The history of Lowertown

One of our neighbours, Nancy, is the co-author of a very interesting 34-page publication that I discovered on the Internet today. It aims to document the history of our part of the city before too many of its older buildings are demolished and swept away by modern developers and is entitled Lowertown East, Our Disappearing Heritage.

On pages 6, 7 and 10 of this research paper are maps showing our neighbourhood in relation to the Rideau River.

To the north of the St. Patrick Street Parkway and east of King Edward Avenue, a small isolated section of Lowertown has evolved over the years and is fondly called the “Wedge” by some of its residents. Sometimes, it is also referred to as the Bordeleau Park community.

That's us.

Much of the paper describes the working class French, Irish and Jewish communities that once thrived here and incorporates old photographs from the early 20th century. It focusses on the history of three buildings that are about to disappear ...

The occupants, from over the years, of the four heritage buildings slated for demolition represent a true cross-section of the resourceful and resilient groups that made this river area of Lowertown East such a vibrant community. The "Brennan" house was built [~140 years ago] and occupied for many decades by working people of Irish descent. The "Gauvreau" rowhouse was built with money acquired by a descendant of one of the first Quebec inhabitants who used the land by the Rideau River first to build a hide and pelt business and then to build an income-generating rowhouse. The "Gauvreau-Bodovsky" house, built by the Gauvreau family, saw ownership transferred in 1921 to a Jewish family who for more than 50 years contributed to the commercial and cultural life of Lowertown. Finally, the “Ouellette” house was occupied by working-class French-Canadian families over the years and once included a convenience store.

What a contrast Claridge's new "Waterstreet" condominium complex will make to those old houses, when it is erected in their place.

The bridges are closed!

Minto Bridge West rehabilitation

Union Street between King Edward Avenue and Stanley Avenue

Monday, September 17 to Friday, December 14, 2012

This makes a difference to our usual evening walk; we'll have to be patient for the next three months and make a detour onto Sussex Drive to get across the Rideau from where we live. We no longer have such easy access to the New Edinburgh parks. The work on the Minto Bridges does need doing though. The boardwalk for pedestrians is rotting to the extent that one dark night we might have slipped through a hole into the river or at least broken an ankle. The bridge railings need replacing in several places too. I assume one or two snow removing vehicles must have slid into them on a slippery night and were only just saved from falling over the side.

Barriers have been across the road since Monday, but not across the footpath. I noticed a runner still using the bridge this evening.

It's getting colder and darker at the day's end, and the Rideau and Ottawa geese, who don't need bridges repaired, are gathering in larger and larger flocks in preparation for their migration. I saw them on top of a hill in the park, silhouetted against a clear autumn sky this evening.

*****

Also see my later post about the bridge rehabilitation, published 14th January, 2013.