Council approves urgent repairs for leaky Aberdeen Pavilion

The Cattle Castle’s last refurbishment was in the early 1990s and now the pavilion’s steel roof is leaking badly.

Published Jul 15, 2024 • Last updated 6 hours ago • 1 minute read

Aberdeen Pavilion at Lansdowne Park in Ottawa needs roof repairs. Photo by Jean Levac /POSTMEDIA

The Aberdeen Pavilion, the showpiece of Lansdowne Park, is getting an urgently needed makeover.

Last week, city council approved a refurbishment plan for the 126-year-old building, commonly known as the Cattle Castle. Built in 1898 and designed by architect Moses C. Edey, the pavilion is the only surviving 19th-century exhibition hall in Canada.

But time has taken its toll since its last refurbishment was in the early 1990s. Now the pavilion’s steel roof is leaking badly, according to an engineering assessment.

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“Of particular concern was the poor condition of the roof, with significant water entry through the metal roofing panels, lack of any waterproofing membranes, and subsequently, accelerated deterioration of the wood board decking visible on the building interior,” the report says.

The rehabilitation, which was previously approved by the city’s built heritage committee, includes replacing the upper and lower roofs, and the entranceway roof, along with repairs to the dome, turrets and cupolas, replacing the massive wooden doors with replicas (but retaining the original ironwork fittings) and rehabilitation of the concrete slab floor.

A new heat trace system will be installed to reduce snow and ice buildup on the roof and the exterior yellow paint—which contains lead—will be stripped and the building repainted.

The council decision grants a heritage permit for the work to proceed, but did not include a cost estimate or a timeline for when the work will be done. The heritage permit is good for three years unless extended by council.

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