Your walking tour begins at the corner of Elgin and Sparks Street.  Across the street from the War Memorial.  Enjoy the tour.


The first group of buildings on the tour is the Chambers Block, beautifully restored several years ago as part of a plan to relocate the National Capital Commission headquarters.

In the middle of the group of buildings you will notice one smaller building. This is the Bell Block, constructed in 1867 - the year of Canada’s Confederation.  It is the oldest surviving building facing onto Confederation Square.  William Hodgson for Bell & Woodburn designed this building.  Hodgson who immigrated to Canada in 1859 also a variety of other prominent buildings in Ottawa; The Windsor Hotel; residences for Sir John A. MacDonald and J. R. Boot and schools for the Ottawa Board of Education.

On the corner of Queen Street is the Central Chambers - built in 1890 to house offices of Canadian Atlantic Railway and the Ottawa and Gatineau Valley Railway.  Today it is the home to the National Capital Commission. Built by the dry goods firm of Edward Seybold and James Gibson, the Central Chambers building was one of the largest undertakings of its time and one of Ottawa's most prestigious addresses.  It replaced an earlier two-storey structure and was part of the second wave of commercial buildings to appear around Sparks Street in the 1880's.  John James Browne, the son of a famous Montreal architect, designed it.

42-50 Sparks Street, Scottish Ontario Chambers – 1883, William Hodgson, Architect. Built by the Scottish Ontario and Manitoba Land Company it reflects the increasing dominance of Sparks Street as a major thoroughfare in downtown Ottawa.  It was one of the last large scale brick and stone commercial structures built for rental purposes during the 19th century.  It accommodated professionals in the legal and real estate fields. In 1886, it was sold to the Ottawa Deposit and Trust Company, which later became Permanent Trust. The building was sold in 1965 to the National Capital Commission. Its restoration in 1995 by Brisbin, Brooks, Beynon in 1996 won a City of Ottawa Heritage award.

47 Sparks Street Central Post Office - 1937. W.E. Nofke, Architect. Designed in the Chateau Style as part of Confederation Square, the Central Post Office remains the oldest federal building devoted to local use in Ottawa. 

It was constructed according to the Jacques Greber’s original master plan of the area that called for a grand boulevard in the Beaux Arts fashion.  An earlier Post office was situated where Confederation Square sits today.  The roof is copper, the base is black granite, and it is sheathed with limestone.  Notice the carved lions that decorate all three entranceways. 

56 Sparks Street Ottawa Electric Building - 1926, Albert Ewan - Architect.
Built by Thomas Ahearn and Warren Soper, founders of the Ottawa Electric Company.  They developed waterpower and sold electricity, electrical appliances and owned the Ottawa Electric Railway lines, a system of streetcars in the city.  The building reflects a 1910 bylaw, which permitted high-rises in the core of the city.  Architect J. Albert Ewart was among the first graduates from the architect program at the University of Toronto.

Ottawa Electric Railway Lines was taken over in 1948 by the City of Ottawa and renamed OTC (Ottawa Transportation Commission). Today it is known as OC Transpo, the Ottawa regions bus system.

62 Sparks Street Imperial Bank of Commerce - 1937, architect unknown.  This temple style bank building features Art Deco ornamentation and is the only building in Ottawa faced in ochre-coloured sandstone.  The base is polished black granite.   The building is in the Barott design, and the architect is unknown.

61 Sparks Street Hope Chambers/Bible House - 1910, W.E. Noffke, Architect. Built by James Hope, a prominent pre-confederation bookseller.  The Edwardian Commercial Style of this building reflects the increasing sophistication of Sparks Street as Ottawa's core business district. 

It is the City's oldest "high-rise" building.  Notice on the top storey the English glazed terra cotta panels. Doulton Potteries of Leeds, England produced the panels and the statue, which represents “hope”.

65-69 Sparks Street Robinson Block - 1871, William Hodgson, Architect.  This is the oldest building on Sparks Street. The timber trade of the Ottawa Valley made a number of individuals "lumber barons" in the early days of Confederation – The builder Hiram Robinson, was one of these prominent lumber barons. 

75 Sparks Street Saxe Building - 1909, Keefer & Weekes, Architects. Built as the local headquarters for the Canada life Insurance Company, the Saxe Building was part of a pre-First World War construction boom on Sparks Street.  Architect A.L. Weekes was born in St. John, New Brunswick.  The building's narrow facade resulted from the subdivision of Sparks Street in the late 1860's for much lower commercial premises. The construction of this building indicated the arrival of "modern" building techniques and materials used for construction.

83 Sparks Street. Blackburn Building - 1908, W.E. Noffke, Architect.  Local entrepreneur Robert Blackburn built this distinctive building in the early 20th century.  It was constructed in two stages starting in 1908 and finishing in 1915.  Robert Blackburn was also a Member of Parliament who played a major role in the development of the City of Ottawa south of Laurier and north of the Glebe.  He was also a founding Director of the Ottawa Agricultural Insurance Company.  You will note that the top three floors are an addition to the original 7 storeys building that at one time was a hotel.

14 Metcalfe St. Molson's Bank 1881 - William Hodgson, Architect.  The Italianate and Romanesque Revival architectural style is combined in this building resulting in a lively design. The building was the former Molson's Bank Chambers and was developed as a speculative investment by McLeod Stewart, a prominent lawyer and a former Mayor of Ottawa.  He and architect William Hodgson shared a business partnership during the late 19th century real estate boom.  The building was initially part of Banker's Row, which developed on the south side of Wellington Street between Metcalfe & Bank after 1870, following the completion of the Parliament Building.  Among the first occupants were; the Union Bank of Lower Canada (1882) and Molson's Bank (1892) and the Department of Labour (1903 - 1912).  It was also a retail store for Kirkman Marshall for a number of years.  The Canadian government expropriated it in 1973.

93 Sparks Street The Montreal Telegraph Building - 1870 King Arnoldi Architect.  This is the oldest building on Sparks Street. The first tenant was the Merchants' Bank of Canada - founded by Montrealer Hugh Allen who at the time was one of Canada's wealthiest entrepreneurs. Allen sat on the boards of six major railways and was President of CPR. The MTC was founded in 1852 and operated Canada's most important telegraphic system. The building was sold by the MTC in 1954 to the Canadian National Railway. It also housed the Grand Trunk Railway Telegraph Office and is now home to one of Sparks Streets most popular stores - Canada Four Corners.  Architect King Arnoldi was born in Montreal and came to Ottawa in the 1860's to work as draftsman. He was a student of Thomas Fuller who was working on the Parliament Building project.

Notice the faces sculpted on the facade- these are said to be the first Board of Trustees of the Merchant Bank of Canada.

107 Sparks Street Birks Building - 1910, Keefer & Weekes, Architects.  Local jewelry merchants the Rosenthal family who operated a business from the 1890's built this building. Henry Birks & Sons purchased it in 1945 establishing it as the first Birks store outside of Montreal.

The interior retail area has not changed much and is still the same as it was as a Birks store. The interior details reflect a Beaux-Arts flavour as illustrated by the balcony and balustrade.

GO TO PLAQUE OF NICHOLAS SPARKS TO MEET NICHOLAS HIMSELF!

110 Sparks Street, Centre Theatre - 1873, Architect Unknown. Ottawa was experiencing an unprecedented building boom in the 1870's when Weldon Champness, owner of the British Lion Hotel, constructed this building as part of a larger commercial block. The Centre Theatre was built in the late 30's by Don Stapleton from Ottawa, before the days of suburban shopping centers when downtown Ottawa was the only place of activity for business and cultural life for the region. Remember the Capitol Theatre; or the Regent Theatre - which were on Bank Street? Or Sammy Koffman's Belle Claire Hotel and The Plaza? These were the days of the Cary Grant, Doris Day styles when martinis and art deco were the rave!

111 Sparks Street - The Bate Building - 1859, Stent & Laver, Architects. This is the oldest standing structure on Sparks Street and the earliest example of an Ottawa high-rise office building. It was originally built for the Bate family for their wholesale grocery business, the largest such business in Ottawa. The Bate business was referred to a 'grocer king' and illustrated how a single enterprise properly managed could form the basis of a considerable fortune and business empire. Charles Bate was appointed and served as Mayor of Ottawa in the year 1884. His brother Henry was the first Chairman of the Ottawa Improvement Commission founded in 1898. Henry Newell was knighted for his civic and philanthropic activities in 1910. Architects Stent & Laver were British trained and came to Ottawa in the 1850's and also designed the East and West Blocks to the Parliament Buildings. The Bate Building is a mixture of Classical and Palladian motifs. The upper storey added in 1904 is more Romanesque Revival style.

115 Sparks Street. E.R. Fisher Building – 1868. Architect Unknown. This building is illustrative of the prosperous period following the arrival of government when Sparks Street was transformed into a fashionable upper town. Facade changes and interior renovations occurred after a fire in 1908 and the storefront was later modified in 1948.  Businesses that were located here include, Gowan's Music Store, the Confederation Life Assurance Company and A. Rosenthal & Sons.

118 Sparks Street Murphy-Gamble Department Store - 1909, C.P. Meredith Architect. Popular Murphy-Gamble was part of a trend along Sparks Street during the early 20th century.  Morgan's, another store was situated where the Royal Bank Plaza complex is now located.  There was also the C. Ross Department Store; and Bryson-Graham's, which we will be visiting shortly.  The Murphy-Gamble Store reflected the continuing dominance of Sparks Street as the commercial centre of Ottawa.  It was eventually sold to the Simpson's chain of stores before being sold to the Bank of Nova Scotia - Architect C.P. Meredith was born in Ottawa and trained at the School of Practical Science in Toronto.  His father was Deputy Minister of the Department of the Interior in the Government of Canada.

119 Sparks Street. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce - 1922, Darling & Pearson, Architects. The location of this site also marked the gradual shift of banks from "Bankers Row" on Wellington Street to Sparks Street. There are four Corinthian columns made of smooth limestone from Indiana, U.S.A. The name of the bank is inscribed on the parapet. The classical facade represents the earliest phase of "Modern Classicism” in Canada. The next time you are inside the Bank look up - high on the wall are large coins that surround the interior.  The architects were from Toronto and the construction company was the Ottawa family of George C. Graves.

125 Sparks Street Bank of Nova Scotia - 1924 John M. Lyle, Architect. Similar to the other bank building the facade is Beaux-Arts, borrowing as much from Roman and Renaissance as from Greek influences.  The detailing is very interesting. There are antique vases with palmettos; horns of plenty and wag festoons, with references to Canadian economic activities - agriculture, fishing, finance and lumber.  It is made of pale limestone.  The architect was John Lyle who was born in Belfast, Ireland, represented a 'new' generation of Canadian architects.  His work has been the subject of considerable study and is considered of national historic and architectural significance.  He was also responsible for other main branches of the Bank of Nova Scotia across Canada.  The design for the Ottawa branch was Lyle's Diploma piece for entry into the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts.  A watercolour rendering of the design is in the National Gallery of Canada prints and drawings collection.  The Bank of Nova Scotia was chartered in 1832 but it remained largely a regional institution until the late 19th century.  In 1919 it purchased the Bank of Ottawa to become a major influence in the financial life of the capital.

126 Sparks Street, Home Bank of Canada - 1919. This more modest style of bank was one of many banks, which opened during the 1920's.  It is also of a beaus-Arts style. This style was first utilized on a grand scale at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893.

130 Sparks Street The Hardy Arcade - 1928, Davidson & Smith Architect. This is a rare example of a Canadian shopping arcade. The Hon. Arthur C. Hardy built the Art Deco design.  Hardy was considered a key figure in Ontario Liberalism serving as President of the Ontario Liberal Party from 1919 to 1932, and on the Senate from 1922 to 1962.  The famous portrait photographer, Yusef Karsh, rented space on the upper floor for a studio until the 1960's when he moved to the Chateau Laurier.  The Embassy of Haiti also occupied a portion of the upper floor during the 1950's.  Doran Construction Co. one of Ottawa’s major construction firms constructed the building.

134 Sparks St. Bowles Lunch - 1913, Architect Unknown This building was home to Bowles Lunch, a popular 24 hour eatery frequented by parliamentarians, journalists and sports figures.  The architecture is called Spanish Colonial Revival, which was inspired by the Spanish colonizers of the southwest U.S.A. that was popular from the 1910's to the 1940's.  It is not often you see this style used for commercial buildings, as it is more common for residential use.

146 - 154 Sparks Street Bryson-Graham Department Store - 1874, Architect Unknown. This complex consists of several buildings. The large corner section was built and occupied by Charles Bryson. From 1887 he and his partner Fred Graham operated one of the largest dry goods stores in the area.  They expanded into the two other buildings on the east side, owned by Ottawa pharmacist Francis R. Davidson. The architecture style is Italianate with a Second Empire style roof. The Italianate style became very popular in the 1860's and 1880's. Notice the third floor. Now there's and attic with lots of space! It is what you call a Second Empire roofline - very practical for a full storey of attic space.

156 Sparks Street, Poulin Dry Goods Store - 1871, H. H. Hosey, Architect. L N. Poulin established a prominent dry goods store here shortly after 1870 as Sparks Street was becoming a growing concentration of stores. Several additions were built to the south of the store during this century. The old section is Italianate. A 14-storey office tower was integrated into the structure in 1984. It is now occupied by Zellers, a major department store for the Sparks Street Mall.

144 Wellington St. Bank of Montreal- 1929, Ernest Barott, Architect.This is an excellent example of architecture that reflects the Modernized Classicism of the 1930’s.  The Bank of Montreal, one of Canada’s oldest chartered banks began operations here in 1842 and remains here today.  Architect Ernest Barott of Montreal who was trained at the University of Syracuse designed the building. Other buildings to his credit are the CPR Railway Station in Vancouver and the Canada Cement Building in Montreal. A sculptor from New York City in the U.S.A. Emil Seilburn created the allegorical bas-reliefs.

The building is of steel frame construction; has marble floors with terrazo inserts and mosaic inlay; marble staircase; black and gold dado; bronze fittings and stained glass. A visit during banking hours to view the interior is a must!

165 Sparks St. Booth Building - 1910, J.A. Ewart, Architect.  John Rudolphus Booth was the dean of the Canadian timber merchants. By the 1890's his Chaudiere Mills were reportedly producing more timber than any other operation in the world. His Canada Atlantic Railroad, the worlds longest privately owned company, was sold to the Grand Trunk in 1905 for $14 million. His son, Jackson Booth was also prominent - he was the Chairman of the Ottawa Improvement Commission which became the Federal District Commission - now called the National Capital Commission. The Booth Building represents the change in Ottawa from a 19th century lumber town to a 20th century commercial centre. This building was built with lumber for the demand for new professional and service industry space. Architect J. A. Ewart was the eldest son of David Ewart, Chief Architect in the department of public works from 1896 to 1914. This building also serves as the Sparks Street entrance to the National Press Club established in 1917 for journalists from across Canada.

179 Sparks Street, Slater Building - 1894, Architect Unknown. Robert and Esther Slater built the Slater Building in 1894. They were also connected to the family of Nicholas Sparks. It is a Romanesque Revival style of architecture mixed with commercial Italianate. The building is now home to Ottawa Leather Goods and The Green Dragon.

181 Sparks Street, Brouse Building - 1893, George F. Stalker, Architect. Also referred to over the years as the Carson Building or the Orme Building, this late 19th century building by architect George Stalker of Ottawa was built for Ottawa grocer Henry Brouse. Orme's is well known still in Ottawa as a major locally based furniture store.

185 Sparks Street, Stephen Building - 1896, D. Everett Waid, J. A. Ewart, Architects. The original tenant of this building was Ottawa shoe merchant A. J. Stephens in the late 1800's. Since then it was the home to Martin/Orme Piano Factory, Orme's Furniture and from the 1940's to the 70's Dover Hardware. The storefront has been restored to the original design that was first built in 1896.

195 Sparks Street Metropolitan Life Building -1925, D.Everett Waid j J.A.Ewart, Architects. The Metropolitan Life Building is a sophisticated Beaux-Arts building and you will notice that it is a large complex consisting of two buildings - with its major entrance on Wellington St. The original building incorporated four storys in a bank-like Beaux Arts design. Two story's were added in 1957; and the six story addition to the east, in 1958-59 .It was built to house the Canadian headquarters of the Metropolitan Life Assurance Company - a major American firm among the largest in the world. The company first opened an office in Canada five years after Confederation and its steady expansion led the company to establish the country as a separate territory in 1917. The construction of its new buildings in the shadow of Parliament Hill highlighted the success of the business in Canada; and its construction illustrated the emergence of Ottawa as a centre for non- government enterprise outside of the lumber and timber trade. 'Met Life' moved out of this location to its own office towers on Bank Street just a few years ago. The federal government now occupies the building. The architect D. Everett Waid was from New York City, U.S.A who worked in conjunction with Ottawa architect J. A. Ewart. Waid began a 37-year association with Met Life in 1902; was President of the American Association of Architects; and was one of the most distinguished architects in the U.S.A. Their names are inscribed in the comer stone at the Bank & Sparks.

194 Sparks Street, H. J. Daly Building, 1902, Architect Unknown. This turn of the century complex actually consists of two buildings. The first lower portion is designed in Georgian Revival style and the larger part in Edwardian Commercial. There is also an entrance from Queen Street. The Metropolitan Stores department store was also located here for years. Marks & Spenser the immensely popular British store was also located here. The building reflects the commercial development on Sparks Street west to Bank in the early 1900's.

214 Sparks Street, Sun Life Building, 1899, Edgar Horwood, Architect. This was redesigned from a red brick and sandstone building constructed in 1899 to the current design in 1949 when it was taken over by the Toronto-Dominion Bank. It has a polished granite base and smooth limestone. You will notice that the armories of the Bank are inscribed over the entrance. The corner of the building was topped by the figure of Mercury, which has now been relocated to the top of the former Laroque Department Store building on Rideau Street.