EDITORIAL: More than a museum

The former war museum on Sussex Drive is a problematic treasure. It's a lovely building but until recently, nobody wanted it.

The Aga Khan wants the building to house a new Global Centre for Pluralism. The hereditary imam of Ismaili Muslims announced the project with Prime Minister Stephen Harper last week. The Canadian government will lease the building to the new centre and provide $30 million to seed its endowment.

There were many reasons the war museum moved out of the old building next to the National Art Gallery. Some of those reasons had to do with the building itself. Its rooms are dim and small, at least by museum standards. The necessary renovations include asbestos cleanup and new wiring.

The problems with the building help explain why no private group or government agency has created a new tourist attraction there since the war museum left.

That's a shame, because it's a heritage building in a beautiful location. Ottawa has several stately old buildings that are underused: the old U.S. embassy and the old train station are the worst examples.

Ideally, the old war museum building would be a public exhibit space, where Ottawans and visitors could learn about history or sport or politics or art. Because no one has shown the leadership to make that happen, the city should welcome the Aga Khan's plan. It won't turn the site into a major tourist attraction, but at least someone is going to fix up the building and put it to a public use. The renovation plans include fully wired classrooms, a research library and a professional theatre.

Pluralism might not be a word that comes up in coffee-shop conversations, but it is, as the Aga Khan says, essential to the survival of the human race.

The Aga Khan is interested in Canada because he shares the idea that there can be unity in diversity. Canada has its problems, but it is successfully building a country of many races, cultures and religions.

There are as many visions for Canada's capital as there are Canadians. It would be nice to have a ring of museums and galleries encircling the river, from the Museum of Civilization to the War Museum.

Exhibit space is terrific, and we should all continue to push for more of it. But museums aren't all that can turn a city into a global destination. Ottawa could also use more research centres with international profiles.

The Global Centre for Pluralism will attract speakers and scholars from around the world. It's a creative use for an one of Ottawa's neglected heritage buildings.

© The Ottawa Citizen 2006