The City of Ottawa has hired a local architect to consult on the “rehabilitation” of the Aberdeen Pavilion at Lansdowne Park.
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A proposed plan for the “rehabilitation” of the Aberdeen Pavilion at Lansdowne Park is expected to cost just over $6 million, the city confirmed to OBJ Tuesday.
In a statement to OBJ, Matt Knight, manager of design and construction for facilities at the City of Ottawa, said the pavilion “is set to undergo targeted rehabilitation of the historic structure,” including roof replacement, metal work repairs, and structural rehabilitation. Construction is expected to start next year and be completed in late 2026.
The project is currently in the design phase, and the City of Ottawa has hired local firm RMA+SH architects to consult on the project.
The initial project budget was set at $6.2 million, which is specific to the design and structural work required for the project, said Knight. He said an updated budget will be brought forward during the city’s budget process this fall.
“Construction will be coordinated with other activities at Lansdowne, including Lansdowne 2.0 to ensure safety for all site users,” he said.
In an application dated May 28, RMA+SH architects says the goal of the proposed project is to “address long-term deterioration and issues … observed on many aspects of the building since the building was last rehabilitated in the early 1990s.”
The architects say the roof is of particular concern, with “significant water entry through the metal roofing panels, lack of any waterproofing membranes, and subsequently, accelerated deterioration of the wood board decking visible on the building interior.”
The application said the conservation approach will involve “primarily rehabilitation, with some elements of restoration and replacement.”
The application proposes replacing the existing galvanized steel Spanish tile roofing on the lower roof, which was installed in 1929, as well as the snow guards on the north and south entries. Roofing on the dome, clerestory, and east and west entry pavilions, installed in the 1990s, would also be replaced.
The existing galvanized steel sheet roofing, cornices and columns on the turrets and cupola will be retained, repaired and repainted, the application stated.
The existing “non-functional” heat-trace system will also be replaced to mitigate issues with snow and ice buildup, which have damaged the roof and created safety issues.
The wood, single-pane window sashes that were replaced and the wood window frames repaired in the 1990s will be restored, according to the application, while the channel supporting the clerestory windows along the entire length of the north and south elevation will also be replaced.
The wood double doors located on each entry pavilion were replaced in the 1990s with replicas. According to the application, the door leafs and frames are in “very poor condition with inadequate joinery techniques and significant deterioration and as such will be replaced.”
The existing metal doors, introduced in the 1990s, will be replaced.
The interior of the building will undergo restoration to replace the existing yellow paint, which was found to contain lead. The concrete slab floor, which the architect found to have “poor subgrade conditions,” will be replaced.
The Aberdeen Pavilion was designed in 1898 by Moses Chamberlain Edey and constructed by the Dominion Bridge Company in a late-Victorian style. The structure is about 43,000 square feet and is the only large-scale exhibition building in Canada surviving from the 19th century.
The landmark was almost demolished several decades ago but was eventually restored. It is currently part of talks surrounding the Lansdowne 2.0 redevelopment proposal, with some critics arguing that the new project will overshadow the pavilion.
