Work starts on $100-million Arts Court redevelopment

Construction has finally begun on the expanded Ottawa Art Gallery and redeveloped Arts Court, a month after plans for an official groundbreaking ceremony at the downtown site were scrapped to give the city more time to finalize a deal with its private-sector partners.

The city and a consortium of Quebec firms, EBC Inc., DevMcGill and Groupe Germain, signed a project agreement on May 8, which was subject to a 60-day closing period. But early last month, the parties agreed to extend the closing period in order to reach an agreement.

That has apparently happened now, according to press release issued by the city on Wednesday.

The $100-million project — set to open at Waller Street and Daly Avenue in late 2017, as the city celebrates the 150th anniversary of Canada’s Confederation — “will give our artists and audiences a place to come together,” Mayor Jim Watson said in the release. “This will be a truly regional arts and culture hub to be enjoyed by residents from across the city.”

The arts community also cheered the news.

“This is a momentous milestone for the Ottawa Art Gallery and we couldn’t be happier,” said Alexandra Badzak, the gallery’s director and chief executive.

The ambitious project will comprise a new, 5,860 square metre (63,000 square feet) art gallery, a 21-storey mixed-use tower at 6070 Waller St., a 250-seat multipurpose and film-screening room, and a 120-seat theatre and four classrooms for the University of Ottawa.

The tower’s first 12 storeys will be operated as a boutique hotel; the upper eight will be condominiums. There will also be two storeys of underground parking. Space in the Arts Court vacated by the gallery will be repurposed, and the old and new buildings will be connected on four floors.

The new art gallery, at roughly five times its current size, is slated to open first in 2017, with the tower and Arts Court portions to be completed the following year.

The city and its partners will contribute $41.7 million, while the private sector will contribute $60 million.

Concrete barriers and construction hoarding have already gone up along Waller and Daly, creating some lane reductions on both streets. A strip of sidewalk has also been blocked off.

Giant, glossy advertisements pasted onto the hoarding promote the gallery’s capital fundraising campaign as well as the new condos and hotel.

This is a momentous milestone for the Ottawa Art Gallery and we couldn’t be happier.