Group readies Centretown mosque in former church and heritage centre

A local Muslim group is bringing new life to a historic building near downtown Ottawa. 

Muhammad Suliman, Al-Hassan Jouali and other community members are refurbishing the interior of 397 Kent St. as what they're calling Centretown Mosque. 

The large building, located at the corner of Florence Street, was previously home to the First United Church of Ottawa and, more recently, the Ottawa Chinese-Canadian Heritage Centre.

The new group's plan is to convert the main hall, where light streams in from tall windows and a rose window above a stage, to a main prayer space in time for Ramadan, the month of prayer and fasting that will begin this year on Feb. 28.

For the moment, another room on the main floor, which will ultimately be converted into a gym, is being used for prayer.

Multi-purpose space

The mosque will also serve as a youth centre and gathering space for people of all faiths. 

It will become the city's first major mosque in the downtown area, according to Jouali, a local business owner of 39 years. 

"We've seen a lot of Muslim community centres and mosques open all around the outskirts of Ottawa ... But [the] downtown core has been ignored," Jouali said. 

The building's owners have given the group until October to make their final payment, Jouali added, allowing for a phased approach to their plans.

The closest thing to a downtown masjid is The Ottawa Mosque in Tunney's Pasture, where Suliman served as imam until he and the Ottawa Muslim Association parted ways in late 2023.

All other Muslim prayer spaces also fall outside the downtown core. 

"It doesn't matter where [people] pray," Suliman said when asked about his departure from The Ottawa Mosque. 

"Opening a new mosque is not against the existing mosques. We all are working on one mission and one vision: to promote peace and to help Canadians who live here."

The building has also been known as Trillium Hall.

It was built in 1911 for $33,000 (in those days' dollars) as the new home of the First United Church of Ottawa, according to David Flemming, the chair of the Heritage Ottawa Advocacy Committee.

The congregation moved to a church in Westboro in 2007, paving the way for the Ottawa Chinese-Canadian Heritage Centre.

"It has a legacy," Suliman said of the building. "It's a place where people can find support and help. It doesn't matter who you are. It doesn't matter which faith you have."

The removal of the interior seating from the main hall would not be considered a major alteration to the building, whose interior is not protected under the Ontario Heritage Act, according to Flemming.