Arts centre unveils second phase of makeover
Phase 2 unveiling reveals panoramas where concrete walls once stood
The National Arts Centre showcased spectacular new views and sounds as it unveiled the second of three phases of a massive renovation Wednesday.
In the updated Fourth Stage, which hosts hundreds of performances by up-and-comers a year, singer Gabrielle Shonk’s bluesy ballads filled the newly-expanded space.
The ceiling is higher to accommodate new LED lighting and a bigger speaker system. The taller stage now faces Elgin Street so passersby can take in the show along with concertgoers seated on purple-upholstered couches and chairs. The bar is no longer an old broom closet.
Past what will soon be a coffee shop and up a grand staircase — where people sat on cushioned seats for a free classical concert — are three glass-walled rooms that will host public and private events.
Other visitors nestled in highbacked red chairs in the terracelevel lobby.
Behind what used to be concrete walls are panoramic views sheathed in windows etched with a subtle pattern to keep passing birds from striking the glass.
From the still-unfinished lantern room — it will be lit up in the new year — to the Rossy Pavilion, the vista is the Elgin Street streetscape to Confederation Square and Parliament Hill. From the flagship O’Born Room, it includes the Rideau Canal, Shaw Centre, Château Laurier and Peace Tower.
With a striking transformation of the brutalist-style landmark, NAC brass say the aim of the $110.5-million renovation is also to make it inviting for people, whether they’re stopping in for a coffee and free Wi-Fi or a glittering event.
“Our new building is not just about beautiful architecture and design,” said president and CEO Peter Herrndorf. “It’s about becoming a place where people feel welcome day and night. We want the NAC to become the living room of the national capital, not just a place where people come at night to hear the orchestra or an NAC Presents concert or to see a play.
“We want people to spend time here day and night.”
The arts centre aims to be a place to meet a friend for a cup of coffee and take in “spectacular” views and free programming including talks, community workshops, performances and open rehearsals, Herrndorf said.
The updated cabaret-style Fourth Stage and the terracelevel rooms unveiled Wednesday are the second phase of the 18-month-old project to update the 1969 building.
Designed by architect Donald Schmitt, it’s the federal government’s biggest cultural infrastructure outlay to mark the sesquicentennial.
Phase 1, which included a fully accessible entrance from Elgin Street, relocated box office and three times as many bathrooms, was opened on Canada Day.
The third phase is the former Panorama Room, which will be rechristened the Canada Room, with space for 600 seats overlooking the Rideau Canal opening in February.
“With the addition of our new spaces, we now have more room for the community than ever before,” said Heather Gibson, the executive producer of NAC Presents, a showcase of Canadian talent like BlakDenim and Oh Susanna, who both perform at the Fourth Stage this weekend.
She’s also the programmer of the new NAC public spaces. Those spaces, such as the staircase-cum-performance space, will be offered to community groups and artists for events and gatherings.
“We want the NAC to be a place where people can gather and take part in events but we also want it to be a place where we can just hang out,” Gibson said.
Among the people the new NAC clearly hopes to draw are the likes of Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland. She had a “topsecret” working dinner with her American and Mexican counterparts in the Rossy Pavilion during NAFTA talks last week.
The NAC is still the site of many a wedding, graduation and bar mitzvah, but in the 1970s and 1980s it routinely hosted those high-level events, according to Nelson Borges, the centre’s general manager of food services.
Looking around the vast new O’Born Room with its 30-foot Douglas fir ceiling and oak floors, he imagined how its sweeping view of Ottawa landmarks — “it almost does 360 degrees” — will look with falling snow and Christmas lights.
“Back in the day, this was the place that these type of events were held,” Borges said. “We need to get back to our glory days. Now that we have the space to do that, we’re excited.”
We want the NAC to become the living room of the national capital, not just a place where people come at night to hear the orchestra