Tag: Residences
The row over ‘Embassy Row’
Local residents and the National Capital Commission (NCC) remain at loggerheads over a proposal to turn 3.7 hectares of green space, west of downtown, into a new diplomatic precinct. In December, the NCC asked the city to rezone the land next to the Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway in Mechanicsville to permit the eventual construction […]
Norway’s residence closely connected to nature
First-time visitors to her official residence in Rockcliffe Park don’t know what to expect when they arrive, says Norwegian Ambassador Anne Kari Hansen Ovind. Given that it’s a massive, stone Gothic Revival home built about 1887 and festooned with gables, carved bargeboard trim and three monumental chimneys, that uncertainty is understandable. But while you might […]
Kuwait’s residence perched high above the Ottawa River
It’s all about the panorama. Perched on quiet Acacia Lane in Rockcliffe, the Kuwait ambassador’s residence offers a sweeping view from its second-storey terrace of the sparkling Ottawa River and the Gatineau Hills, with early fall colours beginning to blaze in the distance when we visit. “It’s the most attractive place in the house,” says […]
A monumental residential balancing act
The trick to designing a monumental home is to avoid overwhelming those who live and visit there. Prominent Ottawa architect Allan Keefer achieved that delicate balance almost a century ago when he designed Waterstone, acquired by the Japanese government as its official ambassadorial residence in 1958. It is currently home to Ambassador Kimihiro Ishikane and […]
Sri Lanka’s residence is full of charm — and charms
The odds are good you’ve never seen a dumb waiter quite like the one in the Sandy Hill residence of Sri Lankan High Commissioner Madukande Asoka Kumara Girihagama. In fact, at first glance, you might mistake the wood-panelled beauty concealed behind a white interior door as an elevator for short people who don’t suffer from […]
A stately hilltop mansion for Italy’s envoys
When deciding to bring his love affair with wood into his home, lumber baron Robert L. Blackburn clearly realized that some discretion was in order. Blackburn built the stately hilltop mansion on chemin d’Aylmer in Gatineau next to the tony Royal Ottawa Golf Club in 1924. It has been the official residence of the Italian […]
Brazilian couple makes a house their home
It’s a big house. The official residence of Brazilian Ambassador Denis Fontes de Souza Pinto and his wife, Maria do Carmo de Moura Rocha de Souza Pinto, commands the property at 400 Wilbrod St. in Sandy Hill. Showing many characteristics of the Tudor Revival style, the home features towering chimneys, a splash of bay, gabled and […]
A contemporary couple in a charming residence
Josephina de la Caridad Vidal Ferreiro and José Anselmo López Perera have all the comforts of home in their snug residence on Acacia Avenue in Rockcliffe. There is a vast array of fine Cuban rum and a wooden humidor full of Cuban cigars. But this unique diplomatic husband-and-wife team would be at home anywhere they […]
Slovak residence: A modern home full of art
Tucked away on a small cul-de-sac on the eastern side of Rockcliffe Park is the residence of Slovak Ambassador Andrej Droba, his wife, Daniela, and their 11-year-old daughter, Sara. A family-style home in most respects, the house was built in 1984 on a large tract of private land on the eastern side of McKay Lake […]
Malaysia: Making a house a temporary home
A guest book, along with official photos and other trappings of a diplomatic residence, are all there. But there are also ducks — in profusion. One, a carved, joyously coloured fellow, nestles on a stair. Another is a handsome metallic specimen from Egypt; with several colleagues, he commands the dining room’s wooden mantel. There are […]
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