Centretown advocate tells ‘the story of the present from the perspective of the future’

By Louise Rachlis

There’s no bigger fan of the Centretown area than Charles Akben-Marchand, president of the Centretown Citizens Community Association, and blogger of “Images of Centretown.”
The Lorne Building on Elgin Street is being proposed for re-development and his comments on that are one of his most popular posts.
“Sitting quietly at 90 Elgin Street, between Albert and Slater is the Lorne Building. Built half a century ago to house the National Gallery of Canada on a ‘temporary’ basis, the federal government wants to replace it with a new, larger, building,” he writes. “The building’s history starts in 1880, when the Marquis of Lorne, Governor General John Douglas Sutherland Campbell, initiated the National Gallery of Canada movement. The Gallery opened to the public in May 1882…”
After old and new photos and a chronological history, he concludes: “At least on the Elgin elevation, the new building should reflect the scale of its neighbours, and it should present an architectural landmark to those coming across the Mackenzie-King Bridge. There is an opportunity for a spectacular view here, and it can’t be spoiled by yet another square ugly office building.”
Involved in community groups for over a decade, including three years as President of Citizens for Safe Cycling, among his current responsibilities besides being president of the CCCA, are board member of the Dalhousie Community Association, a central role in the Rescue Bronson Avenue project, and he’s in charge of the bicycle parking at Bluesfest. He was on the naming committee for what is now known as the Corktown Footbridge.
He’s also on Twitter and regularly tweets photos on @Centretowner (www.twitter.com/Centretowner).
A program manager for a non-profit group, he works four blocks away from his house and often spends time in the coffee shops around the area. He attended McNabb Public School and now lives around the corner, with little need to leave. “You can really get pretty much everything you need from the area. I venture no more than two and a half kilometres from my house most of the time.”
He began his blog in 2008 - “I’m a storyteller with pictures rather than a photographer” – and has a vast collection of photos that he refers back to as the neighborhood changes.
“I’m telling the story of the present from the perspective of the future. I always like looking back at old photos and seeing what things looked like then. I’m helping people 50 years from now to know what life is like now.”
He says that the buildings you notice less are often the most special, “the small things that you only notice when you live in Centretown…the yellow house that was on Gladstone, it’s a really interesting story….The Fox and Feather on Elgin used to be a smaller building called Miss Harman’s Girls’ School, and the apartments that were added beside it along Elgin Street were named the Harman Apartments.”
“Wherever you live, pay attention to what’s around you and how it changes. Get involved with your local community association so you can have an influence on the change process. Whenever I’m in the Glebe or Westboro or somewhere else, I’d like to be able to refer to someone’s local blog for the history.”
See Charles’ blog at www.centretown.blogspot.com .