Endangered landmark

The Heritage Canada Foundation has an annual contest to identify neglected, historic landmarks. Or, as the organization describes it: "sites at risk due to neglect, lack of funding, inappropriate development and weak legislation."

It has occurred to me, and others working here in the once-beautiful, historic National Press Building across from Parliament Hill, that we might just be working in one of those blighted zones. 

For reasons unclear to many denizens of this building and the Sparks Street area, the federal Public Works Department seems to be in the midst of reducing this prime political real estate in Canada to nothing but a pile of construction rubble and soulless office cubicles. As I write this, there's a banging and clattering going on that prompted one of my colleagues to yell: "We're down here! We're almost out of water."  This week, The Hill Times also wrote about what kind of mess is being made of lovely landmarks such as the old Bank of Montreal Building next door to us, not to mention the West Block, across the road. What other country -- not in the middle of armed conflict in the capital -- would allow such a mess to develop around its national legislature?

Allow me to share some photos depicting what's being done to this building, which once used to house most of the national media in this country, including CBC, Global TV  and CTV (since moved to swankier office buildings a block away.)   

On the left, you can see the Toronto Star offices here on the fourth floor (our pals at Macleans are just down the hall).

On the right, have a look at the state of the stairs, walls and floors here in this construction zone.  

Here on the left, political nostalgics might want to avert their eyes. Yes, that's the old National Press Club, long gone, broke, bankrupt and silent.

Even if you aren't a political junkie, or a particular fan of the media, you do have to wonder what's the plan here. This is Canada's political main street and thanks to construction and some mysterious Public Works, strategic plan,  the whole area is growing increasingly uninhabited and uninhabitable. All these buildings you see below, stretching from here to the Prime Minister's Office at Langevin Block, are basically empty or in the midst of being turned into cubicle jungles. I'd say that fits the Heritage Canada Foundation's definition of "inappropriate development." 

Comments

[Owen]

Susan,

Excellent post. I have been in and out of this area for years and I guess it is like the frog in the pot of boiling water you never notice the rise in temperature until it is too late. I didn't really think about how run down the two blocks have come to look until you pointed it out.

[anonlinereader]

Thank you Susan Delacourt for working thru Harper's 3 month Xmas vacation . (11 weeks & 3days break)

Do you have pictures of Harper's Ottawa Communication bunker ? Is it true that the Government's approx. 26 news sites are run by the PMO out of that bunker ?

Is the Press Gallery not loosing influence in the age of spin , one liners , not answering question , fibbing , photo ops , Government press releases , pre submitted questions and 5 question limits all put in by this regeime ?

[geo]

This building is nice but really means nothing to me and most Canadians....we could go on and fix every building that ever existed in Ottawa that housed anyone and everyone.
What makes this one any more special than any other old building from the past?
Just because the media occupied the place? Why is that of any significance to most Canadians?
Don't wait for the tax dollars if you like it so much, get all the national media groups chipping in and fixing the building on their dime.
You could even start up the fund raising and organizing yourself Susan.

[MyThought]

Historical buildings should never, never be let go.

If Harper loves Canada, he'd have to love it's history, otherwisel he's a fraud.

Good article Susan.

[WJM]

It's criminal what happened to that old Bank of Montreal.

It was one of the last active "temple of commerce" style bank branches in the country, and should have been allowed to stay that way. What a loss.

[Jim M]

Thanks for the Heritage landmark contest info, Susan. I will owe you a tour if my nomination wins. (Unless you are afraid of ghosts;) http://www.joejack.com/theoldstonechurch.html

[Debbie]

Susan are you implying that this building has gone from pristine condition to a old decrepit run down shack in 4 years? Perhaps the construction that you talk about is working to fix the old guy up and it will go back to its former pristine condition that it was in when the Liberals were in power. Have you talked to the construction people about how much longer before it becomes "appropriate development". I see that you vacation did nothing to improve your partisan ramblings. Good to see some things never change.