n Wednesday evening , August 30, Bob Chiarelli met with a women's forum at the old Strand Theatre, 1265 Bank Street, to discuss housing, health, living with disabilities, and other problems.
According to Chiarelli's campaign manager Randi Hansen, they intend to spruce up the once delightful theatre building and use it as headquarters for this year's City of Ottawa mayoralty campaign.
According to community activist John Bond, the old Strand Theatre is a cultural heritage diamond in the rough, very much in need of an appropriate new use and sympathetic renovation. The City of Ottawa's published Heritage Reference List includes the old Strand Theatre as a "listed heritage resource," indicating structures of potential value which have not been adequately assessed.
Friends of Old Ottawa South Heritage and others with an interest in conservation of cultural works, would like to express a public "thank you" to Mr. Chiarelli for selecting a building with a past. His choice for a campaign headquarters may be the deciding factor toward the Strand's eventual recognition and renovation. Those of us who feel affection toward Old Ottawa South's physical heritage certainly hope so.