Sparks Street
Encyclopedia
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...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
that was converted into an outdoor pedestrian street in 1966, making it the earliest such street or mall in North America.
Sparks runs from Elgin Street
Elgin Street (Ottawa)
Elgin Street is a street in the Golden Triangle of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Originally named Biddy's Lane, it was later named after Lord Elgin....
in the east to Bronson Avenue. The Sparks Street Mall, that contains a number of outdoor restaurants and also a number of works of art
Art
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
and fountain
Fountain
A fountain is a piece of architecture which pours water into a basin or jets it into the air either to supply drinking water or for decorative or dramatic effect....
s, only runs from Elgin to Bank Street
Bank Street (Ottawa)
Bank Street is the major north-south road in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It runs south from Wellington Street in downtown Ottawa, south through the neighbourhoods of Centretown, The Glebe, Old Ottawa South, Alta Vista, Hunt Club, and then through the villages of Blossom Park, Leitrim, South...
. The pedestrian only portion continues for another two blocks westward, with the final two blocks west of Lyon Street being a regular road.
The mall and most of the buildings on the south side are owned and operated by the National Capital Commission
National Capital Commission
The National Capital Commission , is a Canadian Crown corporation that administers the federally owned lands and buildings in Canada's National Capital Region, including Ottawa, Ontario and Gatineau, Quebec.The NCC was created in 1959, replacing the Federal District Commission , which had been...
. Buildings on the north side of the mall were expropriated by the Federal Government in 1973 and are currently operated by Public Works and Government Services Canada.
History
Wellington Street (Ottawa)
Wellington Street is an important street in Ottawa, Canada most notable for being one of the first two streets laid out in Bytown in 1826 Wellington Street (French: Rue Wellington) is an important street in Ottawa, Canada most notable for being one of the first two streets laid out in Bytown in...
(the home of the Canadian Parliament), Sparks Street is one of Ottawa's more historic streets with a number of heritage buildings. The street is named after Nicholas Sparks, the farmer who, early in the mid-nineteenth century, cut a path through the woods on his holding that would eventually become the street.
When Ottawa was selected as Canada's capital the area became even more important as the street became home to a number of government offices and homes for parliamentarians. One of these was Thomas D'Arcy McGee who, in 1868, was assassinated outside his home at the corner of Sparks and Metcalfe. The street also became Ottawa's commercial hub and was home to a number of the city's bank
Bank
A bank is a financial institution that serves as a financial intermediary. The term "bank" may refer to one of several related types of entities:...
s and the lumber
Lumber
Lumber or timber is wood in any of its stages from felling through readiness for use as structural material for construction, or wood pulp for paper production....
companies of the Ottawa Valley
Ottawa Valley
The Ottawa Valley is the valley along the boundary between Eastern Ontario and Western Quebec along the Ottawa River. The valley is the transition between the Saint Lawrence Lowlands and the Canadian Shield...
. It once contained the Murphy-Gamble
Murphy-Gamble
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"...
(later Simpson's
Simpson's
The Robert Simpson Company, or Simpsons , was a Canadian department store chain, founded by Robert Simpson. The chain was eventually bought by the Hudson's Bay Company.- History :...
), Morgan's
Morgan's
Morgan's was a Montreal-based Canadian department store chain. At its peak, the company had stores in Quebec and Ontario...
, C.Ross, and Bryson-Graham's department stores.
The peak of the street was in the early twentieth-century when a number of Beaux-Arts buildings that still stand were erected. At the time, the eastern end of Sparks Street continued across the Rideau Canal on Sappers Bridge. Where the War Memorial and Confederation Square
Confederation Square
Confederation Square is an urban square in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, and is considered the second most important ceremonial centre in Canada's capital city, after Parliament Hill...
stands today, was the Russell House hotel, and Ottawa's old Post Office. The square was built in the 1930s.
As the city expanded the downtown became less centralized and commerce spread to neighbouring streets. Government ministries, requiring larger offices, also went elsewhere. In 1959 the street's streetcar line
Ottawa Electric Railway
Ottawa Electric Railway Company was a streetcar public transit system in the city of Ottawa, Canada, part of the electric railway streetcars which operated between 1891 and 1959...
was closed, further hurting business.
Pedestrian Mall
In 1961 a plan to temporarily transform the street into a pedestrian mall for the summer was introduced in an attempt to improve commerce. The success of these closings convinced the city to close the street permanently to vehicles, North America's first permanent pedestrian mall.Today, the pedestrian mall is open year-round and extends from Elgin to Kent Streets. In the warmer months, two sidewalk cafes operate. While the mall is quite busy during weekdays, the mall is only lightly used during weekends. The nearby Rideau Centre mall and adjoining Byward Market district are the centre of shopping on the weekends. This has led to a turnover of businesses from the mall and a decline in shopping activities. The National Capital Commission, the pedestrian mall authority remains committed to operating and improving the mall. The mall's landscaping has been updated. The Commission was successful in bringing the Ottawa CBC broadcasting studio centre to a location on the mall, and is seeking to increase business and activity through increasing the number of residences nearby.
Events
Sparks Street is home to the Sparks Street International Chicken & Rib Cook-off every year in late June.Each year, around the August civic holiday, Sparks street plays host to the Ottawa International Buskers Festival, where buskers
Busking
Street performance or busking is the practice of performing in public places, for gratuities, which are generally in the form of money and edibles...
from around the world come to showcase their art to tourists and locals in downtown Ottawa.http://www.sparksstreetmall.com/busker1.htm
Landmarks
Sparks contains some of Ottawa's most important structures. Just past the eastern end of Sparks at Elgin StreetElgin Street (Ottawa)
Elgin Street is a street in the Golden Triangle of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Originally named Biddy's Lane, it was later named after Lord Elgin....
is the National War Memorial
National War Memorial (Canada)
The National War Memorial , is a tall granite cenotaph with acreted bronze sculptures, that stands in Confederation Square, Ottawa, and serves as the federal war memorial for Canada....
and across Elgin from Sparks is the National Arts Centre
National Arts Centre
The National Arts Centre is a centre for the performing arts located in Ottawa, Ontario, between Elgin Street and the Rideau Canal...
.
The eastern section of the street sees a number of the oldest buildings, including Ottawa's post office
Central Post Office (Ottawa)
The Central Post Office is a historic building in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The building was completed in 1939, replacing a Second Empire style office built in 1876. This original office was located in what is today Confederation Square, and was demolished in order to construct the grand public...
from 1939; the Ottawa Electric Building, built in 1926 by the founders of the Ottawa Electric Railway
Ottawa Electric Railway
Ottawa Electric Railway Company was a streetcar public transit system in the city of Ottawa, Canada, part of the electric railway streetcars which operated between 1891 and 1959...
, Ottawa's streetcar system, Ottawa's first high-rise: the Bible House/old James Hope building at 61 Sparks, built in 1910; and branches of a number of Canada's banks from the same era.
A pair of notable newer buildings are also on this section of the mall. The first is the new Ottawa Broadcast Centre
CBC Ottawa Broadcast Centre
The CBC Ottawa Broadcast Centre is located on Sparks Street in downtown Ottawa, Ontario, Canada and is home to the head office of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and the CBC's various English and French language operations in the National Capital Region...
of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
. The second, at the corner of Metcalfe and Sparks, is the large Thomas D'Arcy McGee Building
Thomas D'Arcy McGee Building
The Thomas D'Arcy McGee Building, at 90 Sparks Street, is an office building in Ottawa, Canada. It is located on the south side of Sparks Street, east of Metcalfe. The building was opened in 1981 with the Royal Bank of Canada as its main occupant and accordingly it was named the Royal Bank Centre...
, one of Ottawa's more visually arresting high-rises as it is shaped somewhat like a squat "7".
West of Bank Street, outside of the mall itself, the street is overshadowed by the C.D. Howe Building, the home of Industry Canada
Industry Canada
Industry Canada is the department of the Government of Canada with responsibility for regional economic development, investment, and innovation/research and development. The department employs 6104 FTEs across Canada....
on the south and the headquarters of the Bank of Canada
Bank of Canada
The Bank of Canada is Canada's central bank and "lender of last resort". The Bank was created by an Act of Parliament on July 3, 1934 as a privately owned corporation. In 1938, the Bank became a Crown corporation belonging to the Government of Canada...
to the north. West of the bank is the home of the Department of Justice
Department of Justice (Canada)
The purpose of the Department of Justice is to ensure that the Canadian justice system is fair, accessible and efficient. The Department also represents the Canadian government in legal matters...
in the St. Andrew's Towers and the East Memorial Building with other government departments in the West Memorial Building. West of these buildings the street becomes far less notable being home to several hotels and smaller buildings. The final block of the rather short street has the Garden of the Provinces
Garden of the Provinces
The Garden of the Provinces is a site along Confederation Boulevard in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada's capital city. It is bounded by the Sparks Street escarpment on the south,...
to the north and Christ Church Cathedral
Christ Church Cathedral (Ottawa)
Christ Church Cathedral is the Anglican cathedral in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The church is located in the northwest section of the city's downtown at the western end of Sparks Street at the top of a promontory looking down to the Ottawa River.-Beginnings:...
, Ottawa's main Anglican church, to the south.
Map
See Downtown OttawaDowntown Ottawa
Downtown Ottawa 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...
for a map of the entire area.
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St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church (Ottawa)
St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church is the oldest Presbyterian church in Ottawa, Canada.-Creation:St. Andrews is Ottawa's oldest Protestant [Presbyterian Church in Canada] congregation, with the original church opening in 1828...
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Bank of Canada
The Bank of Canada is Canada's central bank and "lender of last resort". The Bank was created by an Act of Parliament on July 3, 1934 as a privately owned corporation. In 1938, the Bank became a Crown corporation belonging to the Government of Canada...
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Wellington Building
The Wellington Building is a Roman Corinthian Revival Style office building in Ottawa, Canada. It was built between 1924 and 1927 as Canadian headquarters of the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company. The original structure was designed by D...
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Victoria Building (Ottawa)
The Victoria Building is an office building at 140 Wellington Street, just across from the Parliament of Canada. It houses the offices of a number of parliamentarians, mostly members of the Canadian Senate. The building, designed by John Albert Ewart, was completed in 1928 by private developers,...
Portrait Gallery of Canada
The Portrait Gallery of Canada is a Canadian art collection specialising in portraiture. It was established on 23 January 2001 by the Government of Canada as a program of Library and Archives Canada....
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Langevin Block
The Langevin Block is an office building facing Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Canada. As the home of the Privy Council Office and Office of the Prime Minister, it is the working headquarters of the executive branch of the Canadian government...
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National War Memorial (Canada)
The National War Memorial , is a tall granite cenotaph with acreted bronze sculptures, that stands in Confederation Square, Ottawa, and serves as the federal war memorial for Canada....
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Bank of Canada
The Bank of Canada is Canada's central bank and "lender of last resort". The Bank was created by an Act of Parliament on July 3, 1934 as a privately owned corporation. In 1938, the Bank became a Crown corporation belonging to the Government of Canada...
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Wellington Building
The Wellington Building is a Roman Corinthian Revival Style office building in Ottawa, Canada. It was built between 1924 and 1927 as Canadian headquarters of the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company. The original structure was designed by D...
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Place de Ville
Place de Ville is a complex of office towers in downtown Ottawa. It currently consists of four buildings, Place de Ville A, B, and C, and the 'Podium' building, two large hotels, and the city's largest underground parking garage. The buildings are linked by an underground shopping complex...
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Kent Street (Ottawa)
Kent Street is a major street in downtown Ottawa, Canada. One block west of Bank Street, Kent is one way running north. It begins at the Queensway at the south and ends at Wellington Street. The street has fewer storefronts than Bank Street. South of downtown it is mainly small and medium sized...
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Bank Street (Ottawa)
Bank Street is the major north-south road in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It runs south from Wellington Street in downtown Ottawa, south through the neighbourhoods of Centretown, The Glebe, Old Ottawa South, Alta Vista, Hunt Club, and then through the villages of Blossom Park, Leitrim, South...
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CBC Ottawa Broadcast Centre
The CBC Ottawa Broadcast Centre is located on Sparks Street in downtown Ottawa, Ontario, Canada and is home to the head office of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and the CBC's various English and French language operations in the National Capital Region...
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Thomas D'Arcy McGee Building
The Thomas D'Arcy McGee Building, at 90 Sparks Street, is an office building in Ottawa, Canada. It is located on the south side of Sparks Street, east of Metcalfe. The building was opened in 1981 with the Royal Bank of Canada as its main occupant and accordingly it was named the Royal Bank Centre...
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Elgin Street (Ottawa)
Elgin Street is a street in the Golden Triangle of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Originally named Biddy's Lane, it was later named after Lord Elgin....
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Place de Ville
Place de Ville is a complex of office towers in downtown Ottawa. It currently consists of four buildings, Place de Ville A, B, and C, and the 'Podium' building, two large hotels, and the city's largest underground parking garage. The buildings are linked by an underground shopping complex...
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Kent Street (Ottawa)
Kent Street is a major street in downtown Ottawa, Canada. One block west of Bank Street, Kent is one way running north. It begins at the Queensway at the south and ends at Wellington Street. The street has fewer storefronts than Bank Street. South of downtown it is mainly small and medium sized...
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Bank Street (Ottawa)
Bank Street is the major north-south road in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It runs south from Wellington Street in downtown Ottawa, south through the neighbourhoods of Centretown, The Glebe, Old Ottawa South, Alta Vista, Hunt Club, and then through the villages of Blossom Park, Leitrim, South...
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CBC Ottawa Broadcast Centre
The CBC Ottawa Broadcast Centre is located on Sparks Street in downtown Ottawa, Ontario, Canada and is home to the head office of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and the CBC's various English and French language operations in the National Capital Region...
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Thomas D'Arcy McGee Building
The Thomas D'Arcy McGee Building, at 90 Sparks Street, is an office building in Ottawa, Canada. It is located on the south side of Sparks Street, east of Metcalfe. The building was opened in 1981 with the Royal Bank of Canada as its main occupant and accordingly it was named the Royal Bank Centre...
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Elgin Street (Ottawa)
Elgin Street is a street in the Golden Triangle of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Originally named Biddy's Lane, it was later named after Lord Elgin....
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Kent Street (Ottawa)
Kent Street is a major street in downtown Ottawa, Canada. One block west of Bank Street, Kent is one way running north. It begins at the Queensway at the south and ends at Wellington Street. The street has fewer storefronts than Bank Street. South of downtown it is mainly small and medium sized...
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Bank Street (Ottawa)
Bank Street is the major north-south road in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It runs south from Wellington Street in downtown Ottawa, south through the neighbourhoods of Centretown, The Glebe, Old Ottawa South, Alta Vista, Hunt Club, and then through the villages of Blossom Park, Leitrim, South...
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Elgin Street (Ottawa)
Elgin Street is a street in the Golden Triangle of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Originally named Biddy's Lane, it was later named after Lord Elgin....
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Kent Street (Ottawa)
Kent Street is a major street in downtown Ottawa, Canada. One block west of Bank Street, Kent is one way running north. It begins at the Queensway at the south and ends at Wellington Street. The street has fewer storefronts than Bank Street. South of downtown it is mainly small and medium sized...
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Bank Street (Ottawa)
Bank Street is the major north-south road in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It runs south from Wellington Street in downtown Ottawa, south through the neighbourhoods of Centretown, The Glebe, Old Ottawa South, Alta Vista, Hunt Club, and then through the villages of Blossom Park, Leitrim, South...
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Elgin Street (Ottawa)
Elgin Street is a street in the Golden Triangle of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Originally named Biddy's Lane, it was later named after Lord Elgin....
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Elgin Street (Ottawa)
Elgin Street is a street in the Golden Triangle of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Originally named Biddy's Lane, it was later named after Lord Elgin....
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