Macdonald Gardens Park - Park Conservation Plan

The City of Ottawa is seeking your feedback on the Conservation Plan for Macdonald Gardens Park, a 3.6-hectare park situated in ward 12, Lowertown. The park holds a significant historical background and is currently heavily utilized. Due to its unique history, careful consideration is required for the park’s development, leading to the necessity of a conservation plan. The following text and plans provided in the document folder serve as a summary of the efforts and objectives.

A community information session is scheduled for Monday June 3rd, 2024, from 6 pm to 7 pm, in the Lounge Room at the Routhier Community Centre. You can download and review the meeting presentation using the link provided to the right.

Conservation Plan Purpose

The Macdonald Gardens Park Conservation Plan aims to outline a strategy for preserving and managing the heritage values, attributes, and integrity of the Park. The Plan adheres to the Standards and Guidelines for Conservation of Historic Places in Canada. It aims to direct the conservation and stewardship of the Park’s original design by offering detailed guidelines for future interventions and rehabilitation of the park’s heritage features in a manner that honors the park’s character.

Historic interest

In 1912, the park design was prepared by Frederick G. Todd, one of Canada’s early landscape architects who planned many parks across the country. Macdonald Gardens Park was planned and developed as part of the efforts to beautify the capital in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The park area evolved from cemetery to one of Ottawa’s early planned landscapes. Constructed in 1914, Macdonald Gardens Park is of historical value as an early project of the Ottawa Improvement Commission (OIC), now known as the National Capital Commission (NCC). It was an integral part of the park system that formed Ottawa’s “Capital Landscape” between 1915-1946 (Macdonald Gardens: A Neighbourhood in Lowertown East). Todd’s plan imbued naturalistic garden design principles, reflecting the “steep terracing and picturesque cliffs while the Ottawa and Rideau Rivers rush through Ottawa” and “nature herself” to “provide a place where nature may still be enjoyed, unmarred by contact with humanity,” with “picturesque and diversified scenery.” (Character in Park Design, Canadian Municipal Journal 1:321-22). Todd’s aim was to create a tranquil setting with winding trails, native trees, and open spaces in an urban setting with views of Parliament from the Summer House (SCHV Macdonald Gardens Park, 99 Coburg). Influenced by Olmsted, the design integrated an English style of garden with a pastoral vision to forge a setting for “unconscious or indirect recreation” (Character in Park Design).

Heritage significance

In 2019 the park received designation under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act. The Official Plan, the Provincial Policy Statement, and the Ontario Heritage Act provided policy direction related to the designation (Planning Committee Report 45). https://www.heritagetrust.on.ca/oha/details?id=6092&backlinkslug=advanced-search&fields%5Bproperty_name%5D=Macdonald+Gardens+Park

The landscape’s contextual value also lies in its historic setting within the Lowertown area and its prominently located Summer House which has become a landmark for the community.

Over the years

Over the years, the 3.2 ha park has evolved from Todd’s original plan. Some changes took place between the late 1940s and the late 1970s, including the removal of the wading pool and the closure of Charlotte Street. In 1972, the City of Ottawa officially took ownership of the park. Some new trails have been added, replacing the original winding trails and expansive lawns. A massing of large trees and understory shrubs has replaced Charlotte Street. The curved walls in the northwest corner of the site, described as amphitheater walls, might not have been part of Todd’s original plan. New features and materials have been added here and there, blurring Todd’s heritage design. It is evident that over the decades, different styles of furnishings have been added to the park, with no guidance regarding the preservation of the park’s historical character. The NCC aggregate light poles have been displaced over time. It is also apparent that some park features no longer meet current city and provincial standards requirements and/or best practices on universal accessibility and lighting.

New uses have been integrated. Part of the west half of the park has been designated as a ‘mixed’ off-leash dog area. The public pressure and intensive use of the park have made it challenging to maintain grass cover in some areas. There are a number of mature trees within the park in a decline phase of their lifecycle. The Summer House atop a large grassy hill remains and provides views of Parliament and Gatineau Park from a distance.

Vision Plan recommendations

The intent of the Vision Plan is to provide an assessment of character-defining elements as well as guidance on how to preserve heritage features, restore original design intents, and acknowledge the unique park history while considering existing conditions, maintenance as well as future uses. The main intentions of the Vision Plan are as follows:

• Re-establish the character and identity of Todd’s original design for the park.
• Rehabilitate open spaces through spatial organization and by re-instating the essence of the original plan, trails, lawns, “naturalistic” principles, landforms, tree placement, and other park components.
• Preserve the heritage value and character-defining elements when considering modifications, removals, or additions to the park.
• Maintain the existing park boundaries, access points, and rehabilitate the former Charlotte Street alignment.
• Preserve critical views of Parliament, Gatineau Park and the surrounding, area as much as possible.
• Maintain the heritage value by implementing a minimal intervention approach and removing built features that do not align with the original “naturalist” original design, such as pre-cast brick features.
• Restore constructed components like the Summer House, amphitheatre, and other built features.
• Replace site furnishings with features that reflects the site’s heritage character, while addressing regulations and contributing to the park’s historical coherence.
• Relocate the NCC light poles as heritage elements and add new lighting at designated locations to improve visibility and safety.
• Recommend a single heritage-style interpretive signage.
• Preserve and protect mature existing trees on site.
• Consider the conservation plan recommendations, location, and native species list when replacing or planting new trees. Also, implement new planting to complement the open space layout.
• Find solutions to restore turf in certain areas while addressing ponding.

The vision Plan will comply with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, City of Ottawa Accessibility Design Standards, Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design, and other applicable regulations to make the park universally accessible, inclusive and safe for all users, while preserving its historical character.

The Conservation Plan provides a strategy to acknowledge, rehabilitate the cultural heritage landscape of Macdonald Gardens Park Macdonald Gardens Park. It applies The Standards and Guidelines for Conversation of Historic Places in Canada and was prepared by NAK in collaboration with the Friends of Macdonald Gardens and the City of Ottawa.

You can download and review the Macdonald Gardens Park Conservation Plan, Existing Conditions Plan, Assessment Plan, and Vision Plan using the link provided to the right.

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