The Evening Citizen; Ottawa, Ont.; December 21, 1946 - front page
By Ellen Lennox, Evening Citizen Staff Writer

To Start Building In Spring
Cost Will Be About $1,450,000

Construction plans for the vocational and high school in Fisher Park, to be built at an estimated cost of $1,450,000, have been fully approved by the Ontario Department of Education, and the architects are ready to proceed with the detailed drawings. Actual construction work may begin in the early spring, according to the Ottawa Collegiate Institute Board.

The three-storey brick building, designed to hold 1200 students, will be erected on the south end of Fisher Park, facing Harmer avenue, the lot covering an area of seven and one-half acres.

To be constructed in a "Z" shape, the school will have 1947 standards of lighting, ventilation, heating and equipment.

"An itemized list has been prepared for every room in the school," said Frank Patten, Collegiate Board secretary, "and the estimated cost has been prepared room by room."

It is estimated that equipment for the school will cost approximately $200,000. The Province will contribute 40% of the total cost, the balance to be paid by the city. Necessary tax increases will be offset by the reduction of debenture charges on other schools.

"The Lisgar school debentures are all paid," explained Mr. Patten, "and by the end of 1952 old debenture charges will be reduced by over $60,000 annually."

The Province has approved the plans and has accepted the divisions of "academic" and "vocational," for which designated parts it pays a certain share (50% for vocational and 15% for academic.)

The cost of the auditorium, gymnasiums and cafeteria will be shared 50-50 by the province rate and half vocational rate. The construction cost of the swimming pool is not to be taken into account by the province.

"The school is designed with a view to what it can offer to the community." remarked Mr. Patten, with special reference to the large, well-equipped boys gymnasium, the auditorium, the swimming pool and the seven and one half acres of playground.

It was pointed out that the location offers distinct advantages as regards accessibility, being easily reached by the Britannia and Somerset car-lines and the Carling avenue bus.

In a Z shape, the school will have a frontage of 300 feet along Harmer avenue, 300 feet east and west parallel to Byron avenue, and 272 feet along the wing which will be parallel to Holland avenue. This particular shape was chosen by the architects for special lighting as well as other advantages.

On the ground floor, six shops and two drafting rooms will occupy the south wing on the Harmer avenue side. Shop rooms provide for an electrical laboratory, auto mechanics, sheet metal, printing, machine shop, cabinet making and woodwork.

The administrative section to be located on the ground floor of the long corridor portion, will contain the principal's office, general office, nurses' and doctors' rooms and vocational guidance room.

Also on the main floor will be the swimming pool, 25' by 60' with a seating capacity of 250. Adjoining this will be the boys' gymnasium, 72' x 100', a double gym divided by folding doors and two storeys high. Folding bleachers will be constructed for spectators.

Behind the gymnasium on the main floor will be the up-to-date heating plant.

The assembly hall, with a seating capacity of about 800, will face Holland avenue. The hall has been planned carefully so that it will be suitable in all respects - not too large, to avoid unnecessary expense - nor too small, to prevent over-congestion.

The commercial department, on the Holland avenue side of the main floor, will consist of two typing rooms, one bookkeeping room, one business laboratory and one room for calculating machines.

The second floor will contain the cafeteria along the Harmer avenue side, the dressing rooms and girls' gymnasium (50' x 70'), the upper part of the boys' gym, five classrooms along the north side, and the homemaking department on the Holland avenue side.

The Social studies department, three classrooms and the upper part of the girls' gym will be located in the front wing of the third floor. The art room and the arts and crafts room will be in the long corridor, and the six science laboratories as well as the English and dramatics department will be in the Holland avenue wing.

In preparation for the sketching of the architectural design representatives of the Collegiate Board special building committee, accompanied by the architects, J.A. Ewart and A.J.Hazelgrove, made studies of schools in Chicago, New York and Toronto. "They brought back voluminous material," said Mr. Patten.

Building Committee

Members of the special building committee, comprised of representatives if the Collegiate Board and the advisory committee, are D.L. Donaldson, Henry Welch, George T. Green, H.S. Higman, S.F. Dadson, Dr. W.C. Macartney, D.T. Robichaud, James Warren York KC, Harry Anacombe and D. Roy Campbell.

The planning committee was assisted by a committee of Ottawa teachers, representing the Ottawa Ladies' Secondary School Teachers' Association and the Ottawa Men's Secondary School Teachers Association. Chairman of the committee was J.H. Remmer, drafting instructor at Glebe Collegiate and High School of Commerce.

The teachers' committee executive members were R.D. Campbell of Glebe, R.J. McMillan of Commerce, Neil O'Donnell, G.E. Laughren and W.R. Walker, all of Technical High School.

Many helpful suggestions were received from the comprehensive plans drawn up by the teachers. "An excellent piece of work" was Mr. Patten's comment. "A lot of their ideas have been incorporated in the finished plan."

Upon invitation from the board, suggestions were offered by the Elmdale and Connaught Home and School Clubs. Earl Jarvis is president of the Connaught Club and Lawrence Stephen of the Elmdale Club.

Following this extensive preparation, actual plans were begun in the fall of 1945. The Fisher Park site had been approved by theDepartment of Education in the summer of that year. City officials, who had been consulted at all stages, were "very cooperative" and agreed to a long-term lease on Fisher Park. The city purchased the privately-owned vacant lots on and near the corner of Holland and Byron avenues.

The building committees negotiated with the Elmdale Lawn Bowling Club and the Elmdale Tennis Club, for the space which they occupied on the chosen site.

As a result, the Bowling Club is being moved to Reid Park and the tennis courts, which were on the south-west corner, will be moved to the corner of Holland and Byron avenues.

The city playgrounds committee is still in charge of this area, but the board maintain the recreational facilities of the park when it takes complete charge.

Speaking for the Collegiate Board, Mr. Patten says that several problems will still have to be solved, but the big item, that of construction planning, is well in hand. He emphasized the fact that "the board is thinking in terms of what it will mean to the West end of the city."