Champagne Bath - Piscine Champagne - Ottawa
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Weathervane
N 45° 25.834 W 075° 41.218
18T E 446263 N 5031012
Built between 1921 and 1924, the Champagne Bath is located on King Edward Avenue. Construite entre 1921 et 1924, la piscine Champagne est située sur l'avenue King Edward.
Waymark Code: WMHM36
Location: Ontario, Canada
Date Posted: 07/22/2013
Views: 9
"The Champagne Bath, today officially the Champagne Fitness Center, is a historic bath in Ottawa, Canada. It is located on King Edward Avenue in Lower Town. Originally the structure was built for the greater hygiene of the largely working class residents of the neighbourhood, many of whom had no baths in their homes. The structure was also originally home to a library. Work began on the building in 1921 and it was completed in 1924. The building, a blend of the Spanish Colonial Revival and Prairie Styles, was designed by Werner Ernst Noffke. It was named after Ottawa mayor Napoléon Champagne. It was Ottawa's first municipal swimming pool and was one of the first indoor pools in Canada. The pool was also unusual in that it was salt water, which meant it did not need to be chlorinated. It was soon followed by the Plant Bath which was built on the western side of town.
It was segregated until 1967 with separate ground level entrances for each sex. While popular for many years usage declined as the facility aged. In the 1980s, after the completion of the newer Le Patro facility, the city proposed closing the Bath. After public protest it was decided to renovate the Bath at the cost of some two million dollars. The transformed facility opened in 1990."
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Champagne Bath
Text of the plaque mounted on the front of the building:
This swimming pool, built to promote health and cleanliness among the poor, is a product of the social reform movement of the twenties in North America. It was designed by W.E. Noffke in his typical mix of spanish colonial and prairie school motifs.
Piscine Champagne
Texte de la plaque posée sur le devant de l'édifice:
Cette piscine a été construite en vue de promouvoir la santé et l’hygiène chez les pauvres, lors de la réforme sociale en Amérique du Nord, au cours des années vingt. L’architecte W.E. Noffke a allié les motifs du style colonial espagnol et de l’école des prairies, son style caractéristique.