By Nancy Miller Chenier
Lowertown is blessed with the oldest parks in the city, and some bear the names of municipal politicians who grew up in the community. The men so honoured had played a significant role in serving their wards and giving back to their neighbourhoods.
Each one had a long history of engaging in and promoting physical activity. Samuel Bingham was an early cyclist, often leading groups of wheelmen through the city. Napoleon Bordeleau was credited with opening the first croquet club in Ottawa. Jules Morin, aged nineteen years, walked on snowshoes over 400 miles from Ottawa, Ontario to Lewiston, Maine. Raphael Brunet was a skilled defenceman with a local hockey league. Collectively, they shared a goal of ensuring that youth in the community had access to recreational activities.
Bingham Park 145 Cathcart Street
Bingham Park, originally known as the Ottawa Ward Playground, was named after Samuel Bingham (1845-1905), early resident of Lowertown, one of Ottawa’s early lumber barons, alderman for Ottawa Ward, and mayor of Ottawa between 1897 and 1899. Bingham reportedly paid to develop the property and to cover the caretaking costs. He then installed a sign at the entrance of the park that said “Free to every living man and boy who behaves himself”.
Samuel Bingham was himself an avid sportsman who loved skating, snowshoeing, bicycling, canoeing and other outdoor pastimes. From his family house on the now disappeared Metcalfe Square, he would have enjoyed seeing the range of activities carried out in the park. And now more than a century later, it continues to be a focal point for outdoor recreation and for community activity.
Bordeleau Park 349 Bruyère Street
Bordeleau Park was named for long-time Ottawa Ward alderman, Napoleon Alexandre Bordeleau (1867-1950). A few months after his death, City Council decided to honour him, but it took several years before the park was acquired from the Federal District Commission (precursor of the National Capital Commission) and recognized as a community space.
Bordeleau was born into an established Lowertown family in 1867 and eventually settled with his family at 104 King Edward Avenue. In addition to activities in local sports, school council and municipal politics, he owned an upholstery shop and reportedly did a special upholstered seat for the car used during a royal visit. He was also the first French Canadian to sit as a trustee on the Civic Hospital Board.
Jules Morin Park 400 Clarence Street East
Jules Morin Park occupies the former Anglesea Square, a public space identified in 1840s Bytown maps. Following urban renewal, the square was renamed to recognize the man who had promoted its use as a major sports centre. By the mid-1960s, Anglesea Square had a fieldhouse and sports facilities that included baseball diamonds and a lacrosse box that could be used for hockey in the winter.
Jules Morin (1914-1988) was still serving as a city alderman for By Ward in 1955 when he was elected as a member of the provincial legislature. He continued this double role until 1971, looking out over Lowertown from his new home at 101 Wurtemburg. Over the years, he was an active member of multiple social, sports and philanthropic organizations, and in 1973 he came full circle on snowshoeing by serving as chairman of the National Convention of Snowshoers held in Ottawa.
Raphael Brunet Park 307-309 St. Patrick Street
Raphael Brunet Park is small, but apparently Ralph Brunet (1910-1973) had a large presence as an alderman for By Ward from 1962 to 1972. During his tenure, he lived at 110½ Clarence Street with his family and worked at the federal department of Public Works. During his time in politics, he worked to ensure the integrity of the ByWard Market, to promote the use of French in city affairs and to secure recreational facilities for young people.
The park was established in 1979 on land left vacant after the demolition of homes and businesses. The projected cost was $32,000 for play structures, walkways, trees and fences. Shortly after it was opened, neighboring parents and Routhier School officials raised concerns about the safety of children posed by users of the nearby soup kitchen. Over the following years, the issue of park safety continued and today, the park has lost its fence and play structure and has been diminished by the extension of a parking lot.