Description of Historic Place

Hart Massey House National Historic Site of Canada is located in Rockcliffe Park, Ottawa. It is a two-storey, detached residential building. Elevated on thin steel columns, the house comprises a series of modular boxes. It has a wood frame with steel joists in the floors and roof. The exterior is covered in wood and glass cladding. A series of pointed dormers punctuate the flat roof. The exterior of the building is painted in black and white, except for the front door, which is red. Hart Massey House is on a steeply sloped site facing McKay Lake. Its vast window walls open onto mature trees. Official recognition refers to the legal boundary of the property.

Heritage Value

Hart Massey House was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 2018. It is recognized because:

• it is an iconic example of mid-century modern residential architecture in Canada, and a particularly Canadian example of the International style because of its sensitivity to its natural surroundings; the minimalist structure consists of a series of modular boxes enclosed by alternating glass and opaque walls, which open the house to its site creating a completely unique architectural ensemble;
• this prestigious house reflects the personal tastes and modernist ideals of its architect, Hart Massey, who designed it for himself and his family in 1959; it earned him the Silver Medal of the Massey Awards for Architecture, the highest honour at the time;
• elevated on thin steel columns so that it appears to float above its sloped site on McKay Lake, the house was designed to preserve the integrity of its natural environment; its architecture is an extension of the landscape, and its dramatic expanses of glass erase the line between indoor and outdoor space.

Hart Massey House is located in Rockcliffe Park, a residential area of Ottawa, Ontario. It is one of the rare houses built directly on the shore of McKay Lake. Erected in 1959, the house was designed to the plans of architect Hart Massey, who lived in it with his family until the 1970s. Based on a rectilinear design, it is a minimalist structure consisting of a series of modular boxes, some glazed, other with opaque walls. There are mature trees, shrubs, bushes, flowers, perennial plants and grassy areas throughout the property, all of which integrate nicely into the sloped site.

The heritage value of Hart Massey House is based on its architectural and environmental features. Designed with a minimalist esthetic typical of the modern movement, it is a unique expression of the International style in its reflection of the landscape. Its architecture is an extension of the landscape and the vast glass walls of the house diminish the barriers between indoor and outdoor spaces. The sensitivity to natural surroundings in its design makes this residence a particularly Canadian example of the International style.

Source: Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, Minutes, December 2017.

Character-Defining Elements

The key elements that contribute to the heritage character of this site include:

- Its location on a steep slope on McKay Lake and its landscaped site which resembles a diversified, mature park;
- A landscaped site largely wooded and rich in native plants and flowers, as well as the rocky bed under the house;
- Its minimalist massing and rectilinear plan composed of modular boxes, some with glass walls and some opaque, its structural columns in black matte steel, its exterior cladding in white wood, its red front door, the modernist black matte exterior light fixtures, the size and arrangement of the skylights; the simple narrow window frames;
- its orientation facing McKay Lake, entirely elevated from the ground on thin steel columns and its almost fully-glazed facade, which overlooks a spectacular landscape;
- its subtle fenestration on the west elevation on Lansdowne Road North gives the appearance of an opaque wall, providing a high level of privacy;
- the size and shape of the interior light wells, the two-storey entrance hall with its circular staircase in black matte steel, lit by a circular light well; the interior partition walls on the main floor that do not reach the ceiling and create an open plan;
- the narrowness of the walkway leading to the balcony and the configuration of the balcony in relation to the house, with two sides open, overlooking the garden.