Bluesfest scales down plans for former Westboro church
Neco Cockburn, The Ottawa Citizen
OTTAWA — A 98-year-old church in Westboro might be converted into a Bluesfest office space and a community centre, but the project would not include a 400-seat music hall that was presented in previous plans.
Bluesfest executive director Mark Monahan said the concept for the former Westboro United Church has changed.
“We actually did all of the drawings and costed it out, and it just in our opinion was too ambitious a project,” Monahan said on Tuesday.
“It wasn’t clear to me that it would be viable or sustainable.”
Council’s planning committee is to discuss on Monday a zoning amendment that would allow the church to be used by the Ottawa Music Foundation as office space for Bluesfest and other music organizations, as well as for a community centre and community health and resource centre.
The church, at 450 Churchill Ave. North, near Byron Avenue, was built in 1913. Under the plans, additions at the back of the church building would be demolished and the rest of the site filled with 16 three-storey townhouse units and four “live-work/office/townhouse units” in a three-storey building, says a staff report to go to the committee.
Bluesfest group vying for Church
Phil Ambroziak | EMC
Mark Monahan, executive director of Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest, recently confirmed his group’s interest in purchasing the former Westboro United Church building located at 450 Churchill Ave. N. The congregation at Kitchissippi United which was formed in 2008 when Westboro United amalgamated with Kingsway and Northwestern united churches to address the issue of small congregations – originally planned to rent space in the 97-year-old Westboro United building to various community groups, but ultimately decided the put the building up for sale earlier this year.
“The church went through the traditional process, received a number of bids, reviewed them and narrowed them down and eventually chose one,” explained Arnold Midgley, a lifelong member of the Westboro congregation. “The successful group has three principle players – developer David Spillenear of Springcrest Properties, architect Barry Hobin and the Ottawa Bluesfest people who plan to make the church building available to community users as a rentable space.”
“We have a conditional agreement to buy the church and turn it into a music hall,” Mr. Monahan said. “Essentially, we’re hoping to create a 500-seat community music hall that can also be used by other festivals and community groups throughout the year.”
Full story: Bluesfest group vying for Church
