Plant 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 was built along with the Champagne Bath
Champagne Bath
The Champagne Bath, today officially the Champagne Fitness Center, is a historic bath in Ottawa, Canada. It is located on King Edward Avenue in Lower Town. Originally the structure was built for the greater hygiene of the largely working class residents of the neighbourhood, many of whom had no...
in 1924 to try and improve the hygiene and well being of the city's lower classes. It was named after Frank H. Plant
Frank H. Plant
Frank Henry Plant was mayor of Ottawa from 1921 to 1923 and in 1930.He was born in London, Ontario in 1883 and came to Ottawa with his family in 1900. As an alderman, he helped introduce the "two platoon" system for firefighters in the city. Before that, firefighters were on duty 24 hours per day...
, then mayor of Ottawa. It is located at 930 Somerset Street West at the intersection with Preston Street
Preston Street (Ottawa)
Preston Street is a street in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, running between Wellington Street and Carling Avenue. It is the main commercial district in Little Italy, home to numerous small business and Italian restaurants, and is synonymous with "Little Italy" to many Ottawa residents when referring to...
. It is in the centre of the Italian-Canadian
Italian-Canadian
An Italian Canadian is a Canadian of Italian descent or heritage. According to the 2006 census of Canada, 1,445,335 Canadians consider themselves to be of Italian origin. The Italian-Canadian population climbed by more than 12% and half have combined Italian origins along with another ethnic...
community and near the Chinese-Canadian areas of the city.
In 1994 it was designated a heritage property, but three years later the building was closed for safety reasons. The brick pillars holding up the roof had eroded and there was some danger that the building could collapse. Repairs were estimated to cost millions of dollars and the baths remained closed for several years. After 2000 a project to refurbish the baths and build a new recreation centre attached was launched. This project cost eight million dollars, including removing the pool from the old building which now contains community meeting halls. Two new pools, gyms, and other community structures were added to a large new centre attached. The new Plant Recreation Centre opened in June 2004.