ISLAND PARK
COMMUNITY
ASSOCIATION
Important Documents
National Capital Commission Heritage Inventory - Island Park Drive (2020-2022)
This summary has been compiled by the Heritage Program as part of the 2020 - 2022 Heritage Inventory Project. The research was focused on heritage interests and concerns and is therefore not exhaustive. This summary should be considered in conjunction with asset information and specific project records.
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Frederick G. Todd Preliminary Report to Ottawa Improvement Commission (1903)
Island Park Drive was developed based on a 1903 study by Frederick G. Todd, a Landscape Architect. The study was commissioned by the Ottawa Improvement Commission with the goal of outlining a general comprehensive scheme for the systematic improvement of the city, with focus on future health and happiness of its inhabitants and considering Ottawa’s special status as the Capital of the Dominion of Canada.
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Frederick G. Todd took into consideration the city’s expected rapid growth over the decades to follow and recognized that the future of the city depends on ability
to look ahead and plan properly. In order to develop Ottawa, as a capital city, into a city of unusual beauty and attractiveness, he believed that the parks and open spaces should be numerous, and ample boulevards and parkways should skirt the different waterways, as well as connect the principal parks and the different public buildings.
Island Park Drive, Ottawa, Ontario Landscape Report by Edwinna von Baeyer (2000)
Island Park Drive is a unique part of Ottawa's urban landscape heritage. From its opening, the Drive was always regarded as a beauty spot, a beautiful residential area, a scenic drive, an example of cooperation between developers and the National Capital Commission (NCC) and its predecessors. It was promoted by the Ottawa Improvement Commission (OIC), up to the National Capital Commission as a particularly beautiful link in the parkway-driveway system that was developed from the early 1900s.
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The full report can be found here.
NCC Covenants (1922 - 2020)
After acquiring the lands recommended by Todd and Holt/Brennan, a legal document referred to as the “Cowley Covenants” was signed on April 26, 1922 between the Ottawa Improvement Commission and the land owner, Robert H. Cowley. Per the recommendation of Todd and Holt/Brennan, the goal was to ensure a strict adherence to the development and use of the land in perpetuity, however, the longest term available at the time for such an instrument was 99 years. The goal of the covenants was to keep the driveway true to its original intention as part of a comprehensive parkway system and a gateway to the city, a key element in the City Beautiful movement. Among other details, the covenants stipulated the following:
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That land be sold for residential purposes only
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That no building or portion of the building, fence or other erection shall be placed at a closer distance than 25’ from the line of the lot contiguous to the driveway
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That all buildings be approved by the Grantee
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That all buildings shall conform to buildings that have already been erected along other portions of the Driveway
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That no business traffic be allowed on the Driveway
The covenants were similar to those enacted for Rockcliffe Park with required set-back from the street, minimum home value and quality construction.
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