributes that led to its designation.
Heritage Ottawa and the neighbouring community associations are working together in order to save this important feature, and to ensure that the rehabilitation of the remaining convent be undertaken as a priority, not an after thought.
