Scattered across Ottawa in churches, embassy salons, private homes and office buildings, you will find the eclectic and impressive touch of one of our city’s most beloved architects.
It’s possible you may not have heard of Werner Ernst Noffke, one of the most influential and prolific architects to ever live in Ottawa. If you have spent any time downtown, however, or strolled in such central neighbourhoods as the Glebe or Centretown, then you have certainly come across one (if not several) of his buildings and/or residential homes.
“He’s probably Ottawa’s best loved architect,” says Shannon Ricketts, a local architectural historian who has been researching Noffke for years. “He is so prevalent in all of Ottawa, except in the new suburbs.”
To celebrate the wonderful legacy of Noffke, who died in 1964, Heritage Ottawa has published a walking guide that highlights 60 of his local buildings.
Written by Ricketts, the book is essential reading for anyone interested in local history or heritage buildings. It also contains numerous images by local photographer Brian Glenn.
The easy to carry guide fits comfortably in a pants pocket, purse or knapsack, making it ideal for anyone who wants to stroll through the city and learn about the city’s architectural past.
“I organized this book so people can carry it with them when they are walking,” says Ricketts
The guide contains several interesting anecdotes, such as the vignette of the Noffke-designed U.S.S.R. embassy (now Russian embassy) at 285 Charlotte. The guide notes how RCMP agents planted electronic wiring into the embassy’s aluminium window frames while the building was being constructed.
For Ottawa residents, meanwhile, the guild reveals how truly omnipresent the work of this beloved architect is.
“You could be born in a Noffke hospital, live in a Noffke house, go to study in a Noffke school, work in a Noffke office, and be laid to rest in a Noffke funeral home,” says Ricketts, who in 1991 won the City of Ottawa Heritage Day Prize for her research essay on Noffke. The walking guide builds on her past research to reflect the recent state of Noffke buildings in Ottawa.
Born in 1878, Noffke developed an interest in architecture as a child, and by the age of 14 started an apprenticeship with a local architect. By 1901 he opened his own business, and for the next six decades designed a large number of residential, commercial, industrial and institutional buildings – such as schools, hospitals and churches – in the National Capital Region, as well as across Canada.
A prolific worker, he made his last entry in his job book in 1960 at the age of 82.
Drawing from a wide range of styles, his massive portfolio includes the Plaza Building at the corner of Rideau and Sussex, the post office at the corner of Elgin and Sparks, and St. Theresa’s Roman Catholic Church at the corner of Somerset and Cartier.
He also designed numerous homes, many of which were converted into embassies. Examples include the Polish embassy (43 Daly Ave.), the Greek embassy (534 Queen Elizabeth Dr.), the Vietnamese embassy (85 Glebe Ave.), the Peruvian embassy (539 Island Park Dr.), and the South Korean embassy (540 Acacia Ave.).
The Noffke walking guide costs $15 and can be purchased online, as well as the following bookstores: Perfect Books (258A Elgin St.), Brittons – Glebe (846 Bank St.), Octopus Books – Glebe (116 Third Ave.), and Books on Beechwood (35 Beechwood Ave.). Members of the Heritage Ottawa can purchase the guide at a reduced price of $10.
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