Anya Watson and Annabelle Sadler / 2024-3-5
It was 2014. I was eight years old and I had classes in the part of the original Broadview Public School known as “The Tower.” I remember the old building well, the feeling of heat that was omnipresent in the music hall, even if the rest of the school had a chill in the air.
Not just The Tower, but the whole school had a similar architectural style to that of the Nepean High School building: red brick, blocky, endless stairs. Broadview had been built to educate the young minds of the Westboro community before students attended Nepean High school, which had been designed as a continuation program for Broadview students.
I have fond memories of meeting some of my dearest friends at Broadview and I am filled with confusion and disorientation at seeing The Tower unused and discarded, cut off from the new Broadview building.
The original Broadview school was built in 1916 and rebuilt in 1927 following a fire. Over the years, the building accumulated several additions to accommodate a growing population. Concerns over asbestos, flooding, and the general condition of the building gradually became an issue. Consequently, a new school was built in 2016 for Broadview students next to the original building. The new design boasts large windows, bike racks, and various features the original building had been lacking. Students are pleased with the new design, including Amir K., a current Broadview student who “really likes” his school, especially his outdoor gym class and chess club.
In 2017, the older building’s additions were torn down and only the original shell of the school, which had been designated a heritage building, remains untouched to this day. Currently, there are no plans for its future on Broadview Avenue. Westboro residents have a variety of ideas regarding what should be done with the building. Many community members feel that the building should be used as it was originally intended. Sara Ryan, a community activist in favour of repurposing the original building, stated “I would like the school board to use it as a school. […] I see it as the only real purpose.” Some Nepean students feel it might be best-used as a storage facility for Nepean High School equipment or as classrooms to replace the school’s portables.
A Facilities Manager with the school board confirms that the OCDSB has “looked at options for the use of the building including repurposing it for classrooms and selling to a 3rd party. Third- parties have typically been land developers looking to turn the space into condos but the cost to fit-up and lack of parking have been a deterrent.” In response to the desire of some community members to see the building reused as a school: “We do not have a source of funding that could support turning the tower back into classrooms.”
While the building does represent the great architectural diversity of the neighbourhood, the community remains split on whether they would like to see it torn down. “I think it’s important to keep. It has value and it brings value to the neighbourhood aesthetically,” argues Sara Ryan. “We lost a lot.”
For now, the original building remains shut off to the public, a representation of the changing needs and desires of the surrounding community. The original Broadview Public School stands proudly between the new Broadview Public School, home to 1040 students, and Nepean High School, home to approximately 1250 students. Despite these considerable student populations inhabiting portable-rich schools, the building’s future in the Westboro community remains up in the air.
This article was written with the support of OCDSB Trustee Zone 4, Suzanne Nash.