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5. DESIGNATION
OF ST. ISIDORE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH, 1135 MARCH ROAD, UNDER PART IV OF THE
ONTARIO HERITAGE ACT
DÉSIGNATION DE L’ÉGLISE CATHOLIQUE ST. ISIDORE, SITUÉE AU 1135, CHEMIN
MARCH, AUX TERMES DE LA PARTIE IV DE LA LOI SUR LE PATRIMOINE DE L’ONTARIO
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Committee
Recommendation As amended
That Council approve in lieu of the recommendation for the heritage
designation, that the expanded church includes: the stonework, the stained
glass windows and the bell, that forms part of the existing church as well as a
replica of the former steeple.
Recommandation modifiÉe du Comité
Que le Conseil approuve qu’en guise
et lieu d’une recommandation pour la désignation patrimoniale, l’église
agrandie comprenne : la maçonnerie en pierres, les vitraux et la cloche
qui font partie de l’église actuelle, ainsi qu’une réplique de l’ancienne
flèche.
Documentation
1.
Deputy
City Manager's report Infrastructure Services and Community Sustainability
dated 29 April 2009 (ACS2009-ICS-PLA-0043).
2. Extract of Draft Minutes, 28 May 2009.
Report to/Rapport au :
Local Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee
Comité consultatif sur la
conservation de l'architecture locale
and / et
Agriculture and Rural Affairs Advisory Committee
Comité
de l’agriculture et des questions rurales
and Council / et au Conseil
29 April 2009 / le 29 avril 2009
Submitted by/Soumis par : Nancy Schepers, Deputy City Manager /
Directrice municipale adjointe,
Infrastructure Services and Community
Sustainability
Services d’infrastructure et Viabilité des
collectivités
Contact
Person/Personne-ressource : John Smit, Manager/Gestionnaire,
Development Review-Urban Services/Examen des
projets d'aménagement-Services urbains, Planning and Growth Management/Urbanisme
et Gestion de la croissance
(613)
580-2424, 13866 John.Smit@ottawa.ca
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Ref N°: ACS2009-ICS-PLA-0043
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SUBJECT:
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Designation of St.
isidore roman catholic church, 1135 March road, under part iv of the ontario
heritage act
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OBJET :
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DÉsignation DE
L’ÉGLISE CATHOLIQUE St. isidore, SITUÉE AU 1135, CHEMIN March, AUX TERMES DE
LA PARTIE iv DE LA LOI SUR LE PATRIMOINE DE
L’ontario
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REPORT RECOMMENDATION
That the Local Architectural Conservation Advisory
Committee recommend that Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee recommend that
Council approve the designation of the St. Isidore Roman Catholic Church, 1135
March Road, under Part IV of the Ontario
Heritage Act in accordance with the Statement of Cultural Heritage Value,
attached as Document 4.
RECOMMANDATION DU RAPPORT
Que le Comité consultatif sur la conservation de
l’architecture locale recommande au Comité de l’agriculture et des questions
rurales de recommander à son tour au Conseil municipal d’approuver la
désignation de l’église catholique St. Isidore, située au 1135, chemin March,
aux termes de la partie IV de la Loi sur le patrimoine de l’Ontario,
conformément à l’énoncé des raisons motivant la désignation de biens ayant une
valeur sur le plan du patrimoine culturel, qui font l’objet du document 4,
ci-annexé.
BACKGROUND
St. Isidore
Roman Catholic Church, 1135 March Road (see Location Map, Document 1 and Bird’s
Eye View, Document 2), was constructed in 1885 to the designs of Georges
Bouillon, a priest-architect, and has served the local community since
then. Recently, the increasing
suburbanization of this part of Ottawa has lead to a dramatic increase in the
size of the congregation and overcrowding at the church. Faced with the need to expand the
facilities, the church began to examine its options to accommodate growth in
2007. Originally it was thought that
the project would involve a renovation and expansion of the existing building,
however, costs and concerns about the condition of the building lead to the
eventual conclusion that a new church was the preferred option of
parishioners.
Heritage staff
received inquiries about St. Isidore’s heritage status throughout the above
decision-making process. Callers
interested in having the building designated under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act were advised to
submit a request to the City.
In July 2008, a
request to designate was received.
Preliminary research conducted by staff confirmed that St. Isidore Roman
Catholic Church has cultural heritage value and is worthy of protection under
Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act. The property owner was subsequently notified
of this request and informed that he would be notified when a report was
scheduled to be presented to the Local Architectural Conservation Advisory
Committee (LACAC), Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee (ARAC) and City
Council.
DISCUSSION
Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act gives
municipalities the authority to designate properties of cultural heritage
value. In order to be designated, the
City’s LACAC considers the designation and makes a recommendation to ARAC and
City Council. Council’s decision can be
appealed by the owner. If there is an
appeal, a Conservation Review Board hearing is held and its decision is
referred back to Council. At that
point, Council has the choice either to uphold or withdraw the designation.
Official Plan
The Official Plan has heritage provision in “Cultural
Heritage Resources,” Section 2.5.5.2 and 2.5.5.5. These policies provide for
the identification and designation of individual buildings under Part IV of the
Ontario Heritage Act, stating that:
Individual buildings, structures and cultural heritage landscapes
will be designated as properties of cultural heritage value under Part IV of
the Heritage Act,” and that
The City will give immediate consideration to the designation of any
cultural heritage resources under the Heritage Act if that resource is
threatened with demolition.
The recommended designation of St.
Isidore Roman Catholic Church is consistent with these policies.
Provincial Policy Statement
Section 2.6.1 of the Provincial Policy Statement (2005) contains
policies regarding the conservation of cultural heritage resources: “Significant built heritage resources and significant cultural
heritage landscapes shall be conserved.”
Research conducted by staff confirmed that St. Isidore Roman Catholic
Church has cultural heritage value and is worthy of protection under Part IV of
the Ontario Heritage Act. Ontario Regulation 09/06 outlines the
criteria for determining cultural heritage value or interest (see Document
3). Designating the property will be
consistent with the PPS.
The church was
constructed on land deeded from parishioner and early settler, James
Lahey. Initially the congregation
worshipped in a simple log structure, eventually building the present church in
1887. St. Isidore was constructed to
the designs of Georges Bouillon, a Roman Catholic priest who was also an
architect who lived and worked in the Outaouais at the time. Bouillon was particularly active in the
1880s; during the decade, he designed the Chapel of the Rideau Street convent,
now rebuilt inside the National Gallery of Canada and St. Dominique Church in
Luskville, Quebec, Saint Hugues in Sarsfield and many others. Interestingly, St. Dominique shares
many characteristics with St. Isidore and features the same round arch windows,
gable roof and stone construction.
St. Isidore
Roman Catholic Church is a rectangular, stone structure with a steeply pitched
gable roof and an open bell tower. The
stone of the principle façade is rough cut and laid in even courses. Smoother stone is used for the other
facades. The upper part of front façade
is distinguished by a large round-arched window flanked by two smaller windows
and, below it, a large round-arched door flanks two smaller doors. The doors and window have stone
voussoirs. There are five round arch
windows on the north and south facades.
A small round window is featured in the gable end.
Stylistically,
the building is similar to many of the small, simple Roman Catholic churches
built in rural Quebec and Ontario in the latter part of the 19th
century. The design of these churches
often ignored the Gothic Revival style so popular for church architecture at
the time and referred back to classical idioms, with their round arched
windows, symmetrical facades and relatively unembellished exterior surfaces
(for the Heritage Survey Form, please see Document 4).
St. Isidore
Roman Catholic Church meets a number of the criteria in Ontario Regulation
09/06. It has design value as a good
example of a small stone Roman Catholic church found in eastern Ontario and
western Quebec in the latter part of the 19th century; it has
associative value as a reminder of the early history of the Roman Catholic
population of March Township and is a rare Ontario example of the work of
Georges Bouillon, a notable priest architect.
Finally, St. Isidore, has contextual value within the rapidly changing
landscape of this part of Ottawa as a reminder of the former way of life in the
rural township of March. Its setting
beside the Rectory (built 1899) and the cemetery, with access from March
Road along a tree-lined driveway evokes the rural character of the area, making
it a local landmark.
The Act requires that a
statement of the property’s cultural heritage value or interest, including its
heritage attributes, be prepared and published in a local newspaper. Please see the Statement of Significance at
Document 5.
Conclusions
The proposed designation of St. Isidore Roman Catholic Church is
consistent with the Official Plan and the Provincial Policy Statement and it
meets one or more of the Criteria for designation in Regulation 09/06. Staff thus recommends that the building be
designated under Part IV of the Ontario
Heritage Act.
CONSULTATION
The Archdiocese
of Ottawa, and the administration and congregation of St. Isidore Roman
Catholic Church have been notified of the request to designate the church and
the City’s intention to do so. They
have raised strong objections to the designation as expressed in the
correspondence included as Document 6.
The factors are related to liturgy and function, such as the absence of
a meeting room, narthex, and baptismal font.
Other issues include the lack of washrooms, adequate space for services,
a damp crawl space and cracks in the masonry.
These factors, however, are not used in determining a building’s
cultural heritage value. There have
been strong objections to the proposed designation by the archdiocese and the
community.
Councillor Eli
El-Chantiry, Ward Councillor for West Carleton-March is aware of the proposed
designation and does not support it.
Heritage staff
met on two occasions with representatives of St. Isidore’s and the Ward
Councillor. In October 2008 a meeting
was held at the church at which the designation request, process, provincial
regulation 09/06 regarding criteria for determining cultural heritage value were
discussed. Staff also met with the project
architect to discuss the congregations’ program requirements.
LEGAL/RISK MANAGEMENT IMPLICATIONS:
The
Ontario Heritage Act provides that for a Part IV designation, Notice of
Intention to Designate is to be given followed by a 30-day period in which
objections may be filed. If no
objections are filed, Council may pass a by-law to designate the property.
If
one or more objections are filed, a hearing is held by the Conservation Review
Board. The Conservation Review Board
would then complete a report for Council’s consideration. Council is to consider the report and then
decide with to continue with or abandon the designation of the property.
FINANCIAL
IMPLICATIONS
N/A
SUPPORTING
DOCUMENTATION
Document 1 Location map
Document 2 Bird’s Eye View
Document 3 Regulation 9/06, Criteria for determining
cultural heritage value
Document 4 Statement of Cultural Heritage Value
Document 5 Heritage Survey and Evaluation Form
Document 6 Statement of Significance
Document 7 Letters of objection
DISPOSITION
City Clerk and Legal Services Branch, Legislative Services to notify
the property owner (St. Isidore Roman Catholic Church, 1135 March Road,
Ottawa, Ontario, K2K 1X7 and the Archdiocese of Ottawa, 1247 Kilborn Place,
Ottawa, Ontario, K1H 6K9) and the Ontario Heritage Trust (10 Adelaide
Street East, 3rd Floor, Toronto, Ontario, M5C 1J3) of Council’s
decision to designate St. Isidore Roman Catholic Church, 1135 March Road, under
Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act.
Planning and Growth Management
branch to advertise the Notice of Intention to Designate according to the Act
and subsequent Notice of the passage of the designation by-law.
Planning
and Growth Management Department to include the property on the municipal
heritage register.
Legal Services
to prepare the designation by-law, submit it to City Council for enactment,
serve the by-law and register it on title following passage by Council.
ONTARIO REGULATION 9/06
CRITERIA FOR DETERMINING CULTURAL
HERITAGE VALUE OR INTEREST
Consolidation Period: From January 25, 2006 to the e-Laws currency date.
This is the English version of a bilingual regulation.
Criteria
1. (1) The criteria set out in subsection (2) are
prescribed for the purposes of clause 29 (1) (a) of the Act. O. Reg. 9/06,
s. 1 (1).
(2) A property may be designated under section 29
of the Act if it meets one or more of the following criteria for determining
whether it is of cultural heritage value or interest:
1. The property has design value or physical value because it,
i. is a rare, unique, representative or early example of a style, type,
expression, material or construction method,
ii. displays a high degree of craftsmanship or artistic merit, or
iii. demonstrates a high degree of technical or scientific achievement.
2. The property has historical value or associative value because it,
i. has direct associations with a theme, event, belief, person,
activity, organization or institution that is significant to a community,
ii. yields, or has the potential to yield, information that contributes
to an understanding of a community or culture, or
iii. demonstrates or reflects the work or ideas of an architect, artist,
builder, designer or theorist who is significant to a community.
3. The property has contextual value because it,
i. is important in defining, maintaining or supporting the character of
an area,
ii. is physically, functionally, visually or historically linked to its
surroundings, or
iii. is a landmark. O. Reg. 9/06, s. 1 (2).
HERITAGE SURVEY
AND EVALUATION FORM DOCUMENT
5
HERITAGE SURVEY AND EVALUATION
FORM
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Address
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1135
March Road
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Building
name
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St.
Isidore Roman Catholic Church
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Construction date
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1887
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Original
owner
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Roman
Catholic Archdiocese of Ottawa
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PHASE ONE
EVALUATION
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Potential significance
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Considerable
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Some
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Limited
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None
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Design
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2
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History
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3
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Context
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2
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Phase One Score
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7 / 9
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Design or Physical Value
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prepared
by Sally Coutts
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month/year
January 2009
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Architecture
(style, building type, expression, material, construction method)
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St.
Isidore Roman Catholic Church is a rectangular stone structure with a steeply
pitched gable roof and an open bell tower. The stone of the principle façade
is rough cut and laid in even courses. Smoother stone is used for the other
facades, The upper part of front façade is distinguished by a large
semi-circular window flanked by two smaller windows and, below it, a large
semi-circular door flanked by two smaller doors. The doors and window have stone voussoirs. There are five semi-circular windows on
the north and south facades. A small
round window is featured in the gable end.
The church is similar to the type
of smaller churches built by the Roman Catholic church throughout Quebec and
eastern Ontario in the 19th century. The design of these churches
was influenced by French classical traditions in church architecture and
demonstrates that that the Catholic church often chose not to build in the
Gothic Revival style which was so popular for Protestant churches at the
time, choosing instead flat symmetrical facades, round, not pointed arch
windows and doors.
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Craftsmanship/Artistic
merit
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The rectory, a large red brick
structure, was constructed in 1899.
The
stained glass memorial windows were installed in 1934.
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Technical/Scientific
merit
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N/A
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Summary
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St.
Isidore Roman Catholic Church is a good example of the type a small rural
parish church built by French Canadian church architects in the 19th century. It demonstrates the
role that the parish church played in Ottawa’s earliest settlements.
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Sources
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St.
Isidore’s Roman Catholic Church web-site, www.stisidorekanata.com
Trépanier,
Paul, “Eclecticism in the architecture of Québec Catholic Churches…” on www.patrimoine-religieux.gc.ca
Kalman, Harold History of
Canadian Architecture (1994)
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Historical and Associative Value
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prepared
by Sally Coutts
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month/year January 2009
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Date
of construction (factual/estimated)
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1887
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Themes/Events/Persons/Institutions
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The
history of the Roman Catholic Parish of March and its church is similar to
the history of many churches of all denominations across Canada. Early settlers struggled to attract
priests of ministers to their communities and to build churches. As the lands
were taken up and the population grew, the churches expanded and new
buildings replaced old. These
churches are an abiding part of Canada’s rural landscape and serve as a
reminder of the settlement of the land and the role that religion played in
the day-to-day lives of Canadians in the 19th century.
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Community
History
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St.
Isidore Roman Catholic Church was located in March Township, Carleton County,
now part of the City of Ottawa. March
Township was settled by soldiers who had received land grants after serving
in the War of 1812. From the 1820s
additional settlers arrived, predominantly from Ireland. For many years the
community was served by visiting priests and services were held in private
houses. In 1836 the first church, a
small log structure, was constructed and then consecrated by Bishop Bourget
of Montreal. This church was enlarged
in the 1850s and eventually demolished with the completion of the stone
church in 1887. By 1884 there were 97 families in the parish and the local
priest believed that a new church was warranted. He obtained a loan from the Diocese, hired architect-priest
Canon Georges Bouillon to draw up plans and supported the efforts of the
community to raise money for the construction of the new church. The land for the church was donated by
James Lahey, an early settler, and one of the first parishioners.
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Designer/Architect
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Father
Georges Bouillon (1841-1932)
Bouillon
was a Catholic priest and an architect.
He studied in Ottawa and Quebec, where his talents as a draftsman were
noted. During his long career, he
designed or contributed to the design of many churches in Quebec and eastern
Ontario. His most famous local work was the Rideau Chapel which was
demolished and later reconstructed in the National Gallery. Other works by
Bouillon include St-Francois-de-Sales, Pointe Gatineau, a chapel (now
demolished) at the University of Ottawa, and a number of small churches (see
attached list). Bouillon’s commissions were influenced by a trip that he took
to Europe early in his training as a designer where he visited many churches.
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Summary
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St.
Isidore’s is a good example of a small 19th century parish church
and the work of priest-architect Canon Georges Bouillon. Its history represents the development of
the Roman Catholic community in March Township.
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Sources
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Contextual Value
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prepared
by Sally Coutts
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month/year January 2009
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Community
Character
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St.
Isidore Roman Catholic Church is located on March Road, a busy north-south
road in the historic former township of March. Recent years have seen
extensive development of housing and complexes associated with the technology
industry along March Road and its long-time rural character has ceased to
exist. The church is located on a large property and is surrounded by open
space, much of it devoted to parking lots.
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Context/Links
to Surroundings
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St.
Isidore Roman Catholic Church is provides a link to the former rural
character of March Township.
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Landmark
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St.
Isidore Roman Catholic Church is a local landmark. Its attractive setting,
flanked by the rectory and cemetery, with a tree-lined driveway leading to
its front entrance, enhances its landmark status.
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Summary
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St.
Isidore Roman Catholic Church is a local landmark that evokes the rural
character and history of the former Township of March.
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View
of St. Isidore’s, looking west, showing tree-lined driveway.
Catalogue de l'œuvre architecturale de Georges
Bouillon dans la région de la capitale fédérale et en Outaouais
1871 Ottawa, Plan du cimetière Notre-Dame,
Complété en 1872
1872 Hull, Plan du décor intérieur de l'église Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, Église
construite en 1870-1871 et détruite par le feu en 1888
1876-1882 Ottawa, Décor intérieur de la
basilique-cathédrale Notre-Dame,
Complété en 1883
1879 Gatineau, Plan du presbytère
Saint-François-de-Sales, Complété en 1881
1881 Ottawa, Plans de l'édifice et du décor de la chapelle de la maison mère
des Sœurs de la Charité, Complétée en 1885; très altérée dans les années 1960
1881 Papineauville, Plans du presbytère Sainte-Angélique,
Construit en 1882
1884 Luskville, Plan de l'église
Saint-Dominique, Construite en
1884-1885
1885 Ottawa, Plans du décor intérieur de l'église Saint-Jean-Baptiste,
Réalisée en 1885-1886, détruite par le feu en 1931
1885 Kanata, Plan de l'église
Saint-Isidore, Construite en 1887-1888
1886 Sarsfield, Plan du presbytère
Saint-Hugues, Construit en 1887-1888
1886 Gatineau, Église
Saint-François-de-Sales, Construite en 1886-1887
1886 Vanier, Plans de l'église
Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes, Construite en 1887-1888, détruite par le feu
1887 Ottawa, Plans de l'édifice et du
décor de la chapelle du convent de la rue Rideau, Chapelle construite en
1887-1888, décor intérieur transféré au Musée des beaux-arts du Canada en 1988
1887 Ottawa, Plan du décor intérieur de la
chapelle de l'Université d'Ottawa, Détruite par le feu en 1903
1898
Ottawa, Plan du couvent des Dominicains et et façade de l'église
Saint-Jean-Baptiste, Travaux entrepris en 1899 jamais terminés, détruit par le
feu en 1931
1901 Gatineau, Plans du décor intérieur de
l'église Saint-François-de-Sales, Réalisé en 1902-1903, rénové
1904 Aylmer, Plans pour la reconstruction de l'église
Saint-Paul et plans des son décor intérieur, Construite en 1893-1894, détruite
par le feu en 1904 et reconstruite telle quelle en 1905-1906
Source : Luc Noppen, Au Musée de beaux-arts du Canada, « Une des plus belles chapelles
du pays », Musée des beaux-arts du Canada, 1988, p. 103-105.
Designation
of St. isidore roman catholic church, 1135 March road, under part iv of the ontario heritage act
DÉsignation DE
L’ÉGLISE CATHOLIQUE St. isidore, SITUÉE AU 1135, CHEMIN March, AUX TERMES DE LA
PARTIE iv DE LA LOI SUR LE PATRIMOINE DE L’ontario
ACS2009-ICS-PLA-0043 WEST CARLETON-MARCH (5)
A PowerPoint presentation was
offered to the Committee by Sally Coutts, Planner II, Development Review Urban
Services Branch and was declined. The
Committee heard from public delegations.
A memorandum from the Local
Architectural Conservation Authority Committee dated 28 May 2009 was
received and is held on file with the City Clerk and Solicitor.
Mr. Jerry Bellomo and Mr. Des
Adams spoke on behalf of St. Isidore Roman Catholic Church.
Mr. Bellomo stated that they do not dispute the staff report and agree
that the church is historical. The
parish however is opposed to the designation of the church as a historical
building under the Heritage Act. In the
early 1990’s and more recently in the past ten years it became apparent that
the church had become too small only seating 250 people. Therefore planning for a new church began in
the 1990’s and they retained the services of Ralph Vandenberg Architects in
2005. They felt that this architect had
the expertise and sensitivity to church and legacy properties. They had asked him to design a church to
seat 650 people and retain as much of the old church as possible. The cost for this, which retained one third
of the existing church, had a cost of approximately $7.1 million. It was determined that the parish could not
raise this sum of money nor was it possible to do the construction in phases,
which increased the cost to over $9 million.
The realistic goal for the parish is $1.5 to $3.5 million.
Mr. Bellomo stated that engineers
and other professionals inspected the existing church and the advice that they
received was not very positive - the steeple was rotting, the stonework was
deteriorating and the floor would have to be completely replaced. The reality
they had to face was that if they wanted a new, expanded Church it would have
to exclude the redevelopment of the existing Church. They therefore asked the architect for a plan B that would
construct a new church but conserve elements of the existing church. The cost for the new church came in at
approximately $3.5 million. To ensure
historical continuity much of the stonework from the existing building would be
incorporated in the internal walls of the new building, the stained glass
windows would be retained in the new building and the external design would
include a replica of the existing steeple -the existing wooden steeple is
simply not salvageable. The parish
voted 89% in favour of the new design and demolition of the existing
church. The parish has raised
approximately $1.35 million to date.
He noted that should the
designation be approved it would put the parish in financial difficulties as
well as other major difficulties. The
parish therefore requests that the Committee oppose the staff recommendation
and the historical designation.
They presented a virtual tour of
the proposed design. A copy of their
presentation is held on file with the City Clerk’s office.
Councillor Harder commented that a
lot of time and effort has gone into the project, and trying to retain as much
as possible of the existing church. She
inquired as to how much time and money had been spent to date.
Mr. Bellomo said it has been going
on for 15 years and more intensively over the last 3 years. Mr. Adams said the parish has spent
approximately $100,000 to date in fees.
Councillor Harder asked staff when
this project had come onto their radar screen to produce this report.
Ms. Coutts responded by saying
they were aware but never consulted in the fall of 2007 that were plans to
retain the building and build an addition.
Staff had learned of the referendum in the parish to demolish the church
and erect a new one in December 2007, so starting in January 2008 the Heritage
Unit started receiving phone calls and became involved by researching the
church. In July 2008 the Heritage Unit
received a letter from a community member requesting heritage designation. The report was written in 2008 and they
informed the church of the impending Committee meeting.
Councillor Harder asked if making
this an Ontario Heritage Designation allow any money to flow to the
church. Ms. Coutts stated that there
was no money through the Ontario government.
Councillor Harder commented that
this was a concern as it was with the Mayfair Theatre where financial burdens
are put onto owners such as the church.
Therefore one must look at what the best deal one can achieve and the
church is conserving stonework, stain glass windows, etc… and this is very
good. She stated that the City should
not impose these kinds of burdens on the congregation if some kind of financial
help is not available.
Councillor Brooks commented that
in his experience with old buildings and stonework the cost can be
exorbitant. There has never been enough
money in the Heritage Act for this kind of designation and it is not just.
Councillor Hunter has a long
history in local government and was involved in the founding of the Nepean
Local Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee, which designated buildings
as heritage structures. In the past he
noted the municipality and the province use to assist financially. Since the aid is no longer available it has become
punitive to own a heritage structure.
He said that if the City or province can’t be helping the owners they
should be stepping back. He noted that
this is not the original church to begin with.
The features that can be retained are being retained.
Councillor El-Chantiry said that
on October 6, 2008 he and staff had a tour of the church. They discovered many issues that were of
concern structurally. It is important
to note that 89% of the congregation are in support of this project as compared
to one letter asking for the designation.
Chair Jellett stated that there is
a much bigger issue where there is funding available when other designations
are put in place such as urban natural features but nothing is put in place for
heritage designation which may cause financial burdens and hardship for the
owners.
Councillor Hunter inquired if the
tree-lined driveway would be kept. Mr. Adams stated that there was a
willingness to keep the maple trees that are there.
Moved by Councillor El-Chantiry
WHEREAS at present St.
Isidore Church provides worship space for the communities north of the
Queensway, west to Huntmar Road, north to Thomas Dolan Parkway and east to the
Ottawa River;
AND WHEREAS the church
once served primarily rural residents and now serves not only residents of the
areas listed above but as well many new suburban parishioners;
AND WHEREAS years ago it
was recognized that a new and larger worship space was needed to accommodate
the increasing number of parishioners and to plan for the future growth;
AND WHEREAS St. Isidore
has worked diligently with Architect Ralph Vandenberg to determine whether it
was feasible to keep the current structure as part of the goal of expansion,
always hoping that the original church structure could be retained in whole or
in part;
AND WHEREAS it was
subsequently determined that expanding while keeping the current façade would
cost approximately $7.1 million and the option of completing the expansion in
phases while retaining the current façade would cost about $9 million, both
options being cost prohibitive;
AND WHEREAS it was ultimately
determined that the most feasible option was to erect a new church structure,
with a total cost of $3.5 million;
AND WHEREAS since 2007 St.
Isidore Parish has worked tirelessly to fundraise to obtain the $3.5 million
required to erect the new church and where to date the Parish has thus far
raised approximately $950,000 in cash and approximately $400,000 in pledges,
and with this money they may be able to commence construction in the near
future while continuing with fundraising.
AND WHEREAS in September
2008 city staff began to consider a heritage designation for the existing
church;
AND WHEREAS the heritage
designation will create many difficulties for St. Isidore as the current
conditions of the church are unacceptable and even dangerous to parishioners,
such as:
An inadequate heating system;
No washroom facilities within the confines of the church;
No basement except for a crawl space;
Flooding of the crawl
space every spring that leads to a musty odour that has become a health
concern;
The deteriorating condition of the floor;
Extensive cracks in the front and back stone walls; and
Two recent incidents of falling debris from the
deteriorating steeple;
AND WHEREAS, to ensure
historical continuity in the expanded church the parish has agreed to incorporate stonework, the
stained glass windows and the bell from the existing church as well as a
replica of the former steeple;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED
that in lieu of the recommendation for the heritage designation, that the
expanded church includes: the stonework, the stained glass windows and the
bell, that forms part of the existing church as well as a replica of the former
steeple.
That in lieu of the recommendation for the heritage designation,
that the expanded church includes: the stonework, the stained glass windows and
the bell, that forms part of the existing church as well as a replica of the
former steeple.
