For well over a century, the former Sisters of the Visitation of Holy Mary convent has stood as a landmark near Westboro with its large stone walls and steepled roof.
When Ashcroft Homes purchased the property in 2009, there were strong hopes it would be turned into a community space. Then plans came that would see it incorporated into a nine-storey residential high-rise development. But a decade and a half later it sits vacant and deteriorating.
Its future is now uncertain again as the property is up for sale. The reason: Ashcroft Homes was pushed into a receivership by creditors. In total, $723,567 of tax arrears have built up on the property, and another roughly $140,000 is owed to a contractor.
Documents filed with the court show the Ashcroft subsidiary known as Ashcroft Homes – 108 Richmond Road, did not keep up with interest on a $7 million loan from the Royal Bank of Canada. Other properties owned by the developer are in similar positions with different lenders.
The city has deemed the Richmond Road building unsafe and is worried about significant structural cracks to the foundation. Ashcroft was issued an order to retain a certified engineer to assess it and provide recommendations for repair, but they’ve appealed it.
That is concerning news to Heather Mitchell, vice president of the Westboro Community Association and chair of its heritage committee. She said a property of such age and calibre should have had more protections from the beginning.
“You don’t have to go far to see cities in Canada that do a great job protecting heritage. We don’t have to do the European model. Look at Montreal, look at Quebec City, or even Kingston,” she said. ”I think what happens is our Bytown heritage sometimes gets overlooked through all the national buildings that we have.”
A long history in Westboro
The former convent has a storied past of its own.
In 1865 a stone house was built on the site and later lived in by James Skead, a well known senator and lumberman who helped shape Westboro. At the time it was known as The Elms.
Then in 1910, the sisters moved in and soon built the monastery connected to the house. According to Heritage Ottawa, it ”followed a medieval plan with a monastic church in the northwest corner, designed in a French Classical style with Gothic Revival interior and an attached cloister court.” Inside was a chapel, infirmary. palliative care suite, office for the Mother Superior, refectory, kitchen, bedrooms for the sisters and workrooms.
Surrounding the property was a very large wall. The nuns, who were part of a cloistered order founded in 1610, lived a very secluded life from the world around them. Even during church services open to the public, they would hide behind a screen. The same discretion was used when visiting with their own family members.
The last eight nuns living at the property moved to Pembroke when the property was sold.
While the building has heritage designation, which means it can’t be torn down, there are concerns a new buyer could try to argue the building is no longer salvageable. Lorne Cutler, president of the Hampton Iona Community Group, says its deterioration on the exterior is noticeable.
“There’s always the risk with developers. We’ve seen numerous historic buildings around the city slowly decay due to neglect rather than actual demolition,” he said.
Hope for a reimagined future
As part of Phase 1, Ashcroft Homes did build three nine-storey buildings along Richmond Road on a portion of the former nunnery site about a decade ago. Phases two and three would have seen a retirement residence and low-rise building on the south site, and 161 housing units in a mixed-use space which incorporated the restaurant. That would have also included space for a restaurant.
With those plans now in limbo, the community is hopeful an even better vision could be brought forward. Cutler said the neighborhood felt they were not consulted enough originally.
“We wanted some control over what went into it and hopefully community space. We really never got that,” said Cutler. “No one was happy with the level of development that was proposed for the site. But it’s been approved and it is likely that the level of density is what it will be.”
But Mitchell has a slightly more optimistic view. She would like to see at least a portion of the old convent converted into a coffee shop or art gallery.
“In Westboro, we’ve got the magnificent Maple Lawn. The NCC protected the heritage garden and right next to it is the Keg restaurant. It has been preserved for everyone to enjoy,” she said. “Here we have this beautiful, large piece of heritage in our community with the former convent. I hope that the new owner will work closely with Heritage Ottawa and the community to make sure that this beautiful building is retained in some way and is shared with the community.”
The 4.23 acre convent property did not have a listing price and was accepting bids until May 28.