A NEW BEGINNING FOR GATINEAU PARK'S O'BRIEN HOUSE

HERITAGE OTTAWA                                                                                                                    

Heritage Ottawa is pleased to report that the National Capital Commission (NCC) recently announced that the O’Brien House in Gatineau Park, also known as Kincora Lodge, will be welcoming a new tenant this spring. The NCC has signed a lease agreement with Square Old Chelsea, a local business who will operate an 11 guest room boutique hotel with spaces for weddings, meetings and special events at the revitalized heritage property.

"We are delighted to see its doors reopen and to witness renewed vitality at a site that holds such a meaningful place in Gatineau Park,” Tobi Nussbaum, CEO at the NCC said in a statement on March 3. “This agreement…strengthens our commitment to showcasing and protecting an important part of the National Capital Region’s heritage.”

Built in 1930 on a promontory above Meech Lake, the O’Brien House is a large, two-and-a-half storey picturesque structure designed in the Queen Anne Revival style by local Ottawa architect Werner Noffke.

The house was built by John Ambrose O’Brien, a successful Renfrew-born industrialist who, as owner of Confederation Construction, oversaw the construction of the section of the National Transcontinental Railway running through Crow’s Nest Pass between Alberta and B.C.

The family shared an enthusiasm for sports and recreation, especially hockey. In 1909, O’Brien founded the National Hockey Association (precursor of the NHL) that included the legendary Montréal Canadians.

The high-quality aesthetic design of the O’Brien House reinforces the picturesque character of its lakeside setting. Perched on a hilltop, it is highly visible within the area. The use of varied materials such as indigenous rough granite and wooden siding, milled to resemble logs, gives the house a rustic charm that was popular in recreational architecture of the 1920s and 1930s.

The NCC acquired the property in 1964, but the house sat vacant for decades before undergoing a multi-million dollar renovation in 2018. Attempts to operate it as a hotel were unsuccessful and it closed in 2019.

The relaunch of the O’Brien House through a collaborative partnership with local area businesses will give the historic local landmark a whole new lease on life.

The house was designated a Recognized Federal Heritage Building in 1985. It is listed on the Canadian Register of Historic Places: https://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=11242&pid=0

Photo credit: Julie Oliver/Postmedia

Additional Reading: "Historic O'Brien House in Gatineau Park to reopen in the spring," Ottawa Citizen, March 3, 2026