On the other side of the building, I snapped a few images where shadows worked their way onto some construction materials.
Friday, 3 May 2013
Unknown: History of this Building Please
Unknown: This building, now under new ownership (an antique dealer) was apparently once a truck engine factory in the WWII era. It just has that 1930s look to it. Unfortunately, I know very little else about this building so any information is helpful. I've wandered through a few times, and, the word is the current tenant is temporary until the building gets ripped down as part of whatever plan the city has for the City Centre. It's worth going to have a look inside this building - the old wooden beams are pretty cool.
On the other side of the building, I snapped a few images where shadows worked their way onto some construction materials.
On the other side of the building, I snapped a few images where shadows worked their way onto some construction materials.
Heritage: Original CTV Building on Somerset
Heritage: The original CTV building in Ottawa is now an integrated cancer treatment center. On my way to the Plant Pool, I'd often notice this building on the corner. On the one day I decided to take a picture of it, and just then a film crew was walking out after concluding their interview. CTV was celebrating it's 50th year in 2011.
The following quotes have been taken from the current CTV Ottawa web-site, from the About US section.
"CTV Ottawa's call letters are CJOH and is owned and operated by Bell Media Inc. It provides outstanding news and entertainment programming to eastern Ontario and west Quebec. The station went on the air for the first time March 12, 1961. At the time our studios were temporarily housed in a warehouse on Bayswater Ave. at Somerset St. Five months later we moved to 1500 Merivale Road.
In those early days, all programming was live and originated from the temporary basement studios located next to the D. Kemp Edwards Lumber Yards at Bayswater and Somerset. Temporary, because construction on their state-of-the-art facility on Merivale Road, in what was then nearly rural Nepean was well underway. The E. L. Bushnell Television Company, headed by former long-time CBC senior executive Ernest L. Bushnell, owned CJOH. "Bush", as he was known, was indeed the proud "father" of CJOH when the studios and office complex at 1500 Merivale Road officially opened on October 21, 1961.
The following quotes have been taken from the current CTV Ottawa web-site, from the About US section.
"CTV Ottawa's call letters are CJOH and is owned and operated by Bell Media Inc. It provides outstanding news and entertainment programming to eastern Ontario and west Quebec. The station went on the air for the first time March 12, 1961. At the time our studios were temporarily housed in a warehouse on Bayswater Ave. at Somerset St. Five months later we moved to 1500 Merivale Road.
CTV History
On March 12, 1961 at 12 noon, a significant moment in Canadian broadcast history took place when CJOH TV began broadcasting on Channel 13. Until then, television owners in the Ottawa area and West Quebec had two choices - CBC's English or French language service. As a founding member of the CTV Network, CJOH gave this region an alternative.In those early days, all programming was live and originated from the temporary basement studios located next to the D. Kemp Edwards Lumber Yards at Bayswater and Somerset. Temporary, because construction on their state-of-the-art facility on Merivale Road, in what was then nearly rural Nepean was well underway. The E. L. Bushnell Television Company, headed by former long-time CBC senior executive Ernest L. Bushnell, owned CJOH. "Bush", as he was known, was indeed the proud "father" of CJOH when the studios and office complex at 1500 Merivale Road officially opened on October 21, 1961.
Old Ottawa Workshops
Unknown: Sitting on the periphery of what is known as Lebreton Flats, the old Ottawa workshops are about to get a heritage designation and gain new life (as film and creative studios) along with adjacent new office buildings. Invest Ottawa made the announcement in winter 2013. Does anyone have the full history to this building situated on Bayview?
This street has some significance in my family as my mother spent years working for Zagerman's as a book-keeper in the 1950s and then part time in the 1960s. She was there to hear some of the stories of the flats. She lived in Hintonburg where her father ran a furniture store on Wellington West. The family home no longer exists due to construction of the Queensway.
On this street, the old Ottawa workshops remain along with the building that was once known as Keyes supply (below) which sold auto-parts amoungst other things. The workshops are closer to the current parkway, Keyes Supply (now NCC yards) is halfway to Somerset, and the former Zagerman's (now another business) is very close to where the old roundhouse was, which is now the Tom Brown arena.
She would walk to work through Hintonburg towards mechanicsville and Zagerman's, and would zig-zag (no pun intended) through the tiny streets like Hilda which exist to this day.
This street has some significance in my family as my mother spent years working for Zagerman's as a book-keeper in the 1950s and then part time in the 1960s. She was there to hear some of the stories of the flats. She lived in Hintonburg where her father ran a furniture store on Wellington West. The family home no longer exists due to construction of the Queensway.
On this street, the old Ottawa workshops remain along with the building that was once known as Keyes supply (below) which sold auto-parts amoungst other things. The workshops are closer to the current parkway, Keyes Supply (now NCC yards) is halfway to Somerset, and the former Zagerman's (now another business) is very close to where the old roundhouse was, which is now the Tom Brown arena.
She would walk to work through Hintonburg towards mechanicsville and Zagerman's, and would zig-zag (no pun intended) through the tiny streets like Hilda which exist to this day.
Railway Paymaster's Building
Unknown: What is the story behind this building, all I know is it was the railroad's paymaster building. It is near Plant Bath Pool on the opposite side of the road and bridge near City Centre (another story). I had a brief look inside one day, where I saw a lot of wooden office moulding and interior windows, along with the paymaster's safe (walk in size) that exists in the building to this day. It is odd the way it stands out as a lone bump in the parking lot of City Centre, most of the rest of the Lebreton Flats having been demolished.
Plant Bath Swimming Pool
Heritage: The Plant Bath Pool has had a remake, sitting at a historically very busy corner of Preston and Somerset. It is one of Ottawa's favourite lap swimming pools, with a modern makeover. The old pool was narrower and similar to the Champagne Bath pool on King Edward Ave. Now the old pool is the gym, and, there is a new pool addition and weight room. This is a wonderful renovation that has preserved the essence of Plant Bath while adding significant value to the immediate neighbourhood and the city at large.
It is clear that this historic part of Ottawa is vital to today's culture and urbanism of today's Ottawa, as it was then. It forms Ottawa's crossroads to Chinatown, the Italian district and Hintonburg, with the former Lebreton Flats area to the north. From Plant Bath corner down to the flats, there are still buildings that would be very reminiscent of the flats. Apartments that are very intriguing, and I'll try to cover those in the near future as well.
As always, these posts are more "shells" than properly researched articles -- so please jump in with details. As my username says, "willfixlater".
A Furniture Store On Wellington
These are a few images of the furniture store my grandfather once owned, passing through various hands since his business ended somewhat prematurely. My grandfather's (empty in the picture) furniture store on Wellington West took a turn as the Royal Food Market before it's luck ran out as well. This
block has been converted to a number of new restaurants, with Bridgehead
anchoring the corner where the adult shop existed (right side of unage below). The apartments above seem quite spacious and are in use today.
John (my grandfather) used to paint his shoes green on Saint Patrick's day, and, was likely pouring a few free beers for patrons (and himself) on those days. There (really) was a fire at his store, and one can still find a press clipping in google news describing the fire sale that resulted.
In the neighbourhood; a Chinese laundry, a police station, butcher,
and more. It was a village, and as villages were in those days, it was self-sufficient. Apparently, John would help out a number of families without
the means to afford furniture, and, he never touched a drink until 40.
Around then, the automobile had become ubiquitous, some streets were re-routed (Wellington used to connect to a bridge (name needed) and was a main thoroughfare), and the demise of the Lebreton Flats created the perfect storm for him. No longer were people obliged out of necessity or neighbourly sentiments to purchase locally. Today, we have IKEA.
The stamped metal ceiling tiles are original (see below). A few years later (2012), this space was severed into new a series of new businesses. The apartments above the shops are surely heritage and sit in contrast to modernistic corrugated steel cladding that has recently been added.
There is a funny story my mother told me about a woman who lived above the shops. When my mother was just a little girl, she would witness the woman walking downtown to a large Church (I'll get the name) and back almost every day. My mother asked her why she was doing this, and she replied, "My husband and I have been trying to have children and have been unsuccessful". She would pray every day for children and walk her daily pilgrimage for it. Many years later, my mother saw her doing the same. When she asked again the woman replied, 'I've had 9 children, now I am praying for it to stop".
John (my grandfather) used to paint his shoes green on Saint Patrick's day, and, was likely pouring a few free beers for patrons (and himself) on those days. There (really) was a fire at his store, and one can still find a press clipping in google news describing the fire sale that resulted.
Around then, the automobile had become ubiquitous, some streets were re-routed (Wellington used to connect to a bridge (name needed) and was a main thoroughfare), and the demise of the Lebreton Flats created the perfect storm for him. No longer were people obliged out of necessity or neighbourly sentiments to purchase locally. Today, we have IKEA.
The stamped metal ceiling tiles are original (see below). A few years later (2012), this space was severed into new a series of new businesses. The apartments above the shops are surely heritage and sit in contrast to modernistic corrugated steel cladding that has recently been added.
A Nod to the Flats
Heritage: Sitting just in front of the ultra-modernistic war museum, a set of placards on display which are the NCC's (not so kind) nod to the Lebreton flats. Today these are about the best we can do to get a feeling for the area that the museum is now built on, which is otherwise still a wasteland. The tone of the messaging is one of rebirth and the unfortunate plight of the residents who were relieved of their misery when the NCC evicted them. The spin is unmistakable especially in light of more recent media that tells a different story.
Many shops, plants, and factories occupied the flats, this was the place where things were made in Ottawa. There were major railyards and a roundhouse which todays government would be strung up for tearing down. Interestingly, many businesses in Ottawa today trace their routes to the flats, and, some are still not that far away off Preston (e.g. Preston and Lief Glass).The Preston Street area is a thriving neighbourhood today. Without question, some industrial areas in the flats would have been polluted. But there were also residential and businesses areas that could have been spared the axe.
Ralph Burton furiously painted a number of scenes from the flats, in an attempt to capture the built heritage of the area. He captured some 19 portraits, in winter time, and the collection was fortunately (and finally) purchased at the urging of Marion Dewar. The working capital of Ottawa had been partially preserved, if none of the buildings were. The paintings sit today at the City of Ottawa where they can be viewed. Oddly, none of these images are present on the curb side display near the war museum. What we have instead is the story of contamination and working class brawls. I am sure there were a few, but Ottawa had it's roots as a lumber town, and the market area we know today was once just as rough. Granville Island in Vancouver was also once an industrial park, but it has become a popular area for markets, artist studios, shops, theatre, restaurants and industry.
Below, an image of the lumberyards, train yards, workshops, and streets of Lebreton Flats, from an aerial view. I took this image of the street level poster I should go to the archives and scan a high resolution image -- see if you can identify the residential areas in the image.
According to the NCC, the locals took to boxing for recreation. Fortunately they posed for pictures before doing so. Oh and they drank. A lot. They threw many of their bottles out, possibly in behind the Duke Hotel so this conclusively proves that fighting and drinking were the mainstays. The book "An Acre of Time" does recreate the flats with a more balanced view and considers the built heritage in a kinder light.
Really, did this really exist in the flats at one time (station image below). Did fire get this one, I can't imagine knocking something like that down?
A community shaped by hardship is the title of the image below. I imagine it was very hard for a lot of people regardless of where they lived around the 1900's or the great depression. It's true, there were shanty towns in the flats. But there was more ... and we seem to have thrown out the baby with the bathwater. And while we were at it, the washing tub as well, which, they may have found in a recent archaeological dig.
Devastation had already visited the flats, so perhaps they were used to it, but in the 1960s it wasn't fire that leveled it. It was the NCC.
Thankfully, one building has risen from the rubble close to 50 years later, but I am not quite sure what it is. Is it an apartment building with an office tower skewered through the middle of it, or, is it a modern homage to 19th century tenemants with open horse and carriage passageways underneath?
Still a ways to go. I'll do less editorial in future posts, but, the Lebreton Flats of all the NCC mishaps bothers me most. In the meantime, we do have Bluesfest.
Many shops, plants, and factories occupied the flats, this was the place where things were made in Ottawa. There were major railyards and a roundhouse which todays government would be strung up for tearing down. Interestingly, many businesses in Ottawa today trace their routes to the flats, and, some are still not that far away off Preston (e.g. Preston and Lief Glass).The Preston Street area is a thriving neighbourhood today. Without question, some industrial areas in the flats would have been polluted. But there were also residential and businesses areas that could have been spared the axe.
Ralph Burton furiously painted a number of scenes from the flats, in an attempt to capture the built heritage of the area. He captured some 19 portraits, in winter time, and the collection was fortunately (and finally) purchased at the urging of Marion Dewar. The working capital of Ottawa had been partially preserved, if none of the buildings were. The paintings sit today at the City of Ottawa where they can be viewed. Oddly, none of these images are present on the curb side display near the war museum. What we have instead is the story of contamination and working class brawls. I am sure there were a few, but Ottawa had it's roots as a lumber town, and the market area we know today was once just as rough. Granville Island in Vancouver was also once an industrial park, but it has become a popular area for markets, artist studios, shops, theatre, restaurants and industry.
Below, an image of the lumberyards, train yards, workshops, and streets of Lebreton Flats, from an aerial view. I took this image of the street level poster I should go to the archives and scan a high resolution image -- see if you can identify the residential areas in the image.
According to the NCC, the locals took to boxing for recreation. Fortunately they posed for pictures before doing so. Oh and they drank. A lot. They threw many of their bottles out, possibly in behind the Duke Hotel so this conclusively proves that fighting and drinking were the mainstays. The book "An Acre of Time" does recreate the flats with a more balanced view and considers the built heritage in a kinder light.
Really, did this really exist in the flats at one time (station image below). Did fire get this one, I can't imagine knocking something like that down?
A community shaped by hardship is the title of the image below. I imagine it was very hard for a lot of people regardless of where they lived around the 1900's or the great depression. It's true, there were shanty towns in the flats. But there was more ... and we seem to have thrown out the baby with the bathwater. And while we were at it, the washing tub as well, which, they may have found in a recent archaeological dig.
Devastation had already visited the flats, so perhaps they were used to it, but in the 1960s it wasn't fire that leveled it. It was the NCC.
Thankfully, one building has risen from the rubble close to 50 years later, but I am not quite sure what it is. Is it an apartment building with an office tower skewered through the middle of it, or, is it a modern homage to 19th century tenemants with open horse and carriage passageways underneath?
Still a ways to go. I'll do less editorial in future posts, but, the Lebreton Flats of all the NCC mishaps bothers me most. In the meantime, we do have Bluesfest.
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