Ottawa: Then and Now

[citizen j]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...ion_Square.jpg

The Post Office and Russell House Hotel to the left


http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...e_19390428.jpg
Just after everything was demolished.

If you cross-reference the various shots of the old Post Office building that stood where Confederation Square is now, it appears the building magically gains a storey in the years between 1885 and the early 20th century. I remember reading about this somewhere. Seems that old 'basement' level that was at canal level 'emerged' to the street level when the grade of Sappers' Bridge was changed.

[amanfromnowhere]

Wellington Street Looking East between Bay and Lyon
by Alexandre Laquerre



Note: archive picture was taken in 1938

http://spacingottawa.ca/2012/03/29/w...-bay-and-lyon/

[amanfromnowhere]

just love this picture:



taken from Centretowner blog

[kevinbottawa]

Originally Posted by amanfromnowhere

just love this picture:



taken from Centretowner blog

In that one picture you have commuter trains, horse and buggey, trolleys, ferry boats. I have always agreed with the NCC's decision to remove the trains from along the canal, but this picture is making me change my mind.

[McC]

lovely illustrations of Victorian Ottawa
http://urbsite.blogspot.ca/2012/06/red-album.html

[kevinbottawa]

Originally Posted by McC

lovely illustrations of Victorian Ottawa
http://urbsite.blogspot.ca/2012/06/red-album.html

Ottawa definitely had some elegance to it. I wish a lot more of those buildings were still around. It would give the city a lot of character and would contrast well with some of the modern designs that will be coming to the city.

[McC]

and not just the buildings, but the places!

[OTSkyline]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

What a stunning photo comparison. I have never seen this perspective of downtown in the old days. It always seemed to be from Sparks Street.

City Hall in the background burned in 1931. Perhaps if times were better, the building could have been salvaged but after significant debate, it was demolished. Likewise with the Russell House Hotel, another beautiful structure seen in front of City Hall. It was Ottawa's premier hotel until the Chateau Laurier opened and ultimately the latter put it out of business in the mid 1920s. The abandoned hotel burned in the late 20s and was demolished to make way for Confederation Square. What is not seen was another magnificent building, which would have been behind the buildings on the left, the old Post Office. That building did not burn but was demolished to make way for the war memorial in the late 1930s. The 1930s were a tough time in Ottawa as many beautiful structures were torn down, at least partly because of the Great Depression.



http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...ion_Square.jpg

The Post Office and Russell House Hotel to the left


http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...e_19390428.jpg
Just after everything was demolished.

Wow, what lovely pictures! The top one is amazing! The buildings might have been the same height (same problem as downtown Ottawa today) but they are done with such quailty and such architectural details.. Reminds me of some arrondissements in Paris

[J.OT13]

http://urbsite.blogspot.ca/2012/07/s...urce=BP_recent

What RBC's cube of crap on Sparks replaced.

[CongoJack]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

http://urbsite.blogspot.ca/2012/07/s...urce=BP_recent

What RBC's cube of crap on Sparks replaced.

What a shame. However, I'm happy that they were replaced with something that is actually interesting rather than another unimaginative box.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by CongoJack

What a shame. However, I'm happy that they were replaced with something that is actually interesting rather than another unimaginative box.

Sparks street façade isn't too bad, but the Metcalf and Queen elevations are horrible.

[McC]

There are eels in the aqueduct? what a story! And for those less interested in fauna, it's still a great urbsite post on the history of the Aqueduct, Fleet St. Pumping Station & Pooley's Bridge with photos of Then and Now:
http://urbsite.blogspot.ca/2012/08/e...eet-e-e-e.html

[J.OT13]

Commemoration of Cathedral Hall.

http://urbsite.blogspot.ca/2012/08/c...urce=BP_recent

I didn't care before, but now I'm kind of sad. As much as I love progress, every time a see an old building coming down, it kind of hurts.

[Ottawan]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Commemoration of Cathedral Hall.

http://urbsite.blogspot.ca/2012/08/c...urce=BP_recent

I didn't care before, but now I'm kind of sad. As much as I love progress, every time a see an old building coming down, it kind of hurts.

I agree. While the hall was impractical, it was architecturally quite interesting. I believe the new hall will be facing the Queen Street side of the site, so future users will have lost a magnificent view.

[J.OT13]

Bank and Slater. Shows a lot about Standard Life Phase III project.

http://urbsite.blogspot.ca/2012/09/b...r-streets.html

[lrt's friend]

I remember when growing up in the 1960s how crappy and rundown a lot of downtown buildings appeared. At that time, it was a great relief to see modernization. My perspective would probably change today and I would have a much greater appreciation of those old buildings that no longer exist. On the other hand, many of them had little architectural merit and we should be happy that so many of the surface parking lots prevelant in the 1960s no longer exist.

[J.OT13]

The old Carnegie library;

http://urbsite.blogspot.ca/2012/09/u...e-library.html

[amanfromnowhere]

Downtown Ottawa before the courthouse and city hall were built:



from twitter:
http://twitter.com/metroottawa/statu...69859452571649

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by amanfromnowhere

Downtown Ottawa before the courthouse and city hall were built:



from twitter:
http://twitter.com/metroottawa/statu...69859452571649

This should be around 1986. I love this, spot the diffrences.

First the obvious,

-City Hall non-existent and the
-Courthouse U/C

And the less obvious;

-Building behind Place Bell (Barrister House)
-99 Metcalf U/C (orange crane across the street from Ottawa Public Library/Sir Richard Scott building and the Urbandale tower at 100 Metcalf)
-Gillin building behind Lord Elgin all glass (too bad for bad renos)
-Lord Elgin missing mismatched wings
-Lorne building still there
-150 Elgin before bad renos with brown roof
-WEP not yet built
-HSBC not built
-Chambers tower not built
-Heritage Place (Zellers office tower) not built

Across the canal;

-Old Congress centre
-Daly building
-National Gallery U/C

Gatineau

-Museum of Civilization site prep
-Victoria street building near the Portage complex non existant

And that is the list of visible differences, I won’t get into buildings in the Market like the new condos forming the Sussex Drive courtyards and the Photography museum (sorry, committee rooms).

[J.OT13]

Hotel "Le Castore" on Sussex Drive.

http://urbsite.blogspot.ca/2012/10/hotel-du-castor.html