Confederation Square (french: Place de la Confédération) is an
urban square
A town square (or square, plaza, public square, city square, urban square, or ''piazza'') is an open public space, commonly found in the heart of a traditional town but not necessarily a true geometric square, used for community gatherings. ...
in
Ottawa
Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...
,
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
, Canada, and is considered the second most important ceremonial centre in Canada's capital city, after
Parliament Hill
Parliament Hill (french: Colline du Parlement, colloquially known as The Hill, is an area of Crown land on the southern banks of the Ottawa River in downtown Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Its Gothic revival suite of buildings, and their architectu ...
.
Roughly triangular in area, with Canada's
National War Memorial at its centre and the
Valiants Memorial
The Valiants Memorial (french: Monument aux Valeureux) is a military monument located in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It commemorates fourteen key figures from the military history of Canada. Dedicated by Governor General Michaëlle Jean on 5 November ...
at its periphery, the square is bounded by
Wellington Street to the north and branches of
Elgin Street to the east and west.
The square was designated a
National Historic Site of Canada
National Historic Sites of Canada (french: Lieux historiques nationaux du Canada) are places that have been designated by the federal Minister of the Environment
An environment minister (sometimes minister of the environment or secretary of t ...
in 1984. Confederation Square's importance is due not only to its central location in Ottawa and its status as a rare Canadian example of a
City Beautiful
The City Beautiful Movement was a reform philosophy of North American architecture and urban planning that flourished during the 1890s and 1900s with the intent of introducing beautification and monumental grandeur in cities. It was a part of the ...
-inspired square, but also arises from the landmark buildings that frame the square: the
Château Laurier
The Fairmont Château Laurier is a hotel with 429 guest rooms in the downtown core of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, located near the intersection of Rideau Street and Sussex Drive and designed in a French Gothic Revival Châteauesque style to comple ...
, the
Senate of Canada Building
The Senate of Canada Building (french: édifice du Sénat du Canada) is located at 2 Rideau Street in downtown Ottawa, Ontario, Canada and serves as the temporary seat of the Senate of Canada. The building served as Ottawa's central railway stati ...
, the
National Arts Centre
The National Arts Centre (NAC) (french: Centre national des Arts) is a Arts centre, performing arts organisation in Ottawa, Ontario, along the Rideau Canal. It is based in the eponymous National Arts Centre (building), National Arts Centre build ...
, the
Central Chambers, the
Scottish Ontario Chambers
The Scottish Ontario Chambers is a building in Ottawa at the corner of Sparks Street
Sparks Street (''French:'' Rue Sparks) is a pedestrian mall in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It was a main street in Ottawa that was converted into an outdoor ...
, the
Central Post Office, the
PMO
PMO may refer to:
Government and military
* Grade A Pasteurized Milk Ordinance, a United States Food and Drug Administration standard
* Polish Military Organisation, an intelligence and sabotage group during World War I
* Prime Minister's Office ...
and the
East Block
The East Block (officially the Eastern Departmental Building; french: Édifice administratif de l'est) is one of the three buildings on Canada's Parliament Hill, in Ottawa, Ontario, containing offices for parliamentarians, as well as some preser ...
.
Part of the square crosses over the
Rideau Canal
The Rideau Canal, also known unofficially as the Rideau Waterway, connects Canada's capital city of Ottawa, Ontario, to Lake Ontario and the Saint Lawrence River at Kingston. It is 202 kilometres long. The name ''Rideau'', French for "curtain", ...
, itself a National Historic Site of Canada and a
World Heritage Site
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
.
History
![Ottawa Old Post Office Confederation Square](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3a/Ottawa_Old_Post_Office_Confederation_Square.jpg)
A triangular plaza once located approximately at the site of today's Confederation Square was (originally) named after
Governor General Connaught. Before 1910, today's
Plaza Bridge
The Plaza Bridge in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, is an automotive and pedestrian bridge that crosses the Rideau Canal just south of the Ottawa locks. It joins Wellington Street and Elgin Street in the Downtown core to the west with Rideau Street ...
over the
Rideau Canal
The Rideau Canal, also known unofficially as the Rideau Waterway, connects Canada's capital city of Ottawa, Ontario, to Lake Ontario and the Saint Lawrence River at Kingston. It is 202 kilometres long. The name ''Rideau'', French for "curtain", ...
had been two separate bridges which were replaced at the time by a single bridge under which rail traffic would pass from the new
Union Station
A union station (also known as a union terminal, a joint station in Europe, and a joint-use station in Japan) is a railway station at which the tracks and facilities are shared by two or more separate railway companies, allowing passengers to ...
past the (also new)
Chateau Laurier. This work was finished by December 1912 and the location was named "Connaught Place" on March 24, 1913.
Two prime ministers had promoted the beautification of the capital city,
Wilfrid Laurier
Sir Henri Charles Wilfrid Laurier, ( ; ; November 20, 1841 – February 17, 1919) was a Canadian lawyer, statesman, and politician who served as the seventh prime minister of Canada from 1896 to 1911. The first French Canadian prime minis ...
from 1896 to 1911 and
William Lyon Mackenzie King
William Lyon Mackenzie King (December 17, 1874 – July 22, 1950) was a Canadian statesman and politician who served as the tenth prime minister of Canada for three non-consecutive terms from 1921 to 1926, 1926 to 1930, and 1935 to 1948. A Li ...
whose first term began in 1921. By 1927, a commission for improvements named the Federal District Commission was formed out of an earlier effort called the Ottawa Improvement Commission. King invited French architect
Jacques Gréber
Jacques-Henri-Auguste Gréber (10 September 1882 – 5 June 1962) was a French architect specializing in landscape architecture and urban design. He was a strong proponent of the Beaux-Arts style and a contributor to the City Beautiful movement, ...
to help with the design for a square which would include a war memorial.
![Improvements to Confederation and widening of bridge Connaught Place Ottawa](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/ff/Improvements_to_Confederation_and_widening_of_bridge_Connaught_Place_Ottawa.jpg)
The area at this time also had five notable structures, most which have been standing for decades. The old post office was located where the current war memorial stands, the
Russell House hotel was on the southeast side of Sparks and Elgin, the Russell Theatre (adjoining the hotel) was on the corner of Queen and Elgin, the
old City Hall was on the east side of Elgin between Queen and Albert, and
Knox Presbyterian Church at Elgin and Albert, on the site of today's
National Arts Centre
The National Arts Centre (NAC) (french: Centre national des Arts) is a Arts centre, performing arts organisation in Ottawa, Ontario, along the Rideau Canal. It is based in the eponymous National Arts Centre (building), National Arts Centre build ...
.
King had plans involving widening Elgin Street even by 1927, with hopes of bringing emphasis to the
Parliament Hill
Parliament Hill (french: Colline du Parlement, colloquially known as The Hill, is an area of Crown land on the southern banks of the Ottawa River in downtown Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Its Gothic revival suite of buildings, and their architectu ...
.
The hotel was destroyed by fire on April 14, 1928.
The Russell Theatre, which was also burnt on that date got expropriated for demolition in order to bring about these plans. The Federal District Commission later expropriated the hotel's site. The church was expropriated November 20, 1930. City Hall burned down March 31, 1931.
![Improvements to Confederation - tracks](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1e/Improvements_to_Confederation_-_tracks.jpg)
In 1937, Greber visited Ottawa but disagreed with King on the placement of the war memorial, for fear of traffic problems.
Ottawa's former Central Post Office had been constructed in 1876. The old post office was demolished in (May and) June 1938 in order to build the square.
Knox Presbyterian Church had also been demolished in June 1938. The Royal Bank of Canada building (once James Hope and Company) at the northwest corner of Elgin and Sparks had been removed (for the new Post Office). By October, the War Memorial had been erected and the Plaza Bridge had been widened. Work was underway for the
![Ottawa Central Post Office 19390428](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2d/Ottawa_Central_Post_Office_19390428.jpg)
building of the new
Central Post Office. Elgin Street was widened in April 1939. and Confederation Square continued to be landscaped while post office was being completed. By this time, the square was renamed Confederation Square for the National War Memorial. It wouldn't be until June 1969 that the
National Arts Centre
The National Arts Centre (NAC) (french: Centre national des Arts) is a Arts centre, performing arts organisation in Ottawa, Ontario, along the Rideau Canal. It is based in the eponymous National Arts Centre (building), National Arts Centre build ...
would be opened. In May 1939,
King George VI
George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of Ind ...
came to visit Ottawa and formally unveiled the new War Memorial.
See also
*
Confederation Boulevard
Confederation Boulevard (french: Boulevard de la Confédération) is a "ceremonial and discovery route" in Canada's National Capital Region, running through Parliament Hill and encompassing downtown areas in Ottawa and Gatineau. Some of Canada' ...
, ceremonial route
*
List of National Historic Sites of Canada in Ontario
This is a list of National Historic Sites (french: Lieux historiques nationaux) in the province of Ontario. As of July 2021, there were 274 sites designated in Ontario, 39 of which are administered by Parks Canada (identified below and on the cl ...
References
;Bibliography
*
*
*
*
{{coord, 45.42402, N, 75.69551, W, display=title
National Historic Sites in Ontario
National squares
Buildings and structures in Ottawa
Tourist attractions in Ottawa
Squares in Canada