The Portage to Place du Portage

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Admittedly, I have been slow to warm up to the cold concrete of the Brutalist aesthetic. Like most, I had found the style cold, inflexible, and forbidding. As many examples of these concrete creations approach an age at which their heritage must be considered, a number of advocates have appeared to rehabilitate the image of this misunderstood style. While those advocates like Sarah Gelbard or Shawn Micallef might not win everyone over, I’ve personally found the arguments convincing.

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Ottawa Domestic Provisioners

Ottawa Domestic Provisioners' new warehouse at 830 Campbell Avenue in 1956. Source: City of Ottawa Archives CA040033.
Ottawa Domestic Provisioners’ new facilities at 830 Campbell Avenue in 1956. Source: City of Ottawa Archives CA040033.

A few weeks ago, when I wrote about Bertram Witt and his numerous apartment buildings, I briefly discussed his brother-in-law Doug O’Connell’s purchase of the lot at 222 MacLaren. The former home of merchant Ralph McMorran was, just before the construction of the Warren Arms apartments, being used by George Murray as the headquarters of his grocery order business, Ottawa Domestic Provisioners and its Magic Cupboard service.

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