Champagne Bath
Encyclopedia
Bathing
Bathing is the washing or cleansing of the body in a fluid, usually water or an aqueous solution. It may be practised for personal hygiene, religious ritual or therapeutic purposes or as a recreational activity....
in Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It is located on King Edward Avenue in Lower Town
Lower Town
Lowertown is a district in the central area of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada to the east of downtown. It is bounded roughly by Rideau Street to the south, Sussex Drive and Ottawa River to the north, the Rideau Canal to the west, and the Rideau River to the east...
. Originally the structure was built for the greater hygiene of the largely working class residents of the neighbourhood, many of whom had no baths in their homes. The structure was also originally home to a library
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
. Work began on the building in 1921 and it was completed in 1924. The building, a blend of the Spanish Colonial Revival
Spanish Colonial Revival Style architecture
The Spanish Colonial Revival Style was a United States architectural stylistic movement that came about in the early 20th century, starting in California and Florida as a regional expression related to history, environment, and nostalgia...
and Prairie Styles, was designed by Werner Ernst Noffke
W.E. Noffke
W. E. Noffke was a residential architect in Ottawa, Canada. His houses, some of the grandest in the city of the time, are in eclectic style, often with Mediterranean influences...
. It was named after Ottawa mayor Napoléon Champagne
Napoléon Champagne
Napoléon Champagne was mayor of Ottawa in 1908 and 1924, and a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario representing Ottawa East from 1911 to 1914....
. It was Ottawa's first municipal swimming pool
Swimming pool
A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is a container filled with water intended for swimming or water-based recreation. There are many standard sizes; the largest is the Olympic-size swimming pool...
and was one of the first indoor pools in Canada. The pool was also unusual in that it was salt water
Brine
Brine is water, saturated or nearly saturated with salt .Brine is used to preserve vegetables, fruit, fish, and meat, in a process known as brining . Brine is also commonly used to age Halloumi and Feta cheeses, or for pickling foodstuffs, as a means of preserving them...
, which meant it did not need to be chlorinated
Chlorination
Chlorination is the process of adding the element chlorine to water as a method of water purification to make it fit for human consumption as drinking water...
. It was soon followed by the Plant Bath
Plant Bath
The Plant Bath is a historical bath in Ottawa, Canada. It was built along with the Champagne Bath in 1924 to try and improve the hygiene and well being of the city's lower classes. It was named after Frank H. Plant, then mayor of Ottawa. It is located at 930 Somerset Street West at the intersection...
which was built on the western side of town.
It was segregated until 1967 with separate ground level entrances for each sex. While popular for many years usage declined as the facility aged. In the 1980s, after the completion of the newer Le Patro facility, the city proposed closing the Bath. After public protest it was decided to renovate the Bath at the cost of some two million dollars. The transformed facility opened in 1990. With some 45,000 patrons a year the facility is still underutilized.