Downtown Ottawa

Downtown Ottawa
—  Neighbourhood  —
Downtown Ottawa
Location of Downtown Ottawa in Ottawa
Coordinates:
Country Canada
Province Ontario
City Ottawa
Government
 • MPs Paul Dewar
 • MPPs Yasir Naqvi
 • Councillors Diane Holmes
Area
 • Total 1.25 km2 (0.48 sq mi)
Elevation 75 m (250 ft)
Population (2006)
 • Total 3,718
 • Density 2,977.5/km2 (7,745.8/sq mi)
  Canada 2006 Census
Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)

Downtown Ottawa (French: Centre-Ville) is the central area of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Like other downtowns it is the commercial and economic centre of the city. 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'.

Contents

Prominent buildings

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 Chateau Laurier, the National Arts Centre, Lord Elgin Hotel, Bell Canada Place, the Ottawa Courthouse, and Ottawa City Hall. Other prominent buildings include World Exchange Plaza with the 'clock ball' on top, Place de Ville, and the heritage buildings along Sparks Street.

The towers of downtown Ottawa are not as tall as other those in other cities, as legislation prevented buildings being built taller than the Peace Tower until the 1970s, so as not to overshadow the Parliament Buildings (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 metres (367 ft), which was built above the height limit, and several hotels being slightly shorter but with 30-35 stories.

Prominent streets

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

North-South streets

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:

East-West streets

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 Ottawa River Parkway.

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. Albert and Slater also carry the transitway through downtown.

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.

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.

Demographics

According to the Canada 2006 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.

Map

A map of downtown Ottawa, also including parts of Lower Town, Sandy Hill, and downtown Hull. Click on the stars to read articles on individual buildings.

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See also

Transitway stations

Downtown churches

Grid streets

East-west (from north to south)

North-south (from west to east)

External links

Ottawa River ByWard Market
LeBreton Flats Sandy Hill
   Downtown Ottawa    
Centretown West Centretown