Federal government urged to pay for Centre Block display during decade-long renovations
Brian Platt, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: January 12, 2017 | Last Updated: January 12, 2017 7:25 PM EST
Next year was always going to be a challenge for Ottawa tourism, given the hangover from the splashy events happening throughout 2017 for Canada’s 150th birthday.
But 2018 comes with its own massive problem: One of the city’s prime attractions, Parliament Hill’s Centre Block, will start renovations that will take at least 10 years, and probably more like 15.
Mayor Jim Watson and Ottawa Tourism executives have been pressing the federal government to come up with a plan to keep the site looking good for tourists, and recently met with Judy Foote, the public works minister, to urge for room in the budget for aesthetic concerns.
“When the building shuts down, we can’t have just a grey tarp,” Watson told the Citizen editorial board this week. “It has to be a visual image of the Parliament buildings.”
Their request is for a “trompe l’oeil,” a method used often in Europe when significant buildings go under the knife. A large display of the building is put in front of the construction, so tourists still get a sense of the architecture and grandeur.
A facade depicting the completed restoration covers the scaffolding surrounding the Southern end of Kensington Palace on June 27, 2013 in London, England.
Kensington Palace, situated at the Western side of Hyde Park and the future home of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, is undergoing a 1 million GBP taxpayer-funded renovation.
Watson said he’s spoken with Foote, as well as Ottawa Centre MP Catherine McKenna and officials from the Prime Minister’s Office.
“They are aware they have to come up with a solution that is aesthetically pleasing, that is not just scaffolding,” he said. “If you’re going to go through this 10-year shutdown of the most photographed building, we have to ensure there is something there that is aesthetic and pleasing.”
The National Capital Commission has previously said a display like that for Centre Block would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. The entire Parliament Hill renovation project budget is around $3 billion, with the Centre Block portion expected to cost more than $1 billion.
In a statement provided to the Citizen, Foote said her office is looking into a display, but made no promises.
“The Centre Block is our most iconic building and its restoration will be an historic project,” she said. “While there will be no need for a tarp on the Centre Block until 2020, I have already asked my officials to develop options.”
Catherine Frechette, senior director of destination development for Ottawa Tourism, said visitors to Ottawa spend around $1 billion in the city each year, and those receipts are at risk without Centre Block still being an attractive sight.
She’s urging business groups in the city to take up the call with their local MPs and Foote.
“Think about things like hosting VIPs, new recruits or investors, and how important it is to showcase the city in which you run your business,” she said.
“Ultimately it is a decision that will come from Judy Foote’s office, but we think it’s important for lots of ministers and MPs to be aware of the importance.”
An aide to Catherine McKenna said the Ottawa Centre MP knows about the concerns, but otherwise reserved comment.
There is at least one promising sign for a Centre Block display: The renovation of Postal Station B at the corner of Elgin and Sparks streets, being undertaken by Foote’s ministry, was given a large Canada 150 wrap.
The old Canada Post building at the corner of Elgin Street and Sparks Street under renovations covered with a Canada 150 banner.
Watson and Frechette also pointed out that two new sites — the glass-domed House of Commons in the West Block courtyard, and the new Senate Chamber in the Government Conference Centre — will be open for tourist tours and that should be popular.
But Frechette said the lengthy renovation will make it all the more important for visitors to take in the Parliament Hill experience in 2017 — while they still can.
http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news...k-display-during-decade-long-renovations
Prev
)
Linear Mode
