Rockcliffe Park neighbours and the renewal of the Centennial Garden
At the heart of Rockcliffe Park is the Village Green made up of Jubilee Garden to the east and the Centennial Garden at its centre. Designed to commemorate Canada's centennial, these are important pieces of landscape art and the work of Humphrey Carver, founding member of the Canadian Society of Landscape Architects. The unveiling of the Centennial Garden in 1967 was attended by hundreds of neighbours including Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson, Leader of the Opposition John Diefenbaker and Governor General Roland Michener. Over the decades, thanks to the generosity of neighbours, Jubilee Garden was renewed and saw the addition of the Jubilee Pavilion.
Now it is time to come together for the renewal of the Centennial Garden.
Residents have been working for decades on how to restore the Centennial Garden, to address areas of deterioration from the passage of time and the adverse effects of the elements and snow removal equipment. In 2022, a plan for the restoration of the Centennial Garden received approval in principle from the Rockcliffe Park Foundation and the RPRA, as well as the support of Councillor Rawlson King.
The plan for the Centennial Garden honours the original vision for the Centennial Garden. The plan addresses its deterioration by replanting trees and repairing the outer circular ring of flagstone and river rocks; and also adds a boulder to the center to reflect the fact that Canada now has three territories, one more than when the Centennial Garden was built in 1967. In October 2023, Ottawa City Council approved in principle a $150,000 contribution toward the plan and volunteers working to secure additional city and provincial funds are optimistic that new goals will soon be reached.
In the year ahead, as we come together to celebrate the designation of Rockcliffe as a National Historic Site of Canada, the next chapter of the Centennial Garden will be launched with a neighbourhood consultation and one-time campaign to raise the remaining funds for its restoration.