Buildings Historical Significance
19 Melrose (Ecole Sacre-Coeur) was built in 1912 and served as a Francophone school for nearly 100 years. The building was completed at a highly contentious time with the Francophone community battling the Ontario Government for the right to teach their children in the French language. Many of the protests against the Ontario Government were held in Ottawa and Ecole Sacre-Coeur stands today as a representation of this struggle.
Heritage Designation and Architectural Design
19 Melrose (Ecole Sacre-Coeur) was designated as a heritage property in 2006. It served as an educational setting until 1998 and the heritage designation is a historical reminder of French language struggles in Ottawa, particularly in the early 1900’s.
The building is a present day reminder of renowned architect Francis Sullivans’ creations in his early career. One notable and well preserved architectural features of the building is the central doorway under a clay-tiled canopy with exposed timber rafters.
Loft Conversion
19 Melrose (Ecole Sacre-Coeur) authentic loft conversion was completed in 2009 by The Regional Group. Preservation of original design was at the forefront of this condominium conversion. New windows were carefully built to match the originals and the preservation of the clay-tiled canopy at the building’s entrance are examples of the developer commitment to protecting original features.
Units feature: exposed duct, exposed natural interior brick walls, in-unit laundry, hardwood flooring, granite countertops, balconies and ample-sized terraces.
The developers for 19 Melrose received the ‘Award of Excellence- Adaptive Use and Infill’ honour- issued by the Ottawa Architectural Conservation Awards in 2011. This project is an example of community-sensitive infill and stands as a true authentic loft.
An additional 8 unit stacked townhouse building, was constructed by The Regional Group as part of the project. The architectural design of these townhomes merge well with the long-standing heritage building.
