Sir John Carling Building
General information
StatusDemolished
Architectural styleModernist
Address930 Carling Avenue
Town or cityOttawa, Ontario
CountryCanada
Coordinates45°23′39″N 75°42′39″W / 45.39417°N 75.71083°W / 45.39417; -75.71083
Completed1967
Closed2009
DemolishedJuly 13, 2014, at 06:59 am
OwnerPublic Works and Government Services Canada
Technical details
Structural systemReinforced concrete
MaterialPrecast cladding
Floor count11
Floor area400,000 sq ft (37,000 m2)
Design and construction
Architect(s)Hart Massey

The Sir John Carling Building was located along Carling Avenue at the Central Experimental Farm, in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Until 2010, it was the headquarters of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, containing administration facilities and the offices of the Minister and Deputy Minister of Agriculture.

Named after John Carling, it was an 11-storey building accommodating some 1,200 employees, with a 3-storey east wing for shipping and receiving and a single-storey cafeteria wing with an arched roof. It was demolished July 13, 2014, but the cafeteria wing is the only part of the building to remain.[1]

History

In the early 1950s, the offices for the federal agriculture department were scattered over 18 different sites, prompting the planning for the Carling Building, which began in 1954.[2] Ottawa architect Hart Massey (1918–1996) designed the Sir John Carling in the 1960s and it opened in 1967, Canada's centennial year.[3] Massey was the son of Vincent Massey, former Governor General of Canada and a member of the famous Massey family of Toronto. The construction costs were C$10 million of which CA$800,000 was Massey's fee.[2]

Already by 1994, a study found that the building was suffering from long-term neglect and "may not be worth saving". And by 2003, renovation costs were estimated at CA$57 million.[2] A year later, the Federal Heritage Buildings Review Office designated it as a recognized federal heritage building for its historical associations, and its architectural and environmental values. The building was a good example of the modernist architectural style.[3]

The Sir John Carling building as it collapses, July 13, 2014.

In 2009, the building was deemed to be at its end-of-life and the agriculture offices were moved to the Skyline Office Campus on Baseline Road. Despite local objections and its recognized heritage status, deconstruction of the Carling Building began in April 2013, culminating in a controlled building implosion on July 13, 2014. Afterwards, the concrete was pulverized and the site covered with topsoil and trees. Total cost for the demolition was CA$4.8 million.[1][3]

References

  1. 1 2 MacLeod, Ian (July 9, 2014). "How the Sir John Carling Building will be destroyed". Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved July 11, 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 Egan, Kelly (November 23, 2008). "Archival: 'Deconstruction' of historic site another sign of the times". Ottawa Citizen. Archived from the original on 2014-07-14. Retrieved July 11, 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 "Sir John Carling Building". Real Property. Public Works and Government Services Canada. 2014-01-24. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
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