Description of Historic Place

5 Blackburn Avenue is located at the corner of Laurier Avenue East and Blackburn Avenue, in the City of Ottawa. This two-and-a-half storey Edwardian Classical style house was constructed of red brick in c.1904-1905. Also located on the property is a single storey red brick garage built in the same architectural style as the main house.

The property was designated under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act in 2005 (By-law 2005-14) and protected by an Ontario Heritage Trust conservation easement.

Heritage Value

5 Blackburn Avenue has a diverse history. Early owners of 5 Blackburn Avenue were wealthy Ottawa lumber industrialists, including William H. A. Fraser, Ewen McLachlin and David Gilmour. William “Billy” Bishop, the decorated WWI flying ace and his family occupied the house during the Second World War, while Bishop worked for the Royal Canadian Air Force. As the Director of Recruiting, Bishop began recruiting, as the government implemented the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. Following the war the building served as the Italian Embassy from 1947-1957, a time of diplomatic rebuilding between Italy and Canada. The house was bequeathed to the Victorian Order of Nurses (VON) who used the house as their headquarters from 1957-2001. The VON is a non-profit organization which historically provided health care in remote Canadian areas. The Heritage Canada Foundation owned and occupied the house for use as its headquarters from 2001 until 2011.

5 Blackburn Avenue is a significant example of an Edwardian Classical house. The two-and-a-half storey red brick house faces southwest, with a three-bay main façade and a gambrel roof. A large gambrel gable dormer with green slate shingles dominates the front elevation's attic storey. A staircase beneath a flat-roof porch with two wooden Doric columns on ashlar sandstone piers leads to wooden double doors with bevelled lead glass windows and transom. There are tripartite windows with leaded glass on the west end and a two storey bay on the south end, with one over one double-hung wooden tripartite windows. The brick façade, in stretcher bond, contrasts with the quarry-faced random limestone ashlar foundation, and rises to a dentil trimmed fascia and wide eaves. Its side elevations have two storey high bay windows with slate-covered gables. The gambrel roof crosses with a gabled roof on the east wing and gambrel gables on the north and southwest elevations. There are double-hung sash windows with bevelled or leaded glass in the upper sash in diamond patterning. Rear wing windows have twelve-over-one double hung wood sashes. All windows have stone sills and lintels and there are two oculus windows on the second storey of the northwest wall.

Interior rooms display wainscoting and hardwood flooring with two varieties of diamond-shaped parquet inlay borders. The foyer has a wooden fireplace, an exposed beamed ceiling, wood crown mouldings and patterned cast iron radiators. French doors access the dining and living rooms while panelled doors access the study and kitchen. A staircase by the southwest end is designed in an open-well with quarter-pace landing and wainscoting throughout and newel posts. The study has Arts and Crafts inspired wood panelling, a matching fireplace and mantel. The living room has a coved ceiling, decorative plasterwork on the walls, high baseboards, a fireplace and a panelled double door leading to the side verandah. The dining room has patterned cast iron radiators and a classically inspired central fireplace.

The Edwardian Classical garage, built from red brick in stretcher bond, rests on a foundation of quarry-faced limestone in a random ashlar pattern. Its door has a single span stone lintel. Punctuating the flat roof are four hip roofs at the corners, accented by horizontal brick banding and flat-headed windows with stone lintels and sills. Corners feature brick diaper work, panelled fascias and dentil trimmed mouldings supporting the eaves. Two pairs of windows with stone lintels and sills with dentil trimmed soffits are located on its longer walls.

Prominently located on a corner lot in the Sandy Hill neighbourhood within the city, 5 Blackburn Avenue is situated among many houses constructed between the 1870s and the 1920s.

Source: Ontario Heritage Trust Easement.

Character-Defining Elements

Character defining elements that contribute to the heritage value of 5 Blackburn Avenue include its:
- Classical Edwardian styled house and vehicular garage with red brick exteriors in stretcher bond
- quarry-faced random ashlar limestone foundation
- gambrel gable roof
- gambrel dormers clad with green slate shingles
- flat-roof porch supported by two wooden Doric columns on ashlar sandstone piers
- wooden double doors with bevelled lead glass windows and transom
- fascia with small dentils above wide eaves around the building
- double-hung sash windows with plain lower sashes and bevelled and/or leaded glass windows in a diamond pattern
- two storey square bay windows with one over one wooden sash tripartite windows
- side elevations with bay windows, two storeys high with slate-covered gables above
- pair of oculus windows on the northwest wall of the second storey
- windows in the rear wing arranged with twelve over one double hung sashes
- stone sills and lintels
- Classical Edwardian vehicular garage with red brick façade laid in a stretcher bond
- flat roof punctuated by four hipped roofs at the corners
- corner towers accented by horizontal brick banding and paired flat-headed windows with stone lintels and sills
- brick diaper work located at the corners
- panelled fascias and dentil trimmed mouldings supporting the eaves
- quarry-faced random ashlar limestone foundation
- two pairs of windows with stone lintels and sills located on the longer walls
- dentil trimmed soffit on the garage
- a wooden garage door with a large stone lintel
- visible corner lot location in the Sandy Hill neighbourhood
- hardwood flooring with two varieties of parquet inlay order in diamond patterning
- foyer with a wainscoting, a fireplace, exposed beam ceiling, wood crown mouldings and cast iron radiators
- French doors for access to the dining and living rooms
- panelled doors for access to the study and kitchen
- wooden staircase designed in an open-well with quarter-pace landing
- study with Arts and Crafts inspired wood paneling with a matching fireplace and mantel
- living room with a coved ceiling, decorative plasterwork on the walls, high baseboards, fireplace and paneled double door that opens to the side verandah
- dining room with classically inspired fireplace mantel and patterned cast iron radiators
- visible corner lot location in the Sandy Hill neighbourhood
- situation among many houses constructed between the 1870s and the 1920s
- proximity to the Wilbrod Street Heritage Conservation District