Plant Bath - Ottawa, Ontario - Victorian Style Architecture on Waymarking.com

The Plant Bath is a red brick structure, rectangular in plan. It is an example of the neo-Gothic style, which was popular for institutional buildings from 1900-1945. Key elements of the building associated with this style include the segmentally-arched entrance doors, each located at the base of a frontispiece with a gabled parapet, the brick buttresses and the use of cut stone for detail. Other noteworthy features of the building include the elliptical reliefs in the gabled parapet ends, which depict a naked boy holding a fish, and the large windows that light the pool area .

By reason of its association with the urban reform movement of the early 20th century and its simple neo-Gothic details, the Plant Bath merits designation as a heritage property. The building is also distinguished by its unusual angled siting, on a generous lot, which enhances its prominence as a major presence in the community•

The Plant Bath merits designation under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act as a fine example of municipal architecture. It is also noteworthy as one of Ottawa's most prominent testimonies to the social reform movement.

The social reform movement, with its emphasis on the improvement of the physical and mental well-being of the working classes was popular among middle and upper- middle class Ottawans in the early twentieth century. The swimming bath was viewed as one means of ''improving'' the lower classes and the construction of the Champagne Bath and the Plant Bath, each containing a library and a swimming pool, was approved by City Council in 1922.

The Plant Bath was designed by Richard H. Millson, Cecil Burgess and Albert J. Hazelgrove and officially opened in 1924. Named after then-mayor, Frank H. Plant, the building contained a swimming pool and public lavatories but the library was not included because of budget constraints.

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Public/Private: Public Tours Available?: No Year Built: 1924 Web Address: [Web Link]

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Date Logged Log User Rating   06/16/2023 petendot visited it