History of Campanile
The church along with the rest of the complex was designed by Tim Murray. The Campanile Church was one of Murray's earliest projects of architectural significance. He continued to design other buildings in the Ottawa area, but this major project remains his largest commission. The church was the centre of the complex with twelve other buildings surrounding it. All the original buildings in the complex are currently recognised as having historical and architectural significance by the Federal Heritage Buildings Review Office. The complex was first recognised by this office in 2004, although there were attempts for it to be recognized much earlier. The main reasons for its consideration as significant include the building’s association with the Sisters of Congress of Notre Dame, its association with Tim Murray, and its association with the expansion of Ottawa along with the expansion of the federal government.
After the complex was built in 1965 the nuns remained there for only eight years. During these eight years an all-girls Catholic high school functioned from the space. In 1967 an all-boys high school moved in to share the space offered by Campanile. In 1973 Campanile was sold to the federal government due to financial issues. Some of these financial difficulties arose as a direct result of the Catholic schools’ private instruction of grades 11, 12, and 13, and therefore were not funded by the province of Ontario. As a result, private tuition was necessary to cover the cost associated with offering instruction to these grades. With fewer women interested in becoming nuns and lower levels of enrolment in the high school, funding the school and convent became more difficult. After selling the complex to the federal government the nuns rented a section of the complex until 1974 while waiting for either new missions or new residence.
