Ottawa: Then and Now

[MarkR]

Originally Posted by McC

Richmond Road being the goat trail to the left, and Byron Ave not even existing yet*?

(*I only see one road in the picture)

This is an interesting photo. The Britannia line was built between 1898-1900, so if this photo is truly from 1891 then this can't be the Britannia line! And if not then where is it?

And yes, Byron Ave. was built some time after the streetcar line went in (I think 1920s).

https://kitchissippi.com/2016/01/21/ottawa-streetcar-history-byron/

[lrt's friend]

There are all kinds of interesting clues in this picture. It has to be the Britannia line. This is the only line on flat land with a private right of way.

I am wondering if this is actually at Britannia itself, given the size of the crowd waiting on a sunny summer's day.

Look at some of the other clues. There is a siding to the left that might store extra cars on busy days. And there is a track curving to the right which may be part of the Britannia loop.

In the very foreground to the left, you see two light poles and look carefully, you see what may be the start of a railing. At Britannia, there was a pedestrian bridge over the neighbouring CPR line.

The road to the left may not be a road at all, but the CPR right of way.

[McC]

Those are some good conjectures lrtf; and since the picture has nothing to do with the story, there's little reason to assume it was from the same year as the story, either. I would have thought the station at Britannia would have had more of a permanent structure to it; although my guesstimate is that the station that's still there is 20th century:


photo from wiki https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/19/Old_streetcar_station,_Britannia,_Ottawa.jpg

[McC]

ack, sorry for the enormous size!

[OttawaSteve]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

There are all kinds of interesting clues in this picture. It has to be the Britannia line. This is the only line on flat land with a private right of way.

I am wondering if this is actually at Britannia itself, given the size of the crowd waiting on a sunny summer's day.

Look at some of the other clues. There is a siding to the left that might store extra cars on busy days. And there is a track curving to the right which may be part of the Britannia loop.

In the very foreground to the left, you see two light poles and look carefully, you see what may be the start of a railing. At Britannia, there was a pedestrian bridge over the neighbouring CPR line.

The road to the left may not be a road at all, but the CPR right of way.

Well done. This photo appears on p. 88 of Bill McKeown's Ottawa's Streetcars with the following caption:

In 1900, the first year of operation of the Britannia Line, OER No. 313 and a smaller single-truck open car load passengers for the trip back to the city. No. 313 was one of the four double-truck open cars which, with their closed counterparts, were associated with the Britannia line. They were known as "elephant cars" by the public because of their size when measured against the much smaller single-truck cars. Initially, these cars were painted in a circus-like red and yellow. (NAC, #C-26389)

Other photos of the area seem to confirm that the railings seen at lower left are indeed part of the pedestrian bridge over the CPR line, which is also itself visible in the shot.

[rocketphish]

Capital Facts: One of the first bridges in Ottawa

The Ottawa Citizen
Published on: June 29, 2017 | Last Updated: June 29, 2017 7:00 AM EDT



In celebration of Canada’s 150th birthday, the Citizen is rolling out one fact each day for 150 days until July 1, highlighting the odd, the fascinating and the important bits of Ottawa history you might not know about.

The Sappers Bridge was built in 1827 to span the canal and connect Lower Town with Upper Town. One of the first bridges in Bytown, it was named after its builders, the Royal Sappers and Miners, and stood 18 feet wide and 28 feet high over the canal. The cornerstone of this stone arch bridge was laid by Colonel By. In 1870, another bridge called the Dufferin Bridge was added, creating two spans over the canal that formed a triangle with the Ottawa post office at its base.

Around 1900, a hole was blasted in the Sappers Bridge to allow railway traffic to pass and a railway station was built on the south side of the bridge. Both the Sappers and Dufferin bridges were demolished in 1912 and replaced by the Plaza Bridge, which still stands today.

— Joanne Laucius

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/capital-facts-one-of-the-first-bridges-in-ottawa

[J.OT13]

From Lost Ottawa. Place de Ville fountain was much more interesting when the complex opened.


https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1927789263899301&set=p.1927789263899301&type=3&theater

[11a2b3]

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=...403.1073741932.1573530156&type=3&theater

[Urbanarchit]

Originally Posted by 11a2b3

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=...403.1073741932.1573530156&type=3&theater

Are those taken from atop the reservoir in Carlington?

Interesting, I didn't realize there was a water tower for the ROH just off of Island Park Drive.

[lrt's friend]

The water tower was not specifically for the ROH. It served the west end of the city, just as the old Alta Vista water tower served most of the southeast part of the city.

[11a2b3]

Originally Posted by Urbanarchit

Are those taken from atop the reservoir in Carlington?

Interesting, I didn't realize there was a water tower for the ROH just off of Island Park Drive.

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

The water tower was not specifically for the ROH. It served the west end of the city, just as the old Alta Vista water tower served most of the southeast part of the city.

Here's an article re: water tower.
http://www.historynerd.ca/2014/08/01/island-park-drip/

[lrt's friend]

Originally Posted by 11a2b3

Here's an article re: water tower.
http://www.historynerd.ca/2014/08/01/island-park-drip/

Thanks for sharing.

[J.OT13]

Place de Ville underground concourse. I always imagined it looked more like Toronto Dominion Centre's mid-century modern concourse. I don't know if those pictures are original or if the redesigned between 67' when it originally opened and 71' when phase II opened. Either way, today's it's a crappy 80s mess.

Before;



https://www.facebook.com/LostOttawa/posts/1672457289520155

Now;

• Video Link

[acottawa]

Is little zoo a pet store?

Doesn't seem like something office workers pitch up on their lunch break.

[McKellarDweller]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Place de Ville underground concourse.

I recommend Harry's Deli there, for anyone working in the west end of the CBD. Best value for a good quality takeout lunch in the hood, IMO. Their Red Thai soup is a hit.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by McKellarDweller

I recommend Harry's Deli there, for anyone working in the west end of the CBD. Best value for a good quality takeout lunch in the hood, IMO. Their Red Thai soup is a hit.

That the one on the left when you go down the escalator between towers A and B?

[11a2b3]

Ottawa Nightwalk 1991:
https://youtu.be/gnCxr1H0rYI

[jchamoun79]

Originally Posted by 11a2b3

Ottawa Nightwalk 1991:
https://youtu.be/gnCxr1H0rYI

Holy crap! What an amazing find!

Thanks for sharing this.

[J.OT13]

Form Lost Ottawa Facebook page;

Ottawa from the Air in this photo dated to September of 1955.

You can see a lot of the old city in this one, including the Eddy Plant, the Printing Bureau on Nepean Point, the temporary buildings on Sussex, Elgin and Wellington, etc.

There's quite a few buildings where Confederation Park and the NAC are now, but if you look along Slater and Albert half of downtown seems to be a parking lot!

(Photo: Harold Mayer, University of Wisconsin Milwaukee catw-5248)


https://www.facebook.com/LostOttawa/phot...8732492/1731386766960540/?type=3&theater

Similar view about 6 years ago.


https://www.ottawatourism.ca/ottawa-insider/ottawa-centre-ecodistrict/

[Uhuniau]

Bring back the log booms!