Ottawa Streetcar Photos

[harls]

Pretty neat stuff.

http://transit.toronto.on.ca/streetcar/4754.shtml

Some Examples:

[ajldub]

Chateau's looking a little scruffy...

[Mille Sabords]

There's a book called Ottawa's Streetcars which is filled with these types of beautiful shots. Even though it sells for $50 bucks, I jumped on it the first time I saw it and read it cover to cover.

Here are a few more I like.

The first one is near my place - Rideau & Charlotte, with Wallis House in the background.



Bank betwee Albert and Slater, with the Jackson building before it was uglified in Brutisme-Nouveau style by the feds, and the Odeon Theatre in the far distance:


On Dalhousie Street:


Zooming down to Rideau:



On bustling Sparks Street:


Turning from Preston onto Wellington in Lebreton Flats, with the O'Keefe Brewery building in the background:

[c_speed3108]

Sometimes the city comes up with bad ideas....removal of these falls into said category.

[harls]

It would be interesting to see some "now and then" comparisons. I probably have some shots to compare, I'd just have to do some searching.

[d_jeffrey]

Originally Posted by harls

It would be interesting to see some "now and then" comparisons. I probably have some shots to compare, I'd just have to do some searching.

From the pics on the website, I can say that "now" looks tons better. It's amazing how neon signs killed the beauty of the buildings.

[bradnixon]

Originally Posted by d_jeffrey

From the pics on the website, I can say that "now" looks tons better. It's amazing how neon signs killed the beauty of the buildings.

I can't say I agree. Sparks looks positively bustling, as does Bank... I'd rather have neon signs and street life than boring office building boxes with empty streets. The signs are all part of the character.

I would suggest that maybe downtown (and Sparks especially) has been "cleaned up" too much to the point of being boring.

[Mille Sabords]

Originally Posted by d_jeffrey

From the pics on the website, I can say that "now" looks tons better. It's amazing how neon signs killed the beauty of the buildings.

No way! Look at the Classy's sign on Sparks. It probably has the tuxedo flashing in alternating colours. The plastic, backlit signage we have now is bland and ordinary. Neon signs were much more creative and they really lit up a street at night.

[keninhalifax]

I'm going to second the recommendation of Bill McKeown's "Ottawa's Streetcars". If you're even remotely interested in the history of Ottawa or the history of rail transit, or even if you just like looking at big old black-and-white photos of cities, you'll love it.

[d_jeffrey]

Originally Posted by Mille Sabords

No way! Look at the Classy's sign on Sparks. It probably has the tuxedo flashing in alternating colours. The plastic, backlit signage we have now is bland and ordinary. Neon signs were much more creative and they really lit up a street at night.

I'm not really a Las Vegas fan... Where's the smoking cowboy?

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by bradnixon

I can't say I agree. Sparks looks positively bustling, as does Bank... I'd rather have neon signs and street life than boring office building boxes with empty streets. The signs are all part of the character.

I would suggest that maybe downtown (and Sparks especially) has been "cleaned up" too much to the point of being boring.

I'm with you. Although, even with the overhead wires and neon signs, the old streetscapes seem less cluttered to me than today's "prestigious" routes like Elgin looking toward Confederation Square (must have been the intention to break some kind of world record for traffic signs, overhanging traffic lights, curb pillars and assorted useless flotsam to junk up the view!). The picture with the Daly Building in the background just makes me sad

[Justin10000]

Originally Posted by bradnixon

I can't say I agree. Sparks looks positively bustling, as does Bank... I'd rather have neon signs and street life than boring office building boxes with empty streets. The signs are all part of the character.

I would suggest that maybe downtown (and Sparks especially) has been "cleaned up" too much to the point of being boring.

\

Boring, lifeless, sterile..

When I lived in Ottawa, I hated going through downtown after 6. It was depressing.

[Acajack]

Would the Château Laurier be looking scruffy because of pollution from inefficient vehicle engines and also coal-fired heating systems? Does this make sense?

[Acajack]

Most of us are too young to remember but it is true that downtown streets would have been quite bustling during this era, as the population of the urban area would have been much more concentrated in the centre of the city, particularly with many more families with lots of kids than we have downtown today. As well, everybody from the outskirts would have to come into town to shop, eat, be entertained, and even be seen.

Of course, downtown as a place to live is now on the rebound in Ottawa like it is in most other largish North American cities.

[rodionx]

Speaking of which, someone digitized the Ottawa City Directory for 1923. You'll find it here: http://www.archive.org/details/ottaw...192300midiuoft The preamble is interesting. I had no idea Ottawa was the convention capital of Canada back then. Anyway, the Directory lists all the addresses down each major street and tells you who was living or working there in 1923. It's interesting to see how the shops were mixed in with the residences back then.

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Would the Château Laurier be looking scruffy because of pollution from inefficient vehicle engines and also coal-fired heating systems? Does this make sense?

Indeed. I had the same reaction when I saw that one. I suspect coal was the main culprit from back in the day. In Toronto, the old BNS and CIBC towers at King and Bay were totally transformed when they were scrubbed.

[lrt's friend]

Indeed. I had the same reaction when I saw that one. I suspect coal was the main culprit from back in the day. In Toronto, the old BNS and CIBC towers at King and Bay were totally transformed when they were scrubbed.

That and the steam trains that would have been running next to the Chateau. Of course, those trains were powered with coal. A few years ago, I went to a presentation on Ottawa streetcars. There were lots of colour slides showing how grubby downtown Ottawa buildings were. Coal and the trains were the culprit. I also remember going through old files in an old office building on Queen Street many years ago. Everything was covered with black soot.

I also remember the end of the neon era. At the end, the signs became excessive. Neon signs could be beautiful with the warm colours but sadly most fell into neglect. Nothing uglier than flickering neon and this was very commonplace. Then flourescent signs took over and looked like a great replacement until they also started to age with burnt out sections. Of course, flourescent signs could never match the warm glows of neon. Thankfully, we are seeing a modest comeback.

[sgera]

man...would love to see sparks street opened up again...looks packed....add some street cars on there for the tourists....it would be awesome....like Melbourne CBD>..they have streetcars running downtown ....tourist love it.