Little Italy, Ottawa
Encyclopedia
Little Italy is a neighbourhood of Ottawa
, Ontario
, Canada, situated in Centretown West
and the cultural centre of Ottawa's Italian
community. Bounded by Albert Street
to the north, Carling Avenue
to the south, the O-Train
tracks to the west, and approximately Bronson Avenue
to the east, Little Italy intersects with Chinatown
, whose business district centres on Somerset Street.
Little Italy was initially settled around 1900 by Italian immigrants. Following a fire at a small Murray Street chapel, the 1913 founding of St. Anthony of Padua Church
at the corner of Booth Street and Gladstone Avenue cemented the immigrants' connections with the neighbourhood. In the years following World War II
a second wave of Italian immigrants was joined by communities of Ukrainian and Polish immigrants in the area. In recent years with the integration of European immigrants the neighbourhood has found itself home to Asian immigrants, primarily from China and Vietnam.
In the 1960s a large section of the poorer neighbourhood was demolished, and replaced with the High School of Commerce
, today the Adult High School
.
Since 1974, each June the neighbourhood hosts the Italian Week festival, Ottawa's celebration of Italian culture.
Two area streets have been given commemorative Italian street names. Gladstone Avenue is also called Via Marconi
, and Preston Street
is called Corso Italia.
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada, situated in Centretown West
Centretown West
Centretown West is a neighbourhood in Ottawa, Canada. It lies to the west of Bronson Avenue, east of the O-Train tracks, north of Carling Avenue, and south of "Nanny Goat Hill", which is an escarpment to the north of Somerset Street West. To the east lies Centretown, to the north lies Lebreton...
and the cultural centre of Ottawa's Italian
Italian people
The Italian people are an ethnic group that share a common Italian culture, ancestry and speak the Italian language as a mother tongue. Within Italy, Italians are defined by citizenship, regardless of ancestry or country of residence , and are distinguished from people...
community. Bounded by Albert Street
Albert Street (Ottawa)
Albert Street is one of the main east-west roads in downtown Ottawa, Canada. Albert is one way going west. It carries the westbound portion of the transitway through downtown, with Slater Street just to the south carrying the eastbound portion...
to the north, Carling Avenue
Carling Avenue
Carling Avenue is a major east-west arterial road in the west end of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It runs from March Road in Kanata to Bronson Avenue in the Glebe...
to the south, the O-Train
Ottawa O-Train
The O-Train is a light-rail transit service in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada operated by OC Transpo. The present line runs north-south on a railway line, from Bayview to Greenboro, a distance of approximately...
tracks to the west, and approximately Bronson Avenue
Bronson Avenue (Ottawa)
Bronson Avenue is a major north-south arterial road in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It runs from downtown at Sparks Street in the north through Centretown, past the Glebe and Carleton University and turns into the Airport Parkway, which is an expressway to the Macdonald-Cartier International...
to the east, Little Italy intersects with Chinatown
Chinatown, Ottawa
Ottawa's Chinatown is located along Somerset Street in downtown Ottawa. It runs from Bay Street in the east to Rochester St in the west...
, whose business district centres on Somerset Street.
Little Italy was initially settled around 1900 by Italian immigrants. Following a fire at a small Murray Street chapel, the 1913 founding of St. Anthony of Padua Church
St. Anthony of Padua (Ottawa)
St. Anthony of Padua is a Roman Catholic church in Ottawa, Canada. Founded in 1908 it has long been the focal point of Ottawa's Italian-Canadian community. The church is located at 427 Booth Street in the heart of Little Italy. The first church was a small chapel, but burnt down in 1913 and...
at the corner of Booth Street and Gladstone Avenue cemented the immigrants' connections with the neighbourhood. In the years following World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
a second wave of Italian immigrants was joined by communities of Ukrainian and Polish immigrants in the area. In recent years with the integration of European immigrants the neighbourhood has found itself home to Asian immigrants, primarily from China and Vietnam.
In the 1960s a large section of the poorer neighbourhood was demolished, and replaced with the High School of Commerce
High School of Commerce (Ottawa)
The High School of Commerce was an Ottawa secondary school that existed from 1929 until 1990. A commerce program had begun at Ottawa Collegiate Institute in 1902. The program became quite popular, and in 1915 it had to move to temporary quarters at Hopewell Public School. In 1917 it moved to the...
, today the Adult High School
Adult High School (Ottawa)
The Adult High School is a Ottawa-Carleton District School Board high school for adults in Ottawa, Canada. It is the only regular high school entirely for adults in the province of Ontario. Current enrollment is some 1200 students....
.
Since 1974, each June the neighbourhood hosts the Italian Week festival, Ottawa's celebration of Italian culture.
Two area streets have been given commemorative Italian street names. Gladstone Avenue is also called Via Marconi
Guglielmo Marconi
Guglielmo Marconi was an Italian inventor, known as the father of long distance radio transmission and for his development of Marconi's law and a radio telegraph system. Marconi is often credited as the inventor of radio, and indeed he shared the 1909 Nobel Prize in Physics with Karl Ferdinand...
, and Preston Street
Preston Street (Ottawa)
Preston Street is a street in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, running between Wellington Street and Carling Avenue. It is the main commercial district in Little Italy, home to numerous small business and Italian restaurants, and is synonymous with "Little Italy" to many Ottawa residents when referring to...
is called Corso Italia.