Central Chambers

On June 21, 1983, the building was designated Classified because of its architectural significance and its environmental impact.

It is among the most notable representatives of the Queen Anne Revival style of commercial design in Canada, and an excellent example of important changes taking place in commercial architecture in the late 19th Century. It dominates an important downtown intersection and forms an essential element of Confederation Square which

was designated of national significance by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada.

The Central Chambers building, Ottawa, was built in 1890-91 to the plans of J.J. Browne. It is presently owned by the National Capital Commission. See FHBRO Building Report 83-13.

The heritage character of the property is most clearly expressed in the Elgin Street and Queen Street façades. Here the early use of large glass areas set within distinct structural bays is successfully combines with a more traditional attention to high quality materials and detailing. These façades, with their glazed arcades on the lower levels, their oriel windows and pivoting and fixed metal sash, and their decorative pediments of terracotta and ornamental tiles, should be meticulously preserved. Subtle changes in decorative treatment mark the SE corner and the central Elgin Street entrance; it is important that the existing patterns of access from Elgin and Queen be maintained.

On the interior, the quality of the original skylit atrium has been obscured by later alterations, but its various elements survive relatively intact. The traditional sequence of spaces from the exterior into the atrium and from their into the surrounding office bays should be respected, and every opportunity taken to protect and enhance

surviving original detail. Because of the large glass areas, interior partitioning and detailing, including lighting, are clearly visible from the exterior. They thus affect the heritage character of the façades, and, in turn, the impact of the building on the important Confederation Square street scape.