Charles Billings Home

[MisterOttawa]

Looks like the Charles Billings house will be renovated.

http://app05.ottawa.ca/sirepub/viewp...082056287.PDF/

[rocketphish]

Billings House alteration approved by committee

Joanne Chianello, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: January 13, 2015, Last Updated: January 13, 2015 4:24 PM EST


An artist's rendering of proposed alterations to the Charles Billings House in Alta Vista. The portion outlined in red is designated under the Ontario Heritage Act.

In its first meeting of the new term, council’s built heritage subcommittee approved an application to alter historic Charles Billings House in Alta Vista in a split vote of four to three.

An application to build an addition to the house at 187 Billings Ave. would see 20 per cent of the original heritage building replaced, to which some committee members — including Coun. Scott Moffatt — objected. Other committee members were concerned that the stone foundation of the original structure would be replaced.


An artist’s rendering of proposed alterations to the Charles Billings House in Alta Vista. The portion outlined in red is designated under the Ontario Heritage Act. The house is in the same neighbourhood as the Billings Estate, now a museum.

With its wood frame, symmetrical façade and a side-gabled roof with central gable over the entrance, it is considered a rare example in Ottawa of the Ontario cottage style, which was popular from the 1830s to the 1870s. The Charles Billing House is a few blocks southwest of the Billings Estate on Cabot Street, which was home to five generations of the Billings family and now is a museum.

The application must now be approved by the planning committee and full council before it is finalized.

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-...4-brf-billings

[lrt's friend]

This house is on the north side of Billings Avenue and is the second oldest house (other than the Billings Estate house itself) in Alta Vista and a very old house by Ottawa standards in general.

[DEWLine]

So we'll want to be very careful with this application, then.

[rocketphish]

Proposed Billings House alterations OK'd by Ottawa planning committee

Matthew Pearson, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: January 20, 2015, Last Updated: January 20, 2015 12:29 PM EST

The planning committee has approved an application to alter the historic Charles Billings House in Alta Vista.

With its wood frame, symmetrical façade and a side-gabled roof with central gable over the entrance, the home at 187 Billings Ave. is considered a rare example in Ottawa of the Ontario cottage style, which was popular from the 1830s to the 1870s.

The Charles Billing House is a few blocks southwest of the Billings Estate on Cabot Street, which was home to five generations of the Billings family and now is a museum.

The house currently in question, which received its heritage designation last April, is also one of the earliest remaining buildings in Alta Vista.

The current owner wants to remove about 20 per cent of the designated heritage building — which will result in the loss of a window on the front façade and affect the symmetry — and construct a large addition.

However, a staff report says the new addition conserves the heritage value and attributes of the house and, because of a proposed setback, allows the historic building and its unusual orientation to the street to remain the dominant presence.

Council’s built heritage subcommittee last week narrowly approved the application in a split vote of four to three.

On Tuesday, Heritage Ottawa’s Leslie Maitland spoke in favour of the proposal, despite the plan to demolish 20 per cent of the original structure and construct the addition.

“We weren’t going to lose 20 per cent of this building, we were going to lose 100 per cent of this building,” she said, adding the historic house could have otherwise soon become an example of demolition by neglect.

Although jacking up the house to replace the stone foundation could leave it vulnerable, Maitland said she has faith in Barry Hobin, the Ottawa architect who drew up plans for the altered house.

Hobin called his design a “reinvention of a heritage building, a celebration of what it was,” and said the proposal would improve the experience of the property from the street.

“This is a very good news story,” Hobin said.

Council will have the final say at its Jan. 28 meeting.

mpearson@ottawacitizen.com
Twitter.com/mpearson78

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-...ning-committee