Ottawa's Built Heritage Committee will decide this week whether to move ahead with heritage-designating a vacant Ethiopian government property on Island Park Crescent, over the objections of the Ethiopian Embassy, which wants to tear the building down.
The property and the dispute
The house at the centre of the fight is 575 Island Park Crescent, a Georgian Revival-style residence built in 1927. Ethiopia's government bought it in 1993 to serve as its ambassador's official residence, but the property currently sits vacant.
Ottawa's Built Heritage Committee recommended designating the property on June 9, 2026, and city council issued a formal Notice of Intention to Designate the following day, June 10, 2026. Under the Ontario Heritage Act, property owners have a window to object, and the Ethiopian Embassy did just that, filing a formal objection on July 10, 2026. That objection period runs to October 9, 2026.
What each side is arguing
The embassy argues the building cannot reasonably be saved. In its objection, it says retaining the building in any form is not feasible given its condition and the scope of work that would be required, and it is seeking a demolition permit instead. Among the conditions cited is roof deterioration described as having visible rot, delamination and loss of section.
City staff disagree. A staff report prepared ahead of this week's meeting concludes the condition concerns the embassy raised are cosmetic and aesthetic in nature rather than structural.
What happens Tuesday
The Built Heritage Committee is scheduled to consider the embassy's objection at its meeting on September 15, 2026, under agenda item ACS2026-PDB-RHU-0047, which covers Kitchissippi Ward 15, where the property sits. City staff's recommendation to the committee is that council not withdraw the Notice of Intention to Designate, and instead proceed with the formal designation process under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act.
If the committee follows that recommendation, the house would move toward permanent heritage protection, which would block the demolition the embassy is seeking, at least for now. The objection process still has weeks left to run, with the formal window not closing until October 9.
Why it matters in Ottawa
Island Park Crescent is one of Ottawa's more architecturally distinct residential streets, and the broader Kitchissippi neighbourhood has been pushing for heritage recognition for the area as a whole. A foreign government successfully demolishing a nearly century-old home there would set a notable precedent for how much weight the city's heritage rules carry against a property owner, embassy or otherwise, that wants a building gone.
Earlier this month
This isn't the first time this specific property has drawn attention. In July, ottown's earlier report covered the early stages of the clash between the city and the Ethiopian government over the same residence, as the fight over its heritage status became a flashpoint for the neighbourhood's wider heritage push.
Sources: Ottawa Citizen (via Yahoo News Canada), OttWatch (City of Ottawa committee agenda tracker)
