Cars slow down at the busy intersection in the heart of Rockcliffe and people stop and stare. The object of their attention is the newly-renovated Irish embassy. Once a modest but stately home, it’s been renovated into a stunning 12,000-square-foot stone and brick behemoth.
The residence has had quite a journey to get where it is today. Back in the 1930s, Ottawa architect H. Gordon Hughes designed a sophisticated stone “French Inspiration” home at 291 Park Road for D. Irving Cameron, a local investment banker. Located on a spacious lot in a heritage area — specifically on the corner of Springfield Road — the house has endured many changes from Hughes’ initial design. A glass portico on the front and two wings to give added space for entertaining were the first changes the Irish made to the house.
But in the last decade, and at the height of Ireland’s economic boom, the government decided to do a total renovation. They not only wanted to add much-needed space, but also set about ridding the old house of asbestos and dated insulation. At a cost of about $6 million, the project caused some controversy in Ireland following media coverage in Ottawa, perhaps because by the time it was finished, the Irish economy had tanked.
Ambassador Raymond Bassett and his wife, Patricia, have been in Canada just over a year, although Mrs. Bassett spends most of the year in Dublin with their son Kevin, 17, who is their youngest and is still in school there.
“Ireland’s been represented in Ottawa since 1939,” says the ambassador. “We think it was a very good investment. We think our relations with Canada are very important. When Canada was founded, we were part of the United Kingdom.”
Mr. Bassett says he has been welcomed by many of Irish descent in the area.
“They have preserved the customs very well in the Ottawa Valley,” he notes.
His new home, which features the modified original stone house at its centre, has handsome clay and brick extensions on either side. The brick complements the beige highlights of the original stone, says renovations architect Sarah Murray, a partner with her husband at Nicholas Caragianis Architect Inc. The design won a 2010 City of Ottawa award for infill and restoration of a heritage property.
Ms Murray changed the arrangement of the house with the service side facing Rockcliffe Park Public School, the community hall and police offices on Springfield Road, thus leaving the deep setback in the front in synch with other large homes on Park Road.
Entering through the glass portico, Ms Murray has created a wide, bright hallway leading straight back to a glass gallery loggia along the north side of the original house and linking the east and west new wings. “It provides a porch-like connection to the garden,” she says, “mediating between the old and new.”
The west wing is considered the living room wing with the ambassador’s quarters above, while the east wing has the dining room and services, including the kitchen, with staff quarters above.
Almost all the interior design elements come from Ireland and the overall look is very contemporary. The dining room, which seats 24, is fitted with a fascinating “turf bog” oak table and matching chairs with hand-painted seats and backs. Opulent Waterford crystal chandeliers hang overhead. The iconic Irish company closed its doors in 1990 and Ms Murray admits there was quite a scramble to find appropriate Waterford chandeliers for the residence.
Contemporary taupe-coloured Irish carpets are designed with modernistic splashes of burnt orange, the prevailing colour of the furniture. Taupe/gray walls dominate most of the hallways and main floor reception rooms including the library, while the living room and dining room are a creamy yellow shade. The contemporary wood furniture and most of the artisan pieces in the residence come from the award-winning Dublin furniture makers zelouf +BELL and their craftspeople. Columns in the living room, used to break up the large space, were made in Ottawa while a mammoth living room fireplace, decorated with Celtic knots, was made in Toronto.
Cultural pieces include a display of Waterford crystal glasses. “I’d love to add a bottle of Irish whiskey to that cabinet,” laughs the ambassador with a twinkle in his eye. Along the loggia wall, a series of bright and charming pictures, some of the historical ships that carried Irish immigrants to Canada, attracts visitors’ attention.
Obviously enjoying his multi-million-dollar residence, the ambassador is keen to show it off every chance he gets. The embassy’s annual St. Patrick’s Day reception draws about 500 guests. He has also opened his front door for charitable groups, including a springtime fundraiser for the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra. A state-of-the-art conference room located in the basement is used frequently for meetings and get-togethers.
Ambassador Bassett has hung an Irish harp over the front door. Now, he says, more people than ever slow down to admire the symbol and his beautiful home.
Margo Roston is Diplomat’s culture editor.
