Innovation in Design - Attached Housing in Riverside Park

The Riverside Park neighbourhood is noteworthy as it has a number of noteworthy designs for attached housing.

One area that I am working exploring more is how ideas from Mid-Century Modern (MCM) detached houses were translated into attached housing. Key hallmarks of the MCM style include open concept designs, large windows for indoor-outdoor connection and use of innovative materials of the time. This was often translated into bungalow (ranch house) designs that accentuated the horizontal, and made possible by the suburban locations of these houses. So, how could these ideas be translated into houses that are attached, such as semi-detached and town houses? Below are some examples from Riverside Park/Mooney's Bay that highlight innovative ideas that made attached housing as luxurious...if not more so...than detached housing. I will highlight examples up to the 1980s in this area.

RIDGEWOOD

Ridgewood is one of the earliest attached housing examples in Riverside Park, built in the mid-1960s. These garden homes are notably large - even larger than some of Campeau's detached housing in the area - at approximately 1400 - 2200 square feet. Spacious living rooms and kitchens have exceptionally large windows. The cantilevered bump-out bedroom closets on the back of the houses are unique and allow for more floor space. Rather than having a garage attached at the front of the house, limiting front windows, parking is instead tucked underneath the units in a common garage.

One of the most striking elements of these houses is the crescent shaped rows, allowing for units on both the concave and convex side. It is too bad that these crescent units are tucked away in the complex and do not afford a sweeping view from afar like the Royal Crescent in Bath, England. The cedar shingles, wood accents and "old Dutch brick" create interesting facades and a unique architectural style.

RAMSGATE

The Ramsgate townhouses, built by Sherbrooke, are located in a small complex off Flannery Drive near Brookfield Road and were built in the mid-to-late 1970s. These "executive size townhomes", as per the marketing material, have about 1,900 square feet over 3 levels. The large foyer with a grand curving staircase with wrought iron railings indicates that these houses were designed to be luxurious. Likewise, fireplaces in the dinette and master bedroom are notable - as is the size of the sprawling master bedroom. These were features normally reserved for large detached houses at the time.

Another phase of the Ramsgate townhouses, built by Simpson in the mid-1970s, have detached garages in front of the houses. This creates courtyards at the front of the houses and allows for more main floor windows. Notable features of these houses include sunken main floor family rooms with fireplaces, as well as ensuite bathrooms off of the master bedrooms. Some of the designs even have 4 bedrooms. The designs are fairly open-concept and sliding glass doors on both the front and the rear of the houses allow for plenty of natural light.

RIVERVIEW GARDENS

The Riverview Gardens condo townhouse complex built around 1976 has a few different designs. I only have the one floor plan as below for a back-to back townhouse. This design has a garage that is tucked under the main floor, a feature uncommon for back-to-back townhouses at the time.

PARKSIDE AT MOONEY'S BAY

Urbandale built semi-detached houses in Riverside Park during the mid-to-late 1970s. Some are freehold and some are condominium ownership. These designs are great examples of how innovative design ideas can be applied to attached housing. Large windows, open concept layouts, corner fireplaces, vaulted and two-storey ceilings in some plans are highlights. Most of the designs place the main living level above the garage allowing for more windows on the front of the houses. Earth tones and a combination of materials on the facades give the houses a distinctive look - cutting edge in contemporary design at the time. These semi-detached designs led the way for the detached designs by Urbandale found in the same area as well as Hunt Club Woods.

Stay tuned for more posts on innovation in housing design in Ottawa!

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Campeau in Alta Vista

One of the biggest builders in Ottawa during the 1950s and 1960s was Campeau Construction, a name still known today, even though the builder is no longer active. Many of the houses in Alta Vista were custom built, but Campeau was one of the first builders to construct tract homes in the area. Approximate locations of areas where Campeau built Beginning in the 1950s Campeau began building houses southwest of Kilborn Avenue and Alta Vista Drive, north of Randall Avenue. At the time, bungalows and one-and-a-half storey houses were most popular. Many of the “Victory Houses” built by Wartime Housing Ltd. for returning veterans after WWII were one-and-a-half stories, and the style soon became very popular for all builders. Below are some of Campeau's one-and-a-half storey plans built in the area: With time, the one-and-a-half storey house became less popular, and bungalows and split-level houses became the norm. An easy way to determine the age...

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CMHC house designs from the mid-century

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The bungalow staircase

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