Neighbourhood Spotlight

Neighbourhood Spotlight - Pineview

Located in east Ottawa, in what once was Gloucester, is the neighbourhood of Pineview. Set northwest of Blair and Innes Roads, the area hugs the Pine View Golf Course, with easy highway access to the 417 and 174.

When the area was first developed in the 1950s, it was known as Seguin Heights (Maxime Street and Aurele Street). During this time the area was constructed by smaller builders and by owners who contracted to build their own homes. The Seguin Heights name was phased out and replaced with Pineview when the area began to boom in the 1970s. The focus of this blog post will be the developments starting during the boom period c. 1970, up until the end of the 21st century.

I have the plans for many of these homes, but I am missing some. If you have any hiding away in your attic or basement, please let me know so I can share them.

Below is a map of the area (courtesy of Google Maps) where I have added the details of the various phases of development.

Pineview Estates by Wimpey Homes

Around 1970, the builder Wimpey started constructing homes in "Pineview". Later advertising referred to the neighbourhood as "Pineview Estates". The Wimpey-built homes can be found on Beaverpond Drive, Hallmark Place, and Appleton Drive.

The Ottawa Citizen, August 8, 1970

The Ottawa Citizen, January 4, 1971

The Ottawa Citizen, January 9, 1971

The floor plans below are from Wimpey's Blackburn Hamlet sales package, but the same plans were built in Pineview.

Pineview Estates by Chambers-Gagnon

An area also called "Pineview Estates" was built by Chambers-Gagnon. Unfortunately, I do not have these plans. They appear to have been built on the northern leg of Northdale Street and parts of Ridgedale Drive.

The Ottawa Citizen, April 9, 1972

Costain Homes

The houses on the southern leg of Northdale Street appear to be Costain models, but I could not find any note of this neighbourhood in their marketing. These plans are the same as those built in nearby Blackburn Hamlet and can be found on this blog post: Costain in Blackburn Hamlet

Pineview Court by GNC

Pineview Court is one of the earliest townhouse complexes to be built in the area. Constructed by GNC, they are located just southwest of Beaverpond Drive and Blair Road.

The Ottawa Citizen, July 6, 1973

Pineview Village by Cadillac-Fairview

Cadillac-Fairview begun constructing in "Pineview Village" in 1974 on Whittaker Crescent and parts of Stonehenge Crescent.

The Ottawa Citizen, January 10, 1974

The Ottawa Citizen, August 31, 1974

Ridgebrook Estates

Located on Eric Crescent and Ena Lane, these townhomes were built around 1974.

The Ottawa Citizen, April 13, 1974

Blair Court (Now Blair Estates) by Nelstar

The townhouse complex at the southwest of Blair Road and Meadowbrook Road has a sign titled "Blair Estates", but when the area was first constructed c. 1974 it was called "Blair Court". Unfortunately, I do not have the plans for these houses.

The Ottawa Citizen, February 16, 1974

Stonehenge by Minto

Also around the same time, Minto built their Stonehenge townhomes located on the eastern leg of Stonehenge Crescent. These plans can be found at this blog post: 1970s Garden Homes by Minto

The Ottawa Citizen, February 16, 1974

Stoneridge North by Mastercraft

Mastercraft built the Stoneridge North townhouses on the north side of Meadowbrook Road in the mid-1970s. There are similar townhouses along Ridgebrook Drive that may be Stoneridge South, but I could not find any marketing material on the area. Alas, I do not have these plans.

The Ottawa Citizen, February 5, 1976

Meadowvale by Mastercraft, with the Rental Conversion done by the Regional Group as Stone Gate Park

During the 1970s large areas of Pineview were built with townhouses. Most were condos, but some were also built as rentals. One such complex, originally called Meadowvale, was converted to for sale houses in 1999 by the Regional Group. These are located on the western leg of Stonehenge Crescent. I only have one floor plan, but I suspect that there are one or two others.

The Ottawa Citizen, January 9, 1979

The Ottawa Citizen, February 6, 1999

Eastcliffe Gardens and Saxony Glen by Assaly

In the early 1980s Assaly Homes built Eastcliffe Gardens at Birchmount Drive and Cedarcroft Place. Those plans can be found on the following post and scrolling down: Assaly Homes This area has garden homes (townhomes), villas (quatroplexes) and link homes (linked by the garage). Scrolling down further on that blog post you will find the plans for Saxony Glen c. 1984, located on Saxony Crescent and Nordic Way in the south end of Pineview. Both of these Assaly areas appear to have been built with rental units, but as a part of a rental conversion boom in the 1990s, these are now individually owned.

The Ottawa Citizen, May 26, 1981

The Ottawa Citizen, July 2, 1981

The Ottawa Citizen, May 10, 1984

The Ottawa Citizen, October 29, 1991

Brookmill Estates and Brookmill on the Park by Perez

One of the larger tracts to be developed in Pineview is Brookmill by Perez c. 1981. These were built on both sides of the western leg of Meadowbrook Road. There are some larger/wider plans in this development that I am missing.

The Ottawa Citizen, April 4, 1981

A final phase was built on Progress Place, but I am missing the plans for these.

The Ottawa Citizen, June 28, 1986

I am missing information on a few sections of the area, namely:

"Golfview Estates" on Ballard Court
Carleton Condo Corporation #70 homes on Ridgebrook Drive. Are these Stoneridge South?

The final pockets of Pineview were completed in the 21st century. These include:

Richcaft Homes's Appleton Lane, c. 2001, on Royal Gala Private and Blossomfield Court
Townhomes on Laura Private, c. 2002, by Edmond St-Amour Contracting
Campanale Home's Stonehenge Park, c. 2008, on Torovin Private

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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 of houses on a street in

The small Post-War 1 1/2-Storey House - Part One

The small Post-War 1 1/2-Storey House The 1 1/2-storey house is common in certain areas of Ottawa built during WWII and the era immediately afterwards. These houses can be found throughout the city, but larger concentrations include the following areas: Carlington, Courtland Park, Carleton Heights, Meadowlands/St. Claire Gardens, Alta Vista, Overbrook, Eastview, Vanier, Elmvale Acres and Queensway Terrace. The 1 1/2-storey house actually has older roots in European architecture and early North American housing. The style was re-born by Wartime Housing Limited during WWII to fill a need during a housing shortage and were meant to be temporary. The design is economical to build, versus a full 2-storey house, and in some cases the second floor can be left unfinished for future expansion. Here is a link to a NFB short film on the wartime houses: Wartime Housing Below are the 3 basic plans Wartime Housing Limited built in communities across Canada - one of which was a 1 1/2-storey

Modern Mansard - The Neo-Mansard Roof

Throughout the mid-century, the Mansard roof was popular in Ottawa housing design. First popularised in France during the 17th century, and then revived in the 19th century, the roof style re-appeared in Ottawa during the 1960s. At first the roof was used on historically-inspired houses, but was eventually altered in a variety of ways to have a more modern take on tradition. Campeau was the builder who used the roof the most in the mid-century, but other builders also followed suit. A traditional use of the Mansard roof. Playfair Park North/South, Russell Heights, c. 1965. This plan had a traditional Mansard option as well as 2 Dutch Colonial options with a Gambrel roof. Beacon Hill and South Keys, c. 1967. Here is a great example of a modern take on the Mansard roof. Instead of protruding dormer windows with arched tops, these houses have an inset window and an asymmetrical facade. From the side, the roof actually has more of a Gambrel-style silhouette.

Costain in Ottawa - Part One: Blackburn Hamlet (Detached Homes)

Some of my long-time readers may remember that I did a series of posts on Costain a few years ago. For some reason, a few of my older posts have vanished from my blog - for reasons unknown to me. So, I have re-created this post on the builder Costain due to interest from some of my readers. On the positive side, I have been able to get my hot little paws on some new floor plans and marketing material, so there is more material in this post compared to the original (now lost) post! In the mid-1960s the builder Costain (originally from England, but with an impressive global portfolio) came to Ottawa to develop a new hamlet in the eastern greenbelt called Blackburn Hamlet. Today Blackburn Hamlet is very lush with mature trees and extensive parkland, surrounded by the NCC Greenbelt. The west side of Blackburn Hamlet has 3 neighbourhoods separated by parkland, Westpark, Southpark and Centrepark. The Northpark and Eastpark neighbourhoods

Campeau in the late 1950s and early 1960s

Below is a collection of floor plans that Campeau built in the late 1950s and early 1960s. I quite like the first plan with its blank front facade to the right of the front door. It gives the house a modern take on the Cape Cod-inspired 1 1/2 story style. I do not believe that many of this design were built, though. I also quite like this design below, with its blank facade and large wall of windows in the Living Room. Too bad my only copy of the plan is cut off at the top.

CMHC house designs from the mid-century

Between 1947 and 1974 the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), formerly Central Mortgage and Housing Corporation, published regular floor plan books of small houses suitable to be built in Canada. Blueprints could be ordered for the architect-designed plans, and examples of the built houses can be found throughout Ottawa. There are so many interesting plans that were available through the CMHC, so this is only the first posting with some of my favourites. If you recognise any of these designs that have been built in Ottawa (or elsewhere in Canada), please feel free to share the location with me! I have always been a fan of the butterfly roof! Although there are no front facing windows on the above design, the cedar shake cladding makes for a very interesting facade. The architect was based out of Kanata, and I could easily see this house fitting into the natural landscape of Beaverbrook - although I don't think it was actually built there. The central atrium h

Amberwood Village - Stittsville

Another blog post by request! Located south of Hazeldean Road east of Stittsville Main Street is a very special "adult-lifestyle" neighbourhood begun in the late 1970s. The original phases of Amberwood Village consist of a series of houses built in clusters along the edges of the Amberwood Golf Course. The development was originally built by a company called Jaric Developments Ltd. The architect of this original portion of the area was W.G.Mohaupt - who also designed the "courtyard singles" in Hunt Club (see my old post Favourite Plans South and scroll down to see these designs) - and also used to design houses for Minto. The clusters of attached houses are grouped on dead-end lanes and units are attached is a variety of arrangements. Some designs have an attached garage, while others have detached garages clustered together with others. The result is a very interesting streetscape with a lot of open space between units. Image courtesy of

The bungalow staircase

California spearheaded the popularity of the bungalow (or ranch home), in mid-century North America. In California, basements are rare. During WWII and immediately afterward, some Ottawa houses were built without basements to save costs. But, the appeal of having a basement as extra room for storage and expansion space, meant that the basementless house did not last long. Having a basement meant that California-inspired designs had to be adapted to allow room for a staircase down. The placement of the basement stairs in bungalow design is sometimes a challenge. With a two-story house, often the staircase is located in the front hall, but this is not the case with many bungalows. While a staircase up leads to finished rooms on the upper floor, the staircase down to the basement was historically linked to service spaces. Basements in older houses were more utilitarian, so there was no need to have the basement stairs on display like the stairs to the upper floors. A staircase down also

California Modern in Ottawa

During the mid-century era, California became the epicentre of modern design. From the architect-designed case-study houses, to the mundane tract house, all eyes were on California. In Canada, books and periodicals on architecture filled with Californian design would have sparked the imagination of Architects and designers. W hen one thinks of Mid-Century Modern (MCM) California tract housing, the name ‘Eichler’ often comes to mind. Perhaps one of the most famous MCM tract builders, Joseph Eichler, defined MCM design in the United States. His widely-published designs even captured the imagination of Canadians. Any designer/architect in the know would have seen an Eichler plan. In Ottawa, there are a few examples of houses built in the 1960s with floor plans that could have been influenced by those being built by Eichler. The most famous Eichler-built designs are those with an open-air atrium at the centre. One of the floor plans built by Teron in Beaverbrook during the 1960s feature

MCMC - Mid-Century Modern Condos

Do you love MCM design, but are looking for a condominium apartment to call home? Ottawa has a good selection of MCM buildings where your Eames chair will feel at home. While some may find the plain exteriors of many MCM condos too severe, they usually have very spacious units inside - especially compare to the tiny condos built today. The simplicity of some of the plans may seem boring, but upon closer inspection, the well-proportioned rooms and abundance of natural light is quite appealing. MCM condo apartments were built in the later half of the period, as the first ever high-rise condo building in Canada was built in 1967. The Horizon House is located in Ottawa, and was built by Minto in Parkwood Hills. There were buildings built earlier in the mid-century, but they are rental apartment buildings. This particular posting will focus only on condo buildings. Horizon House - located at Meadowlands Drive and Chesterton Drive in Parkwood Hills. Built in the mid 1970s,

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