Booth Street Complex - Ottawa, Ontario - Ontario Heritage Properties on Waymarking.com

The Booth Street Complex is a collection of seven buildings comprising individual linked structures. It is located on the block bounded by Booth Street, Orangeville Street, Rochester Street and Norman Streets to the west and south of Ottawa's downtowvn core in what was formerly an industrial area. The 2.6 hectare property comprises a number of buildings constructed by the Department of Mines (forerunner of Natural Resources Canada) between 1909 and 1952 to house offices, laboratories and research facilities to support the federal government's Department of Mines research in fuels. metals, metallurgy and explosives. The site was active from 1909 until the early 2000s.

The Booth Street Complex has cultural heritage value for the role it played in the development of the Canadian mining and energy industries in the 20th century by the federal Department of Mines and its successor departments, its association with the prominent Ottawa architect W . E. Noffke, the federal Department of Mines and the former semi-industrial area related to the railway tracks, located west of the city at the time of development.

The Booth Street Complex has design value as an Ottawa example of a federal government complex designed to house offices. laboratories and research facilities to support the federal government's Department of Mines research in fuels, metals, metallurgy and explosives.

Constructed over a period of 43 years, the Complex also has design value for its common architectural expression illustrated in the consistent use of red brick, classicist details and flat roofs.

The Booth Street Complex has historical value as a major centre- of government research in fuels and mineraIs, and the site of laboratories, offices and testing facilities associated with the development of Canada's mining and energy industries. Headquartered here, the Mines Branch and its successor departments worked to develop Canada's mining industries, a vital part of the Canadian economy.

The buildings in the Complex were built from 1909 until 1952, largely under the supervision of local architect W.E. Noffke, a prolific 20th century Ottawa architect known for his versatility and ease with residential, commercial and government buildings.

Situated on a site of 2 hectares. the Booth Street Complex is a well-known landmark, which has been associated with the Department of Mines and its successor departments since the early 20th century. Initially surrounded by a semi-industrial area characterized by small industries, rail and lumber yards, interspersed with working class housing, the complex is now a character-defining element of the area, and is well known across the city. Its historic association with Natural Resources Canada buildings across the street, and the long-term presence of the entire complex have defined the character of this part of the city since the early 20th century.

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Key attributes that express the value of the Booth Street Complex in its entirety as an example of a state-of-the-art federal government research facility that evolved over a period of over 90 years to accommodate the expansion of the government's role in research related to the mining industry include its:

Link to Property in The Ontario Properties Database: [Web Link] Building or Property Type: Industrial Building or Complex County or Regional Municipality: Ottawa-Carleton

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