Downtown Ottawa

Last updated

Downtown Ottawa
Neighbourhood
Downtown Ottawa 2022.jpg
Downtown Ottawa in 2022
Newottawamap.png
Red pog.svg
Downtown Ottawa
Location of Downtown Ottawa in Ottawa
Coordinates: 45°25′20″N75°42′00″W / 45.42222°N 75.70000°W / 45.42222; -75.70000
CountryCanada
Province Ontario
City Ottawa
Government
   MPs Yasir Naqvi
   MPPs Joel Harden
   Councillors Ariel Troster
Area
  Total1.25 km2 (0.48 sq mi)
Elevation
75 m (250 ft)
Population
 (2021)
  Total5,501
  Density3,865.2/km2 (10,011/sq mi)
  Canada 2021 Census
Time zone UTC−05:00 (EST)
  Summer (DST) UTC−04:00 (EDT)
FSAs
K1P, K1R

Downtown Ottawa is the central area of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is sometimes referred to as the Central Business District and contains Ottawa's financial district. It is bordered by the Ottawa River to the north, the Rideau Canal to the east, Gloucester Street to the south and Bronson Avenue to the west. This area and the residential neighbourhood to the south are also known locally as 'Centretown'. The total population of the area is 5,501 (2021 Census). [1] [2]

Contents

Characteristics

Downtown Ottawa is dominated by government buildings such as Parliament Hill (left) and The Office of the Prime Minister and Privy Council (right). East Block and Langevin Block.jpg
Downtown Ottawa is dominated by government buildings such as Parliament Hill (left) and The Office of the Prime Minister and Privy Council (right).

Downtown Ottawa is dominated by government buildings, including Parliament Hill and the Supreme Court. Most prominent buildings are situated along Wellington, Sparks and Elgin streets. Most of the buildings are office towers containing the various government departments. While most of Ottawa's high tech industry is based elsewhere it also has a significant presence in the downtown core. The downtown also contains a number of apartments, hotels, and condominiums as well as the older single family homes and townhouses along its edges.

From Wellington to Laurier, Elgin Street is the site of several landmarks, the Château Laurier, the National Arts Centre, Lord Elgin Hotel, Place Bell Canada, the Ottawa Courthouse, and Ottawa City Hall. Other prominent buildings include World Exchange Plaza office and retail complex, encompassing a whole city block on the south-west corner of Queen and Metcalfe, featuring the 'clock ball' on top, and Place de Ville, a complex incorporating four office buildings and two large hotels on two city blocks, with all buildings interconnected through an underground retail concourse. There are also many prominent heritage buildings along Sparks Street.

The towers of downtown Ottawa are not as tall as those in other cities, as legislation prevented buildings being built taller than 150 feet until the 1960s, so as not to overshadow the Parliament Buildings and the Peace Tower (similar to Washington, D.C.'s Heights of Buildings Act). Today, several buildings are taller than the Peace Tower, with the tallest being the 29-storey Place de Ville (Tower C) at 112 m (367 ft), which was built above the height limit, and several hotels being slightly shorter but with 30-35 stories.

The downtown employs about 100,000 people and currently holds around 20 million square feet (1.9 million square metres) of office space.

Surrounding areas

East of the canal, but west of King Edward Avenue, including the Rideau Centre and the ByWard Market, is also normally considered downtown, and is referred to locally as 'Lowertown' or Lower Town. The residential neighbourhoods around the central business district are also generally referred to as being downtown. These include Centretown to the south and Sandy Hill and Lower Town to the east. North of the Ottawa River the centre of Gatineau, Quebec can be considered an extension of Ottawa's downtown.

Landmarks

Religious

St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church is one of several churches located in Downtown Ottawa. Full side (though far) view of the St. Andrew's Church, Ottawa (20752053455).jpg
St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church is one of several churches located in Downtown Ottawa.

Demographics

According to the 2016 Canadian Census. Area defined as the part of Ottawa north of Gloucester Street, east of Bronson, south of the Ottawa River and west of the Rideau Canal.

Politically, it is within the federal and provincial ridings of Ottawa Centre.

Transportation

Roads

Prominent streets

Map of downtown Ottawa Downtown Ottawa.png
Map of downtown Ottawa

Downtown Ottawa has a grid pattern of streets, aligned either east-west or north-south with a number of the streets being one way.

From east to west, the prominent streets are Elgin Street, Metcalfe Street, O'Connor Street, Bank Street, Kent Street and Bronson Avenue.

Starting from the east:

  • Elgin Street, a ceremonial route for the daily Changing of the Guard and site of many prominent buildings and landmarks, and a restaurant district south of Laurier Avenue,
  • Metcalfe and O'Connor (which includes a bidirectional separate bike lane), both of which are busy multi-lane one-way streets,
  • Bank Street runs through the heart of downtown and is a prominent retail centre,
  • Kent Street, another busy multi-lane one way with high traffic volumes,
  • Lyon, the edge of the central business district, with a wall of towering office buildings and hotels to the east and shorter buildings and parking lots to the west,
  • Bay and Percy, are one way local residential streets, and,
  • Bronson Avenue is a major avenue that forms the western edge of downtown.
Sparks Street is a pedestrian mall in Downtown Ottawa, closed off to vehicle traffic. Sparks Street, Ottawa (14579934199).jpg
Sparks Street is a pedestrian mall in Downtown Ottawa, closed off to vehicle traffic.

The northernmost east-west street that crosses downtown is Wellington Street, site of the parliamentary precinct, National Library and Archives, and Supreme Court. It is a major four-lane thoroughfare. To the east, it connects to Rideau Street, and to the west, the Kichi Zibi Mikan.

South of Wellington is Sparks Street, most of which is a pedestrian mall closed to vehicles. The heritage district runs from Bank to Elgin, with CBC broadcast studios at Metcalfe and Sparks.

The streets to the south are dominated by office and hotel towers: Queen Street, Albert Street, Slater Street, Laurier Avenue and Gloucester Street.

The City of Ottawa zoning restricts and regulates development to allow high-rises north of Gloucester St. and affords heritage designation to some areas and buildings.

Other streets

Intersection of Kent and Queen Streets. Ottawa Kent and Queen.jpg
Intersection of Kent and Queen Streets. Ottawa

Other streets in Downtown Ottawa which go east-west (from north to south) include:

Other streets in Downtown Ottawa which go north-south (from west to east) include:

Transit service

Albert and Slater carry the Transitway through downtown. A new 12.5 km (7.8 mi) light rail line, called the Confederation Line opened in September 2019. Part of it is a tunnel under downtown's Queen Street and travel east to Rideau Street and turn south under Nicholas Street to eventually resurface south of Laurier Avenue East. Construction of the 2.1 billion dollar line, including the 2.5 km (1.6 mi) subway tunnel did not end in time for the 2017 celebration of Confederation's 150th anniversary. It includes three subway stations; one between Lyon and Kent Streets, integrated with Place de Ville, the next station was built between O'Connor Street and Metcalfe Street and one under Rideau Street with multiple entrances in the Rideau Centre.

Transitway stations

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bank Street (Ottawa)</span> Street in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Bank Street is the major commercial north–south street in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It runs south from Wellington Street in downtown Ottawa, south through the neighbourhoods of Centretown, The Glebe, Old Ottawa South, Alta Vista, Hunt Club, and then through the villages of Blossom Park, Leitrim, South Gloucester, Greely, Metcalfe, Spring Hill, and Vernon before ending at the city limit at Belmeade Road, becoming Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry county highway 31.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laurier Avenue</span>

Laurier Avenue(French: Avenue Laurier) is a central east west street running through Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Originally known as "Maria Street" and "Theodore Street", it was renamed in honour of Canadian Prime Minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier. Laurier House, the residence of Prime Ministers Laurier and William Lyon Mackenzie King, is located at the corner of Laurier Avenue East and Chapel Street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wellington Street (Ottawa)</span> Major street in Ottawa, Canada

Wellington Street is a major street in Ottawa, Canada. It is notable for being the main street of the Parliamentary Precinct of the Parliament of Canada. It is one of the first two streets laid out in Bytown in 1826. The street runs from Vimy Place, just west of Booth Street, to the Rideau Canal where it connects with Rideau Street and delimits the northern border of the downtown core. It is named after the Duke of Wellington, in recognition of his role in the creation of the Rideau Canal, and therefore of Ottawa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kent Street (Ottawa)</span>

Kent Street is a major street in downtown Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. One block west of Bank Street, Kent is one way running north. It begins at the Queensway at the south and ends at Wellington Street. The street has fewer storefronts than Bank Street. South of downtown it is mainly small and medium-sized office buildings, with some restaurants and residences. The northern part of the street is home to several large office towers, mainly governmental. It was originally known as Hugh Street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sparks Street</span> Pedestrian mall in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Sparks Street is a pedestrian mall in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It was a main street in Ottawa that was converted into an outdoor pedestrian street in 1967, making it the earliest such street or mall in Canada.

Nicholas Sparks was an early landholder of Bytown, Upper Canada who owned most of the lands in the present day commercial core of Downtown Ottawa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Somerset Street (Ottawa)</span>

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uOttawa station Transit station in Ottawa, Canada

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">City of Ottawa</span> Canadian municipal corporate entity


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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hintonburg</span> Neighbourhood in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Hintonburg is a neighbourhood in Kitchissippi Ward in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, located west of the Downtown core. It is a historically working-class, predominantly residential neighbourhood, with a commercial strip located along Wellington Street West. It is home to the Parkdale Public Market, located along Parkdale Avenue, just north of Wellington. It is considered to be one of Ottawa's most "hipster" neighbourhoods.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elgin Street (Ottawa)</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bronson Avenue</span>

Bronson Avenue is a major north-south arterial road in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It starts at the south end as a continuation of the Airport Parkway, which is an expressway to the Macdonald-Cartier International Airport. It continues past Carleton University, the Glebe, north through Centretown, and ends downtown at Sparks Street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Confederation Park</span> Historic site in Ontario, Canada

Confederation Park(French: Parc de la Confédération) is a public park and National Historic Site of Canada, located in the downtown core of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is bordered on the south by Laurier Avenue and Ottawa City Hall; on the east by the Rideau Canal and National Defence Headquarters; on the north by the Mackenzie King Bridge, the Rideau Centre and the National Arts Centre; and to the west by Elgin Street and the Lord Elgin Hotel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nicholas Street</span> Street in Ottawa, Canada

Nicholas Street is an arterial road in the central area of Ottawa, Ontario which connects Highway 417 with the downtown core. Despite being a municipal road, the street is designated as part of Canada's National Highway System, as part of an interconnecting route between Highway 417 and Quebec Autoroute 5 in Gatineau.

The Plaza Bridge in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, is an automotive and pedestrian bridge that crosses the Rideau Canal just south of the Ottawa locks. It joins Wellington Street and Elgin Street in the Downtown core to the west with Rideau Street to the east. The Chateau Laurier abuts the bridge at the east end, while Parliament Hill is just beyond the west end. It is the northernmost bridge over the canal, just north of the Mackenzie King Bridge.

Wellington Ward was one of the original five wards of the city of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada created in 1855 from West Ward in Bytown, Upper Canada. It existed until 1994 when it was amalgamated with Dalhousie Ward to become Somerset Ward. The original ward consisted of the city west of the Rideau Canal and south of Wellington Street. It has traditionally consisted of Ottawa's Centretown and Downtown neighbourhoods. Prior to 1952, it consisted of the area between Bank Street and Bronson Avenue. In 1952, it merged with Central Ward, to its east, and lost some of its former territory to Dalhousie Ward on its west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Centretown</span> Neighbourhood in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Centretown is a neighbourhood in Somerset Ward, in central Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is defined by the city as "the area bounded on the north by Gloucester Street and Lisgar Street, on the east by the Rideau Canal, on the south by the Queensway freeway and on the west by Bronson Avenue." Traditionally it was all of Ottawa west of the Rideau Canal, while Lower Town was everything to the east. For certain purposes, such as the census and real estate listings, the Golden Triangle and/or Downtown Ottawa is included in Centretown and it is considered part of Centretown by the Centretown Citizens Community Association as well as being used in this way in casual conversation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">O-Train</span> Rapid transit system in Ottawa, Ontario

The O-Train is a light rail rapid transit system in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, operated by OC Transpo. The O-Train system has two lines, the electrically-operated Confederation Line and the diesel-operated Trillium Line. Since May 2020, Stage 2 construction has temporarily shut down Line 2, with replacement bus service being offered at all stations. When Line 2 reopens in 2024, it will extend southward to Limebank station and incorporate five newly constructed stations, as well as an additional line linking Line 2 to Ottawa International Airport which will replace the current bus service from route 97. By 2026, expansions along Line 1 and the construction of Line 3 stations in the west end are expected to be complete, bringing the system's length to 64.5 km (40.1 mi), four lines and 41 stations. The O-Train network is fully grade separated and does not have any level crossings with roads.

References

  1. "2021 Census of Population geographic summary: 5050048.00 [Census tract], Ontario". Statistics Canada. 2023-03-09. Archived from the original on Jan 16, 2024.
  2. "Population and Dwelling Count Highlight Tables, 2016 Census". Statistics Canada. 2018-02-07. 5050048.00. Archived from the original on 2017-02-14.