Photo courtesy of Qardash on Flickr.
Courtesy of Spotmaticfanatic on Flickr.
Courtesy of amydawnrose on Flickr.
Courtesy of fieldtripp on Flickr.
Courtesy of matthew palmer on Flickr.
Ottawa was never really recognized as a forward looking city - architecturally speaking at least. While the photographers we showcase this week all managed to find beauty in their subjects, I’m of the opinion we have much too many blah 1960s style office buildings, and more than ordinary 1990s style glass buildings. Some of our more “out there” constructions are not always well showcased (with the exceptions of the National Art Gallery, Museum of Civilizations, and the War Museum) and there are still a number of our heritage (or what could be heritage) buildings that are not being taken care of properly. The Barrymore’s building on Bank St. is one such example. Apt613’s is hoping to do a bit more in-depth work on architecture and the city in the upcoming weeks. Stay tuned.
Seriously? Ottawa has never been recognized?! Who’s been doing the looking? For a Town we’re pretty rock solid…Probably one of the best in the world if you cut out everything outside the greenbelt and go by square kms to exceptional building ratio…I complain a lot about Ottawa…the Architecture is NOT one of the things I complain about; perhaps I’m biased…
Yeah, I have to agree with Phil, I think there`s some fantastic architecture dotted around Ottawa. If you only look at the CBD, then yeah, you might find it dull (though even there, there are exceptions—I think the National Defence Building is a rather striking example of modernism, for instance). And, of course, there`s tons of great residential examples, including mansions in Sandy Hill and rowhouses in the Market, some great churches, commercial buildings, and older office buildings as well. If you think Ottawa is bland, architecturally, then I`m afraid you`re not looking hard enough.
My biased eyes have done the looking Phil and I’m not really blown away. I’d be happy if you showed us some hidden jems! If I could nuance what I said a bit, I do agree that there is lovely residential architecture in different neighborhoods, particularly the older ones. But public architecture could be more appealing.
You’re trying to put me to work aren’t you Franky
Museum’s are public…right….?!
Civilization, War, National Gallery, Archives, Nature, Aviation, Diefenbunker…what else do you need….
I’d agree that Ottawa has a bit of a “sterile” reputation, at least architecturally speaking, but as a government city one shouldn’t really have such high expectations (think of Washington, DC for example). Even so, one man’s modernist gem is another man’s eyesore; I personally appreciate Place de Ville (photos above), but many wouldn’t take a second look.
Some great additions of recent years include SOM’s American embassy, 90 George in the market, and Fumihiko Maki’s Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat next to the Saudi embassy. The first two admittedly have their controversies, but the third is an undeniable world-class building by one of today’s most revered architects.
I see a little bit of both. I think there are a lot of building that need some serious TLC, some that have not been allowed to reach their full potential and some that are just plain wrong, often because of bad renos or lack of maintenance. But there are also quite a few great looking buildings from various era and, although I prefer modern architecture, architectural diversity in the city is a great thing.