Bronson Centre Cultural Heritage Evaluation Report

Bronson Centre is a community hub in downtown Ottawa containing multi-purpose rooms and performance spaces for rental to community groups. The subject property is a former Catholic high school that was expanded several times before it was sold and converted to its current use. Earlier it was the site of a substantial residence that formed part of the rows of mansions that once lined Bronson Avenue in the mid-late 19th century. Each of the buildings constructed on the property was designed by a prominent Ottawa architect and several graduates of the high school have become prominent performers, politicians, and athletes. Given property’s history, the City of Ottawa has recently included the property in its inventory of cultural heritage resources. At the same time, the Centre has begun a program of renovations and has included a more comprehensive heritage evaluation of the property as part of its strategy for funding these improvements. Carl Bray was retained by the Centre to prepare a Cultural Heritage Evaluation Report (CHER) using Provincial evaluation criteria that met the City of Ottawa’s requirements. The study method included archival research, interviews with the property owner and tenants, field inventory and a policy review. Based on this work, the CHER determined that the property is of heritage significance and satisfies the criteria for designation under the Ontario Heritage Act.