1 Posted Jun 1, 2009, 1:47 AM Mille Sabords Elle est déjà vide! Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Big Bad Ottawa Posts: 2,021 Ottawa-Gatineau :: Old Downtown Hull



First, a few shots of the Ottawa skyline and the first new building to be built in the Lebreton area, a former industrial hub that was bulldozed by the federal government in the 1960's in the name of "federal dignity" - couldn't have factories and smokestacks so close to Parliament, even if they gave lots of people jobs.











The new Lebreton building, a condo (now fully inhabited):







Several water channels make up the passage between Ottawa and Hull here. These were timber slides in the early 19th century:







With Hintonburg's skyline in the background:







Sidewalk acros the Chaudière bridge:







What's left of Ottawa-Hull's Domtar operations:











Lebreton is also home to the new Canadian War Museum, which is one of the projects intended to kickstart the regeneration of this area:











The Chaudière bridge links a few islands on the Ottawa River which were all used for industry. Victoria Island is the largest one and it has quite a collection of manufacturing ruins (and some still in use). Some of the taller structures have been reused for several purposes, like this one used by rock climbers:











More industrial ruins (which in fact would be awesome buildings to salvage and re-use):















The reason why this was the birthplace of our city: the mighty Chaudière Falls. To this day, it generates electricity for a good part of the city. Hydro Québec has a plant right by it:















We are now in Québec, entering old Downtown Hull.











These brutalist concrete office buildings date back to Trudeau's era. The idea was to share the national capital status and jobs between Ontario and Quebec. In so doing, these complexes resulted in the razing of much of the residential population, and many will say, the soul of downtown Hull.











But there are a few things left. The Main Street, formerly "Rue Principale" and now called "Promenade du Portage", was the main nightlife hub for the whole Ottawa-Hull area until the early 1990's. Most of these buildings used to be bars. The businesses and restaurants we find today mostly cater to the daytime office workers.











Yumm, Club Poutine:







This used to be the infamous Lido strip joint. It's now the National University of Mexico's campus in Canada:







Another infamous institution, the Bank Hotel, now cleaned up:







This type of place still draws Ontarians over the the Quebec side:







Possible rejuvenation?







Another famous Hull staple: great, greasy French Fries!







Onto Eddy Street, what I consider to be a little gem. Reminds me of Masson Street in Montreal, albeit at a smaller scale. A true neighbourhood main strip, unpretentious and with a surprising variety of stores. Few people out because it's too early on Sunday!



































Out of nowhere, on a side street, this tiny barber shop:







More fries!







This remains a modest, working-class neighbourhood.











The essentials: Coke, Bread, Milk and Beer.







Among the many who call downtown Hull their home, there is a large Portuguese community. The City erected a monument in their honour:







And sure enough, you see these all over the place:







It's striking, too, how many there are of the Montreal-inspired "plexes" with outdoor stairs. They aren't as pretty, rarely brick or stone like they would be in Montreal, but the architectural roots are clear and they are widespread all across old downtown Hull:































Some street corners look like time has stood still, circa 1942:















... except for a satellite dish







Old Downtown Hull is in fact an island, surrounded by the Brewery Creek (le Ruisseau de la Brasserie). In recent years, it's been spiffed up as Hull's little Rideau Canal, complete with a waterside walk:











And here's a brewery by the water to enjoy a cold one:







That house in the middle of the water is a little playhouse called Le Théâtre de l'Île (The Island Theatre), which has been around for about 25 years:







On the west side of the Brewery Creek is a secretive little enclave of beautiful old Victorian-era homes:











Back to the little streets: it's always a good time for a drink!











You do what you gotta do:















What's left of the nightlife: now off the main drag and onto some of the back streets which, in fact, are a lot more charming:















Parts have been pedestrianized:















The latest tragedy: the destruction of the Chez Henri's turret. Chez Henri was once a raunchy bar, and morphed into a mafia disco in the 1980's before closing down during the Great Hull Nightlife Sweep of the early 1990's. Still, it was a beautiful building. Recently, it was purchased by a guy who wanted to renovate it and ended up "accidentally" knocking down the building's most attractive feature: a rounded corner turret. This is how it looked this morning:









That's it for now. Today I'd like to take you on a tour of the grittier, lesser-known places in our nation's capital, a city often known as fat-cat and artificially shiny. This is Old Downtown Hull, on the Quebec side in the amalgamated City of Gatineau. It's actually the cradle of our settlement. Hull came before Ottawa thanks to the lumber trade and in the first few pictures, as we cross from Ottawa into Hull, I start with some remnants of our industrial past.First, a few shots of the Ottawa skyline and the first new building to be built in the Lebreton area, a former industrial hub that was bulldozed by the federal government in the 1960's in the name of "federal dignity" - couldn't have factories and smokestacks so close to Parliament, even if they gave lots of people jobs.The new Lebreton building, a condo (now fully inhabited):Several water channels make up the passage between Ottawa and Hull here. These were timber slides in the early 19th century:With Hintonburg's skyline in the background:Sidewalk acros the Chaudière bridge:What's left of Ottawa-Hull's Domtar operations:Lebreton is also home to the new Canadian War Museum, which is one of the projects intended to kickstart the regeneration of this area:The Chaudière bridge links a few islands on the Ottawa River which were all used for industry. Victoria Island is the largest one and it has quite a collection of manufacturing ruins (and some still in use). Some of the taller structures have been reused for several purposes, like this one used by rock climbers:More industrial ruins (which in fact would be awesome buildings to salvage and re-use):The reason why this was the birthplace of our city: the mighty Chaudière Falls. To this day, it generates electricity for a good part of the city. Hydro Québec has a plant right by it:We are now in Québec, entering old Downtown Hull.These brutalist concrete office buildings date back to Trudeau's era. The idea was to share the national capital status and jobs between Ontario and Quebec. In so doing, these complexes resulted in the razing of much of the residential population, and many will say, the soul of downtown Hull.But there are a few things left. The Main Street, formerly "Rue Principale" and now called "Promenade du Portage", was the main nightlife hub for the whole Ottawa-Hull area until the early 1990's. Most of these buildings used to be bars. The businesses and restaurants we find today mostly cater to the daytime office workers.Yumm, Club Poutine:This used to be the infamous Lido strip joint. It's now the National University of Mexico's campus in Canada:Another infamous institution, the Bank Hotel, now cleaned up:This type of place still draws Ontarians over the the Quebec side:Possible rejuvenation?Another famous Hull staple: great, greasy French Fries!Onto Eddy Street, what I consider to be a little gem. Reminds me of Masson Street in Montreal, albeit at a smaller scale. A true neighbourhood main strip, unpretentious and with a surprising variety of stores. Few people out because it's too early on Sunday!Out of nowhere, on a side street, this tiny barber shop:More fries!This remains a modest, working-class neighbourhood.The essentials: Coke, Bread, Milk and Beer.Among the many who call downtown Hull their home, there is a large Portuguese community. The City erected a monument in their honour:And sure enough, you see these all over the place:It's striking, too, how many there are of the Montreal-inspired "plexes" with outdoor stairs. They aren't as pretty, rarely brick or stone like they would be in Montreal, but the architectural roots are clear and they are widespread all across old downtown Hull:Some street corners look like time has stood still, circa 1942:... except for a satellite dishOld Downtown Hull is in fact an island, surrounded by the Brewery Creek (le Ruisseau de la Brasserie). In recent years, it's been spiffed up as Hull's little Rideau Canal, complete with a waterside walk:And here's a brewery by the water to enjoy a cold one:That house in the middle of the water is a little playhouse called Le Théâtre de l'Île (The Island Theatre), which has been around for about 25 years:On the west side of the Brewery Creek is a secretive little enclave of beautiful old Victorian-era homes:Back to the little streets: it's always a good time for a drink!You do what you gotta do:What's left of the nightlife: now off the main drag and onto some of the back streets which, in fact, are a lot more charming:Parts have been pedestrianized:The latest tragedy: the destruction of the Chez Henri's turret. Chez Henri was once a raunchy bar, and morphed into a mafia disco in the 1980's before closing down during the Great Hull Nightlife Sweep of the early 1990's. Still, it was a beautiful building. Recently, it was purchased by a guy who wanted to renovate it and ended up "accidentally" knocking down the building's most attractive feature: a rounded corner turret. This is how it looked this morning:That's it for now.