Ottawa's past in pictures: Looking back on lost landmarks
Many of the architectural gems that were once commonplace in Ottawa are now long gone. We look back at a heritage that, for the most part, now survives only in photographs.
Once resplendent with grand structures, the Ottawa that once was survives only in photographs
Fire, commercial development and urban planning have forever altered the skyline and streetscape of the nation's capital, and many, if not most, of the architectural gems that were once commonplace in Ottawa are long gone.
With many of these buildings no longer even a memory for most residents, we look back at a heritage that, for the most part, now survives only in photographs.
The area that is now Confederation Square and the home of the National War Memorial is unrecognizable in this photo from the 1890s. For more than 60 years, the space was dominated by the Post Office and Customs Building completed in 1876 with a design intended to echo that of the Parliament Buildings. Where there is now one bridge over the Rideau Canal, there were two: Sappers' (to the left), which was one of the first bridges to be built in the city, and Dufferin. (Library and Archives Canada/PA-008344)
Ice encases the Post Office Building in January 1904 after it is severely damaged in a fire. The structure was considered the city's oldest landmark when the blaze hit. It was rebuilt with an extra storey added, only to be demolished in 1938. (Library and Archives Canada/PA-053083)
By 1912, the area around the Post Office was transformed. The reconstructed, taller Post Office now presides over Plaza Bridge, a single span replacing Sappers' and Dufferin Bridges. On the left can be seen the new Grand Trunk Central Station (soon to be known as Union Station) and mostly out of sight on the right is the new Chateau Laurier hotel. The plaza is officially dubbed Connaught Place. By 1939, the Post Office is gone, replaced by the National War Memorial. (Library and Archives Canada/PA-05758)
The corner of Bank and Sparks Streets Street (seen here looking south) enjoyed a rather magisterial quality for the first half of the 20th century thanks to the presence of the Sun Life building (at left) with its imposing domed tower. Completed in 1898, the building was entirely redesigned and renovated in 1949. However, the copper weathervane with its statue of the Roman god Mercury was rescued by the Ottawa Historical Society. It now sits atop the clock tower of the Mercury Court building at Dalhousie and George Streets. (Library and Archives Canada/PA-012889)
This undated view of the city's core taken from Parliament Hill shows a landscape that is entirely gone save for the Parliament Buildings in the foreground and the old Union Station on the left. The old Post Office (near the centre) was demolished in 1938. City Hall, it's tower visible on the far right along Elgin Street, was destroyed by fire in 1931. All of the buildings in between are gone, removed to make way for either Confederation Square or Confederation Park. The railroad tracks south of Union Station, now the Government Conference Centre, were torn out in 1966 when the train station was moved to Alta Vista. (Library and Archives Canada/PA-034018)
Forgotten by many, the Corry Block (also known as the National Building) on the right predated Union Station, which was built immediately alongside it in 1912. The triangular Corry Block was erected nine years earlier and has been described as Ottawa's first modern building. It was demolished in the 1960s. On the left is the Daly Building. Completed in 1905, it was torn down by the National Capital Commission, after years of disuse, in 1992. (Library and Archives Canada/PA-046842)
The elegance and glamour of the Russell Theatre welcomed Ottawa audiences for three decades. Built in 1897 on Queen Street at Elgin Street, next to the Russell House Hotel, it was the cultural centre of the city, hosting operas, concerts, plays and even the Ottawa Little Theatre's first stage production in 1914. The theatre was destroyed by fire in 1901 only to be restored and reopened that same year. The Russell closed in 1928 after being expropriated by the precursor of the National Capital Commission to make room for Confederation Square. (Library and Archives Canada)
Standing in the shadow of Parliament Hill, this branch of the Bank of Ottawa on Wellington Street as seen in 1901 was part of a financial institution that once thrived across the country. The bank was created in 1874 by Ottawa lumber barons to help finance their industry but eventually spread to western Canada. The bank eventually merged with the Bank of Nova Scotia in 1919. (Library and Archives Canada/PA-011822)
A foot bridge and clubhouse sit alongside the Rideau Canal in the Glebe in this undated photograph. The turreted, Victorian-style structure at the foot of Fifth Avenue was the original home of the Rideau Canoe Club, founded in 1902. The building was destroyed by winter ice in the 1940s, leading the club to move to its current location at Mooney's Bay. The spot is now home to the Canal Ritz restaurant while the pond remains, but without the footbridge. (Library and Archives Canada/PA-034085)
This is what the entrance to Lansdowne Park at Fifth Avenue looked like during its early days. The turreted archway stood adjacent to the Rideau Canoe Club and provided a fanciful introduction to the park. It's likely the arch was built in the late 1800s. It's uncertain when it was demolished. (Library and Archives Canada/PA-009942)
For library lovers who've long bemoaned the design of the current Main Branch at the corner of Metcalfe Street and Laurier Avenue West, it stings to remember the splendid structure it replaced. The original Ottawa Public Library, seen here, opened in 1906 thanks to a $100,000 grant from Andrew Carnegie; one of more than 2,500 free libraries the U.S. tycoon helped to fund. Carnegie even attended the opening. Despite its history and noble bearing, the building was demolished in the early 1970s to make way for the newer, larger, main branch. (Library and Archives Canada/PA-034054)
