Ottawa: Then and Now - Page 7

rocketphish · #**121** Posted **Dec 2, 2013, 6:24 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by harls

This gentleman has an excellent photo of a train pulling into old Union Station alongside the canal c. June 1956.

I won't post the image because a) I think you should visit his page and b) I can't.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/lightbox/

I can. But you should still visit the original, much larger, images.

J.OT13 · #**122** Posted **Dec 4, 2013, 11:38 PM**

Original World Exchange proposal. Included a hotel (as a lot of you may already know), no ramps on O'Connor and escalators down to an underground bus station (as it was proposed when we were seriously considering it).

http://urbsite.blogspot.ca/2013/12/world-exchange.html

drawarc · #**123** Posted **Dec 8, 2013, 9:14 PM**

Found this from a neat blog about Vanier:

Vanier Omnicentre, proposed in 1976. Multi-use complex at corner of Montreal Road and Vanier Parkway. Three blocks were to be demolished, as part of a huge two phase development.

Source:http://vaniernow.blogspot.ca/2012/09/vaniers-omnicentre-earlier-vision-for.html

drawarc · #**124** Posted **Dec 13, 2013, 12:14 AM**

Another old skyline postcard from ebay:

Source:http://www.ebay.com/itm/OTTAWA-ONTARIO-R...g_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

J.OT13 · #**125** Posted **Dec 13, 2013, 4:55 PM**

It seems so... peaceful. There's just something about this one...

lrt's friend · #**126** Posted **Dec 13, 2013, 7:24 PM**

The Dunbar Bridge and Brewer Park around 1968 when you could still see the Parliament Buildings from the south. Robert Campeau really changed the course of downtown when he built Place de Ville.

MountainView · #**127** Posted **Dec 13, 2013, 10:46 PM**

Love this picture! Makes Parliament so dominant and makes the buildings on the west side of the picture at Place de Ville look taller than they actually are!

J.OT13 · #**128** Posted **Dec 14, 2013, 3:07 PM**

1975 Skywalk network plan for Downtown Ottawa.

http://urbsite.blogspot.ca/2013/12/ottawas-unbuilt-skywalks.html

NOWINYOW · #**129** Posted **Dec 15, 2013, 1:08 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by J.OT13

1975 Skywalk network plan for Downtown Ottawa.

Nice find!

Would work well with the current Confederation line plans. I'm not so sure I'd have liked the NAC link, unless it was a tunnel.

Uhuniau · #**130** Posted **Dec 16, 2013, 6:36 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by NOWINYOW

Nice find!

Would work well with the current Confederation line plans. I'm not so sure I'd have liked the NAC link, unless it was a tunnel.

I'm not sure if I'd have liked any of them, unless they were tunneled.

J.OT13 · #**131** Posted **Dec 16, 2013, 5:27 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by NOWINYOW

Nice find!

Would work well with the current Confederation line plans. I'm not so sure I'd have liked the NAC link, unless it was a tunnel.

Actually, the NAC link already exists as the parking garage (entrance) on Albert between the British High Commission and the Fuller building. Today, I think the best way to link the NAC with the Confederation line would be via the Convention Centre.

lrt's friend · #**132** Posted **Dec 16, 2013, 7:15 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Actually, the NAC link already exists as the parking garage (entrance) on Albert between the British High Commission and the Fuller building. Today, I think the best way to link the NAC with the Confederation line would be via the Convention Centre.

I don't think that would be simple because of the canal and the pipe that is under it. Isn't that why we didn't end up with a station near the NAC in the first place?

NOWINYOW · #**133** Posted **Dec 17, 2013, 3:10 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

I don't think that would be simple because of the canal and the pipe that is under it. Isn't that why we didn't end up with a station near the NAC in the first place?

Is the NAC still really all that relevant that it requires relatively expensive pedestrian use infrastructure? Be it a link east to the conference centre or towards to the west side of Elgin?

I'm not knocking it. Quite a nice facility. I just question whether the patrons of the NAC are also rabid public transit users.

gjhall · #**134** Posted **Dec 17, 2013, 3:12 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by NOWINYOW

Is the NAC still really all that relevant

How do you figure it is less relevant now than then?

NOWINYOW · #**135** Posted **Dec 17, 2013, 3:18 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by gjhall

How do you figure it is less relevant now than then?

Back then, there were fewer venues. I'm also not figuring it is less relevant, but asking the question.

J.OT13 · #**136** Posted **Dec 17, 2013, 5:37 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

I don't think that would be simple because of the canal and the pipe that is under it. Isn't that why we didn't end up with a station near the NAC in the first place?

Over the past 20-30 odd years, they've (NCC and the City) raised the idea of building two pedestrian tunnels; one between the Convention Centre (original Jean Pigott idea was for the Congress Centre) and the Government Conference Centre (Union Station) and the second between Union and the NAC. If that idea was considered plausible, I don't see how my proposal to skip the connection to the Union (since it will continue to be a monument to epic fails for at least another 20 years) and just build a tunnel direct between the OCC and the NAC.

As for the question about the relevance of the NAC and whether or not patrons use transit, I think it still has an important place in the City's cultural scene. A direct connection to the Rideau Complex would present the opportunity of a partnership between the OCC (welcoming thousands of well off business people and politicians every year) and the NAC, it would make it easier for people to find alternative parking for NAC events with ease of access, avoiding bad weather (Rideau Centre parking) and might encourage more people to take transit with the added benefit of heated/cooled access from the subway. It would connect the NAC to a decent underground network covering 2 million+ square feet of office space, over a million square feet of retail, the OCC and 1,400 hotel rooms.

So yes, I believe it would be well worth the investment to elevate Ottawa a little closer to World Class status. As a Canadian city with extremes in weather, we should follow the lead of every other Canadian city in building a proper indoor pedestrian network. I'm not proposing anything as big as Toronto or Montreal (too big to fail), but at least connect the important buildings and complexes adjacent to our subway system.