Reddick Mansion Restoration: Renovations, refreshments Saturday evening

Three opulent main floor rooms at the historic Reddick Mansion in Ottawa look better today than in many decades. And Saturday evening members of the public are welcome to see for themselves.

The Italianate mansion commissioned in 1855 by Ottawa businessman and politician William Reddick has been open on reduced hours since January while careful, painstaking restoration of the rooms was carried out.

A highlight to the project is the addition of "new" period furniture with an Ottawa connection.

The three linked rooms on the east side of the building overlooking Columbus Street now glow after the application of new paint and a thorough cleaning of all the window treatments, furniture and other appointments.

"So, it's kind of the new 'old look,' " said Diane Sanders, president of the Reddick Mansion Association Board of Directors.

There also are parlors across the central hallway on the west side of the building that have been redecorated and are available for special event rentals.

"The other side is equally as historic," said Sanders. "But these three rooms on the east side are representative of 1855 in every respect."

A considerable amount of plaster work was done on the east side front parlor.

"That was just a mess," she said, gesturing to a now-smooth wall. "The whole wall had to be scraped and replastered. When they got all the plaster off they showed be where the original chalk lines had been snapped."

The accumulated paint in the room was very thick.

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Reddick Mansion Restoration: Renovations, refreshments Saturday evening