Panet House

Panet House on Laurier Avenue at the corner of King Edward Avenue. Photo: Andrex Holdings Ltd.

Panet House ca.1890. Photo: City of Ottawa Archives, CA-1249

Colonel Charles Eugène Panet, April 1875. Photo: William James Topley / LAC / PA-025561

Colonel Panet with some of his children in front of Panet House. Undated Photo, ca. 1880-1890: City of Ottawa Archives, CA-5677

When the Panet House was converted to apartments in 1915, the original mansard roof was replaced with stucco over brick and the original cornice was reinstalled on the new flat roof. 1987 Photo: Andrex Holdings Ltd.

West elevation of the Panet House, as it appeared after conversion to apartments in 1915. The original mansard roof was replaced with stucco over brick, the original cornice was reinstalled on the new flat roof, and new windows were added to the third storey. 1987 Photo: Andrex Holdings Ltd.

The Panet House after restoration in 1987-1988. The project won the City of Ottawa's Award of Excellence for Adaptive Reuse. Photos via Andrex Holdings Ltd.

Address: 189 Laurier Avenue East

Construction date: 1876

The 3-storey limestone Panet House was built in 1876 by Colonel Charles-Eugène Panet, Deputy Minister of Militia and Defence. He held the position from 1875 until his death in 1898.

By 1915, the Panet House was under new ownership. The house was transformed into 12 elegant apartments, for this project, the mansard roof was removed and new third-floor windows were added.

Panet House was purchased by the city of Ottawa in 1965 when plans were being made to raze the property to accommodate the proposed King Edward Expressway. These plans, however, were eventually abandoned. In 1975, the city proposed replacing it with a fire station. Heritage groups objected to this and eventually, the new station was built across the street. On September 21, 1983, City Council declared it to be a heritage building. In 1986 it was sold to developers who restored it and later that same year, the house became part of the King Edward Avenue Heritage Conservation District.

For a time, it was occupied by the Canadian Conference of the Arts before being purchased by the Government of Angola in the late 1990s.