hey, nice parking lot: 136 Bay Street

 This was the site of Clegg House, built circa 1865-1866, demolished in 1982 by St. Peter's Lutheran Church so they could put up a parking lot, just like in the song. Read the whole sad, sordid story here.

That's St. Peter's rear elevation on the far side of the lot. Rustic appearance notwithstanding, the church's English Gothic design (Cecil Burgess) dates to the early 1950s. I like to think of it as part of the Great Mid-century Ecclesiastical Architecture Schism — that decade or so when for every church built to look like it predated Tintern Abbey, another one appeared resembling a cement dove from outer space.

At any rate, this is what Clegg House looked like shortly before it was destroyed...

...and this is how Charles Goad depicted it a little over a decade after it was built (1878, sheet 43.) Blue indicates stone construction, which was more of thing back then, especially in Upper Town. Christ Church Cathedral and its rectory occupy the west end of the block.

The Ottawa Wine Vault: 37 George Street

 This solid-looking edifice at 37 George (stone walls, steel girders) was built in 1907 for the Ottawa Wine Vault Company, a wine and liquor wholesaler. It was acquired by the federal government ten years later and served as an office building for several decades. Now managed by the NCC, it has been the home of the Ottawa School of Art since 1983.

Newspaper announcement, April 1908

Canada's Historic Places discusses the building's history and architecture here.

This is how Charles Goad depicted it circa 1912 (sheet 22, detail.) As always, click on the image to view at a better resolution.

Where Once a Woolworth's: 47 Rideau

 Some of us remember when 47 Rideau was a Woolworth's store, its lunch counter snaking along the east wall, the perfect place to grab a hot dog, french fries and a Coke, then spend the rest of the afternoon burping.

Woolworth's was first listed at 53-55 Rideau in the 1915 City Directory. The store was expanded in 1945 — frustratingly, I have not been able to date the Deco facade, though it somewhat resembles the one designed for Woolworth's 1941 Sparks Street renovation (since demolished), supporting the idea that it dates to the '45 build.

The Ottawa Journal, December 8 1944

Chapters opened at the old Woolworth's location in the fall of 1996 — frightening how a quarter-century breezes by. Chris Ryan offers more details on that subject here.

The Trafalgar Building, Bank and Queen

 The Trafalgar was built over 1905-1906 —newspaper mentions suggest commercial occupancy from 1907. Built by developer John C. Brennan, designed by Edgar L. Horwood.

Andrew Elliot has written an excellent article about the Trafalgar and its Queen Street context for apt613.ca — you can read it here.

The Canyons of Ashburnham: 383 Albert

 Claridge "Moon" — watch it grow. I'm posting this for my research assistant Kay-El, who thinks the Ottawa skyline needs more cranes.

It'll look something like this when it's finished. Decent affordable housing? I don't think so.

facadism: 278 O'Connor

 This little red-brick Victorian was built circa 1888-1890. The 1890 City Directory lists its first occupant as the Reverend William Moore, then pastor of the Bank Street Presbyterian Church (NW corner of Slater.)

The Ottawa Journal, June 1897

The building was enlarged during the 20th Century, gaining an addition on the SE corner, a brick and (faux?) limestone verandah, and an external stairway ("278½") on its north side, set on a cinderblock base. The stairs would have been associated with the division of the house into apartments.

Renovation work seen in our photo includes the shoring of the addition's concrete foundation and the recent removal of the verandah. These activities have little to do with any grand restoration — rather, they're part of what is sometimes called a "facadectomy." The bulk of the house has in fact been destroyed, and will be replaced by a mid-rise apartment building. The south side of the new structure will attempt to hide behind 347 Gilmour (or at least a part thereof) visible in the background of the photo below.

See comments on facadism here and here.

Although "facadectomy" is a popular term, it seems to be an instance of poor usage — "-ectomy" properly indicates that which is being removed, as in an appendectomy. As you can see in the photo, everything has been removed but the facade.