Carp radome attracts ‘interesting people.’

Carp radome attracts ‘interesting people.’ 

By Jake Davies, Publisher - West Carleton Online, October 17, 2023 

Jake Davies email: westcarletononline@gmail.com

CARP – The dome-shaped CSS Building found just outside the Village of Carp, just down the road from the Diefenbunker Museum, is one steeped in history while still being used to touch the stars. 

Building owner Allan Duncan says the oddity is currently used for a variety of purposes, and its unique spot in Canadian history continues to make it endlessly fascinating for him to learn about and share with the public. 

CSS Building owner Allan Duncan says one of the things he loves about the building is it attracts interesting people.  - Photo by Jake Davies.

The building, with its very large geodesic dome, sticks out like a sore thumb in rural West Carleton. Originally conceived in the 1960s, the CSS Building was once Canada’s North American Treaty Organization (NATO) Satellite Communications Uplink playing a key Canadian role during the Cold War right up to the 1990s. 

Underneath that huge dome is a massive antenna, and it is still being used today. 

This drone photo, taken at night, shows why the unique building stands out in rural West Carleton.  - Photo by Richard Seck. 

“Fibre optics made satellites obsolete,” Duncan told West Carleton Online during a tour of the building Tuesday, Oct. 10. “The military was going to bulldoze it and I said wait a minute. I bought it in 1999. Everyone wants to see the radome so I wanted to turn it in to an event centre. The reason it’s round is to accommodate the antenna which moves around. Geodesic domes are one of the strongest structures in the world. It keeps the wind off the antenna for aiming.” 

Duncan, a Barrhaven resident, was in the radome service and maintenance business servicing radomes across the country. When he sold the business, he just couldn’t part with the building. 

So, over the last few years he has been renovating a part of the building to serve as an event space, able to host both small and large functions. Other parts of the building are rented out as business space, and even the antenna is still used by one of his tenants the Canadian Centre for Experimental Radio Astronomy (CCERA). 

CCERA operates an observatory site in Rideau Ferry, ON, with a collection of small dishes and a “science trailer.” CCERA is involved in restoring the former-NATO 12.8m ground terminal site for radio astronomy at the CSS building. 

“I love these guys,” Duncan said. “They’re smart, they’re focused, and they’re laid back and retired.” 

He says the antenna has an endless range “as far as it can find a target.” “These antennas are rare now,” Duncan said. “I think it’s a score to own it.” 

Duncan says a wide range of people and organizations are attracted to the space. The Red Trillium Studio Tour (more on that soon) rented some of the space last weekend as a stop on their popular self-guided West Carleton art studio tour. The Girl Guides use the space once a week for their program for the last three years. Throughout the year small group meetings, workshops and celebrations are held there. 

“It’s a nice little meeting spot,” Duncan said. “We keep the grounds nice and there’s a nice walking path down to the Carp River.” Duncan says he has recently had interest from a couple Electronic Dance Music DJs who would like to hold a small show at the building. 

Architectural photographer Richard Seck added a person to this photo to show off the scale of the antenna.  - Photo by Richard Seck.

“Oddly enough, I attract a lot of photographers,” Duncan said. 

From drone photography to architectural photography to portrait photography, the odd shapes and spaces create amazing visuals. The geodesic domes that dot the property like giant golf balls, are simple structures, a steel frame with a fibreglass shell with the idea the membrane is thin enough to let the signals from the antenna reach its targets, but sturdy enough to protect the equipment from the elements. 

Architectural photographer Richard Speck has shot the building from all angles inside and out. 

LUXE Magazine contracted the space for a photoshoot by renowned local photographer Tim Skinner inside the radome, using circus artists for a photoshoot and feature story titled Aligning the Stars, published in the luxury magazine’s fall edition. 

Duncan says the unique red and white and round building, even outside its own interesting history, has provided him with something interesting to do in his retirement. 

“I really like the location, the Carp area,” he said. “It’s rural. The building attracts interesting people. People who make their way down here have a purpose. They’re interesting. I like to tell them about the building and the history.”