By Nancy Miller Chenier
Lowertown residents are blessed with multiple diverse green spaces. We have old public spaces like Anglesea Square and new ones like the Union Street Roundabout Basketball Court. We have large ones like Major’s Hill Park and small ones like Raphael Brunet Park. We have some shared ones like Rideau Falls Park and some with recognized heritage value like Macdonald Gardens Park. We have some for exercising dogs like Cathcart Square and some for exercising people like Rose Street Park.
We have also lost some spaces – Metcalfe Square at the junction of Sussex and Dalhousie, the boulevard of King Edward avenue famous for its treed pathway and fountains, the playground on the York Street grass median near King Edward and the Patro d”Ottawa recreation grounds on St Andrew.
Have we gained another with the new York Street Plaza near Sussex?
So what are some of the stories? Here is a little history and some current information about a few of our major parks. See also the articles by Michel Rossignol, Danielle Gagné and the tribute to Macdonald Gardens Park by the LCA Heritage Committee.
Anglesea Square /Jules Morin Park
Ottawa’s oldest public square and first land in Bytown to be set aside for public use
Named after the Marquis of Anglesea who was the British Master-General of Ordinance when the Rideau Canal was built in the 1820s
Location for three schools –Ste Anne Roman Catholic for girls, Brebeuf Roman Catholic for boys and York Street Public
Angel Square by Brian Doyle features the park as the place where Tommy, the main character, participates in the daily fights among French Canadian, Irish Catholic and Jewish kids on their way to and from schools.
Place where King Clancy learned hockey, Lally Lalonde played lacrosse, Jules Morin snowshoed and Jack Barber taught speedskating and where the community currently holds Winterfest.
Revitalization in 2013 included weathervanes, playground, pool, and NHL size permanent outdoor rink partially funded by Senators Foundation (See Gagné p.8)
Bingham Park
- First playground in the city when opened in 1898 as Ottawa Ward Playground
- Named after Samuel Bingham, early resident of Lowertown and Ottawa mayor
- First location for Betty Hyde Nursery School, Ottawa’s oldest cooperative nursery school
- Early activities: summer bicycle rodeos, softball games, marble competitions; winter speed skating, hockey and recreational skating
- Current activities: pool, playground, ball diamond in summer; winter skating rink
- Last baseball diamond and first art fence in Lowertown
Bordeleau Park
- On land reclaimed from the Rideau River
- Named for Napoleon Alexandre Bordeleau, active in business, sports, school board and alderman for more than 30 years in Ottawa Ward
- Playground equipment from King Edward Playground near Minto Bridges relocated near wall of Convent of Our Lady of the Good Shepherd in 1950s
- Formerly site of hockey rink and baseball diamond near corner of Rose
- Redesign to include wooden gazebo and water feature in the 1980s
- New swings, play structures and splash pad installed in 2009
Cathcart Square
- Named for nearby street that was named for General Charles Murray Cathcart, Governor of Province of Canada
- Site of market for fish and meat installed in 1877 at same time as one on Anglesea Square
- Proposal by Parks and Recreation Department to sell the park in 1964 while the city council centennial committee proposed using the site to build a replica of the first hospital of the Grey Nuns of the Cross
- Cumberland Street closed between Cathcart and Bolton in 1976
- Fence to separate off-leash dogs from playground area installed in 2017
King Edward Park
- Named after King Edward VII
- Land and existing buildings purchased in 1912 by Ottawa Improvement Commission for development of park with paths, flowers, and shrubs
- See article by Michel Rossignol
Macdonald Gardens Park
- First park in Ottawa to be designated under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act (See diagram on p. 6 for attributes)
- Named after Sir John A Macdonald, first Prime Minister of Canada, by Sir Robert Borden, 8th Prime Minister who lived in adjacent house on Wurtemburg Street
- Also called Heney Park (in Brian Doyle books) and Borden Park (see article p. 6 by Michel Rossignol)
- Park on the site of four cemeteries designed and completed by Frederick G Todd, first resident landscape architect in Canada
Major’s Hill Park
- Established as the capital’s first formal park in 1875
- Named after Major Daniel Bolton who replaced Colonel By after his return to England in 1832
- Contains remains of house where Colonel By lived with his wife Esther and two daughters during the building of the canal
- Stone heritage building, former header house that was part of a greenhouse complex, now occupied by Tavern on the Hill
- Former site of noon gun
Nepean Point
- Named for Sir Evan Nepean, British Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department
- Site of huge bonfire to celebrate 1860s visit by Prince of Wales
- Ottawa Improvement Commission in 1912 reported the construction of a lookout, a summer house and a footbridge to connect with Major’s Hill Park
- Location for statue of Champlain holding astrolabe and soon to be replaced Astrolabe Theater