NCC Sussex Courtyards

[J.OT13]

I thought we had an NCC Sussex Courtyard thread, but I can't seem to find it (if it exists), so here's the presentation and materials from last week's Board Meeting:

https://ncc-website-2.s3.amazonaws.c...tic-Design.pdf

https://ncc-website-2.s3.amazonaws.c...Courtyards.pdf


https://twitter.com/NCC_CCN/status/1...C-lez6zu0sAAAA

And NCC Project website:

https://ncc-ccn.gc.ca/our-plans/suss...campaign=board

[J.OT13]

NCC Sussex Courtyard presentation from yesterday's Board Meeting:

https://ncc-website-2.s3.amazonaws.c...tic-Design.pdf

[J.OT13]

Posting some of the slides from the above presentation.

Here are the Courtyards as they exist today. Italic is from the NCC's website.

Spanning four housing blocks, the Sussex Courtyards feature one of the Capital’s oldest neighbourhoods. The courtyards, which have been preserved and developed as part of our architectural heritage, provide a unique urban experience in Canada’s Capital.




Clarendon

Pass through an iron archway from George Street into a 19th century world of limestone buildings, where canopied doorways and tall windows provide glimpses of fine art, restaurant terraces and other boutiques.



York

From historical buildings with century-old walls, to new constructions with glass and brick accents, this court is a beautiful blend of old-world and modern-day charm.



Jeanne d'Arc

The Jeanne d’Arc Institute, for which this courtyard is named, is associated with the sisters of the institute, who operated a boarding house for young working women from 1917 to 1980. As you enter Jeanne d’Arc Court, the quietest of the Sussex Courtyards, you will catch sight of a large, exuberant sculpture of a child with a hoop and an Inuit sculpture of a bear. Century-old windows peer down from old limestone walls in this court.



Tin House

This courtyard features an unusual work of art created by tinsmith Honoré Foisy, who lived in Lowertown between 1902 and 1916. He worked for years to embellish his house with hundreds of hand-sized pieces of tin, meticulously soldered to form this elaborate decoration. Restaurant terraces and a fountain are also located within the courtyard.



Beaux Art

In the shadow of the Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica, and near the National Gallery of Canada, it is the newest of the Sussex Courtyards. An angel statue can be found at its north end, and a restaurant terrace is situated within the courtyard.

[J.OT13]

Here's the overall plan.



And here are the proposals for each Courtyard.

Clarendon and York



Jeanne d'Arc



Tin House



Beaux Art Option A



Beaux Art Option B

[J.OT13]

The difference between Beaux Art A and B are the infill buildings on each corner, Murray and Sussex and St. Patrick and Sussex. I prefer option B, with the infills. The current empty spaces (restaurant patio on Murray, pathway and greenery on St. Patrick) break-up Sussex's street wall in an undesirable way. The blank walls cheapen the experience.

[DTcrawler]

Just two weeks ago I took a walk through the four courtyards and was shocked by their beauty and immense potential. Despite living downtown and frequenting the market quite often, I rarely acknowledge the courtyards’ existence. I’ve caught glimpses of them before, usually while accessing restaurants like The Courtyard or Sidedoor, but I never knew there was a network of four distinctly named courtyards, spanning four blocks and managed by the NCC. Judging by the low foot traffic I saw in the courtyards despite the market itself being quite busy, I’d guess most others don’t know about the courtyards either, or don’t care enough to explore them.

I really hope the NCC realizes what a treasure it has on its hands, and makes a real attempt at drawing more people over there. These revitalization signs are promising, but to really activate the space I want to see interactive art exhibits, buskers, and occupied storefronts (many of them were vacant much like Sparks). Pedestrians crosswalks should be installed mid-block on Murray and Clarence (one already exists on York) to create a seamless transition between the four courtyards.

The courtyards are a huge asset in terms of having the potential to be an arts/culture hub for the city, and to showcase beautiful, historical architecture with a big European vibe. Hope we see movement on this plan soon!

[YukonLlama]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

The difference between Beaux Art A and B are the infill buildings on each corner, Murray and Sussex and St. Patrick and Sussex. I prefer option B, with the infills. The current empty spaces (restaurant patio on Murray, pathway and greenery on St. Patrick) break-up Sussex's street wall in an undesirable way. The blank walls cheapen the experience.

I actually prefer the opposite. The Beaux Arts court is rarely frequented, and more patios from restaurants would really liven them up a bit. The open area isn't really the issue; the fact that the area completely underutilized is.

[Kitchissippi]

The NCC has been fiddling around with these courtyards for as long as I remember but nothing happens in them because with the exception of Clarendon court they don’t seem to allow anyone to do anything in them. Putting articulated connecting crosswalks between them is such a no-brainer, I don’t know why they didn’t do that decades ago. The signage is insular and over-wrought yet there’s very little wayfinding that leads from one to another.

[mykl]

Am I the only person who wishes they would leave these courtyard alone? I love that they're quiet. We don't need to monetize every inch of the city. The world needs little places for people to stumble upon. Relax in. Eat a sandwich.

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by mykl

Am I the only person who wishes they would leave these courtyard alone? I love that they're quiet. We don't need to monetize every inch of the city. The world needs little places for people to stumble upon. Relax in. Eat a sandwich.

The recent intervention in the Tin Court was not an improvement, istm.

[YOWetal]

Originally Posted by mykl

Am I the only person who wishes they would leave these courtyard alone? I love that they're quiet. We don't need to monetize every inch of the city. The world needs little places for people to stumble upon. Relax in. Eat a sandwich.

That's certainly the prevalent attitude in Ottawa. The Dancing Bear Courtyard is perfect for that. Rarely used though it would be crowded with more than a handful of people anyway. The rest already have some commercial presence and are vastly underused. I am sure any plan would leave some benches for the mythical sandwich eater/homeless drug injector to enjoy.

[Kitchissippi]

I don't think the Courtyards should be overly programmed either, it should just be better promoted as a walking route, which should make it safer if more people pass through it.

Parts of if it could possibly be a seasonal "Allée des artistes" like they have in Quebec City and Montreal, but I doubt the NCC would want something that "messy".

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by mykl

Am I the only person who wishes they would leave these courtyard alone? I love that they're quiet. We don't need to monetize every inch of the city. The world needs little places for people to stumble upon. Relax in. Eat a sandwich.

Had they left them alone, I would have had no problem. Improvements to the Courtyards never crossed my mind because they are near perfect paces as is.

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

The recent intervention in the Tin Court was not an improvement, istm.

Removing the fountain was particularly upsetting.

[Richard Eade]

But this is Ottawa: Fountains only get installed to run for one or two seasons before they are shut down permanently. It seems that we can manage to winterize a fountain once or twice, but then we don't and it gets ruined. Thus, the story becomes: Fountains are too expensive to maintain properly, and if they are not maintained, they are too expensive to repair. Best not to have them at all, since they simply become non-functional, ugly reminders of failure.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by Richard Eade

But this is Ottawa: Fountains only get installed to run for one or two seasons before they are shut down permanently. It seems that we can manage to winterize a fountain once or twice, but then we don't and it gets ruined. Thus, the story becomes: Fountains are too expensive to maintain properly, and if they are not maintained, they are too expensive to repair. Best not to have them at all, since they simply become non-functional, ugly reminders of failure.

For sure, we have a lot of examples of this. I think Confederation and Strathcona parks is the only one that has stood the test of time. Does it mean only heritage fountains can work in the long-run?

With the ever increasing temperatures, fountains/water features become more and more crucial for our urban centres to provide some respite from the heat. I'd like to see a hole lot more of them.

[zzptichka]

Feels like every time I go there one of the courtyards is closed for construction.