Murphy-Gamble
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Murphy-Gamble Limited was a long-time department store in the City of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
The store was located at 118 Sparks Street in a 1909 building designed by C.P. Meredith, and for years used the slogan "Ottawa's Smart Store". Murphy-Gamble's fifth floor restaurant was known as the Rideau Room.
Sparks Street was home to many of Ottawa's department stores during the first half of the 20th century, including Murphy-Gamble, C. Ross and Bryson-Graham. Ogilvy's, Freimans and Caplan's were located further east, on Rideau Street. The success of local department stores in Ottawa discouraged the entry of most national chains into the National Capital Region until the 1950s.
Murphy-Gamble was purchased by Simpson's in 1971, and the store continued to operate under the Simpson's banner until 1983. The building is now occupied by a branch of Scotiabank. Except for a Zellers, there are no longer any department stores operating on Sparks Street.
Although Murphy-Gamble was an Ottawa landmark and retail institution for years, it has largely been forgotten today.
