New façade has no character or gravitas
Re: NAC faces front with new entrance on Confederation Square, Dec. 10.
The National Arts Centre’s brutalist face on Elgin Street is sombre, but it is distinctive and dignified. Over many years I have come to appreciate it. The glittering new glass façade along Elgin will completely obscure the most public face of an architectural work which complements the other buildings around the National War Memorial.
The existing NAC, the Government Conference Centre, the East Block, the General Post Office, the Langevin Block and the Central Chamber give the square its diversity, character and dignity. The proposed glass façade will provide a new entrance but it is basically an off-the-shelf, shiny, confection lacking both character and gravitas.
It is quintessentially a structure of the undistinguished noughts and will age far more quickly than the building it is hiding.
Alan McCullough, Ottawa
‘Fort Culture’ is about to be replaced
I am delighted to see what is being proposed for the National Arts Centre. It will finally replace what former mayor Charlotte Whitton called “Fort Culture.”
Robert Côté, Ottawa
Inside should inspire people to better things
The news has been full of stories about what are essentially entertainment groups and their buildings. While new and renovated venues do provide interest, none of this will mean a thing if what’s presented in these buildings is sub par.
This city is full of pigs wearing wonderful architectural dresses. Moving the woeful current Sens crew downtown won’t fix anything.
The Redblacks, after going 16-2 in their gorgeous new digs, are only riding on the patience of their cash-strapped fans. And I have had some of my best naps during NACO programs.
All of these shovels in and out of the ground won’t mean a thing if what’s inside doesn’t “swing.”
Thomas Brawn, Ottawa
Related
Distorted priorities of ‘circus before science’
The federal government can find $110.5 million for essentially a facelift of the National Arts Centre while the Canada Science and Technology Museum gets a paltry $80.5 million to stave off what is almost literally collapse. Those decisions epitomize the distortion in the government’s priorities: circuses before science.
The government should postpone the facelift of the NAC and put the money toward building a proper Science and Tech Museum.
John Beare, Kanata
NAC is not falling apart, the museum is
The National Arts Centre is not the most appealing building, nor the easiest to gain access to. However, it is not falling apart and it was actually built as a theatre. The Canada Science and Technology Museum is currently closed because it is falling apart.
Administrators have been trying for over 10 years to get funding to move to a more central location and to a building which would be suitable to host the wonderful large artifacts in the museum’s collection.
Isn’t it better to pay more now than to spend $80.5 million on a temporary solution?
Stephanie Penwarden, Ottawa
But how will I get to the National Arts Centre?
Re: A chance to fix at least two of Ottawa’s mistakes, Dec. 11.
I’m excited about the rejuvenation of the National Arts Centre. But how would I get there?
Imagine Place des Arts without a metro station, or Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts without a subway stop. Columnist Mark Sutcliffe asks “What else can we fix?” How about fixing the ghastly error in LRT planning and locate a station right there under Confederation Square with access to Parliament Hill in the west, the Château Laurier in the east (already connected by tunnel to the old train station) and to the NAC in the south?
Beric Graham-Smith, Ottawa
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