| 331 Somerset | |
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| General information | |
| Location | Ottawa, Ontario, Canada |
| Address | 331 Somerset Street |
| Coordinates | 45°14′45″N75°24′51″W / 45.24585°N 75.41425°W |
| Renovating team | |
| Architect(s) | Barry Podolsky, 1997 reconstruct [1] |
A former home of Canadian Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King from 1901 to 1910 during his time as Minister of Labour. [1] [2] 331 Somerset Street , is designated as an Ottawa heritage property. [3]
The 1901 Ottawa City Directory listed 331 Somerset as the home of Alexander R. Cope and his sons William, a boilermaker, William V. a clerk, and Edward B. an insurance agent. [4]
King and his close friend, the journalist Henry Albert Harper whom he professed to love with a deeper love than the confirmed bachelor could ever feel for a woman, moved into the home in September 1901, three months before Harper's tragic 1901 drowning; the pair having spent the previous year living together at 202 Maria Street (now named Laurier Street West). [5] [6] Harper had hung a print of George Frederic Watts' "Sir Galahad" over his desk at the house, and King later erected a statue of Galahad in memory of his deceased friend. [7]
King remained in the house until 1910 when he acquired a more "prestigious" address at the Roxborough Apartments. [5]
In 1951, the building was operating as an inn that attracted American tourists with the draw that Mackenzie King had lived in the house. [2]
By 1976, the building had been converted by Dodie Lewis into the Doma II Art Gallery, which housed works by Ann Forman and Richard Robertson among others. [8] By 1979, "Marygold Antiques, Crafts, Cards and Art" was also run out of the building. [9]
As of 1997, ownership had passed to Anthony and Joseph Kwai. [1] In February 1997, a fire destroyed the heritage property which was housing a financial investment firm and a deli restaurant. [1] A demolition permit was obtained since the building was deemed "beyond repair", [1] and architect Barry Podolsky was retained to try and match the original style of the building for its reconstruction. [1] In 1998, the reconstruction was granted the Award of Merit for Architectural Conservation by the city. [10] [11]
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