Metcalfe street was once more akin to the Montreal’s Golden Square Mile than to the mixed-use neighbourhood that it is today. After having been subdivided, the Colonel By Estate’s lots were quickly purchased by local merchants and politicians who constructed large homes, some of which, like the Booth House or Birkett’s Castle, were quite ornate and continued to be appreciated today.
In front of the Andrew’s Manor Apartments at 896 Eglinton Avenue East, is parked this fine TTC bus decorated for the Christmas season, 1958. The program was run between 1955 and 1960. The bus above was doing duty on 38 Eglinton East and was the one that whisked tenants of the walk-ups to the Eglinton subway station in minutes. It was right up until 2008 that the 3-storey walk-up appeared as it did upon completion in 1953. The building was given an EIFS makeover in 2009.
Outside of the specific commercial mix, the built form of the intersection of Richmond Road and Churchill Avenue in Westboro has not changed dramatically in the last 60 years.
Bowles Lunch was once legendary in Ottawa. The location on Sparks was once the haunt of many movers and shakers, while the Rideau location slung millions of lunch plates and became a local legend in its own right, attracting a varied clientele.1”75 Million Lunches Served In His Regime,” Ottawa Citizen, August 13, 1947, p. 15; Eric Minton. “Remember the ‘Lunches? Uwanta, Bowles, Allen’s,” Ottawa Journal, August 12, 1972, p. 31.
Bowles Lunch was once legendary in Ottawa. The location on Sparks was once the haunt of many movers and shakers, while the Rideau location slung millions of lunch plates and became a local legend in its own right, attracting a varied clientele.2”75 Million Lunches Served In His Regime,” Ottawa Citizen, August 13, 1947, p. 15; Eric Minton. “Remember the ‘Lunches? Uwanta, Bowles, Allen’s,” Ottawa Journal, August 12, 1972, p. 31.
Notes
| ↥1 | ”75 Million Lunches Served In His Regime,” Ottawa Citizen, August 13, 1947, p. 15; Eric Minton. “Remember the ‘Lunches? Uwanta, Bowles, Allen’s,” Ottawa Journal, August 12, 1972, p. 31. |
|---|---|
| ↥2 | ”75 Million Lunches Served In His Regime,” Ottawa Citizen, August 13, 1947, p. 15; Eric Minton. “Remember the ‘Lunches? Uwanta, Bowles, Allen’s,” Ottawa Journal, August 12, 1972, p. 31. |
When I wrote about the recently demolished TD Bank branch on Sparks Street, I had noted that the one-storey midcentury gem necessitated the demolition of existing buildings. Here is a view of the facades taken on August 8, 1956. It’s all academic now, but I still prefer Mathers and Haldenby’s work to what it replaced.
When I wrote about the Alta Vista Shopping Centre a few weeks back, I did not have access to a clear(er) version of the sketch run in the Ottawa Journal. Now that I have located one, I’d like to share it. There’s something about the fantasy world of midcentury architectural sketches I love.
https://www.instagram.com/p/3uxk86Nvmw/
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.
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.
I first began to think about just where in the city architects were based when I began to notice that so many of them had set up shop on MacLaren street in the mid-1960s. By mapping their locations, I am not looking to make any definite argument or speculate about a neighbourhood-level Creative Class sort of situation. In a similar way that I have worked with Ottawa’s apartments, I intend to repeat this for previous and subsequent years.
Another photograph that caught my eye from the “Meter Maids” collection: this time, one of the new recruits writing a ticket at the corner of Elgin and Frank. One thing that stood out to me here is the Kenniston Apartments in the background, previous to the conversion of its basement to commercial and restaurant spaces.