August 30, 2018
Adrian Gamble
Skyrise Cities
In a reversal from June, Ottawa City Council has opted to green light Ashcroft Design’s controversial plans to partially demolish and redevelop the historic Soeurs de la Visitation Westboro Convent located at 114 Richmond Road west of of downtown. Dating to the 1860s, with later additions from the 1880s and early 1900s, the Westboro Convent has laid dormant for several years, leading to speculation that it may only be a matter of time before the heritage structure suffers vandalism, arson, or demolition by neglect.
Framed by the City as a compromise between heritage and the realities of urban renewal, the latest plans would see the demolition of the heritage structure’s two-storey west wing, as well as its single-storey southern section, all of which were constructed between 1880 and the early 1900s.