Mechanicsville is a

neighbourhood A neighbourhood (Commonwealth English) or neighborhood (American English) is a geographically localized community within a larger town, city, suburb or rural area, sometimes consisting of a single street and the buildings lining it. Neighbourh ...

Kitchissippi Ward Kitchissippi Ward (Ward 15) is a city ward in the city of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It gets its name from the Algonquin name for the Ottawa River, meaning ''Great River''. The ward is slightly west of downtown, and covers the neighbourhoods of Ch ...

in central

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

, Ontario, Canada. It is located to the west of downtown and bordered by the

Ottawa River The Ottawa River (, ) is a river in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. It is named after the Algonquin word "to trade", as it was the major trade route of Eastern Canada at the time. For most of its length, it defines the border betw ...

to the north,

O-Train The O-Train is a light rail system in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, operated by OC Transpo. The O-Train system consists of three lines, all of which are fully Grade separation, grade-separated. As of March 2025, one line is currently being extended an ...

Line 2 to the east, Scott Street to the south, and Parkdale Avenue to the west. East of Mechanicsville is LeBreton Flats,

Tunney's Pasture Tunney's Pasture is a campus in the Canadian capital of Ottawa, Ontario, that is exclusively developed for federal government buildings. It is bordered by Scott Street to the south, Parkdale Avenue to the east, the Kichi Zibi Mikan to the nort ...

is directly west, and

Hintonburg Hintonburg is a neighbourhood in Kitchissippi Ward in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, located west of the Downtown core. It is a historically working-class, predominantly residential neighbourhood, with a commercial strip located along Wellington Stree ...

is to the south. The total population of the neighbourhood as of the 2011 Census was 2,205.Population calculated by combining Dissemination Areas 35060389, 35060388, 35060387, 35060385 and 35060386

History

Plan of subdivision was prepared and certified by Robert Sparks, P.L.Surveyor in 1872, it being the property of Mrs T.M. Blasdel & A.H.Baldwin Esq, and certified as a true copy of plan 35A, 7 June 1976 by the Assistant Examiner of surveys. The Village of Mechanicsville being part of Lot 36 Concession A of Nepean. The limits were (Burnside) to the north and running down to the Ottawa River at the Sluce cutting; First street on the east (Stonehurst Avenue); Road allowance and the Canada Central Railway to the south (Scott Street); Fifth Street (Parkdale Avenue) to the west. The first modest houses were probably built about 1875. They were of wood balloon frame covered with 1x12 inch planks inside and out with wood or other siding, with the foundations projecting four inches beyond the edge of the finished frame to take a brick finish as people became able to afford this luxury. The area was annexed to the city of Ottawa in 1911. Some sources suggest that the name Mechanicsville arose after this annexation because it became home to

blue collar A blue-collar worker is a person who performs manual labor or skilled trades. Blue-collar work may involve skilled or unskilled labor. The type of work may involve manufacturing, retail, warehousing, mining, carpentry, electrical work, custodia ...

workers, especially those who worked in the rail yards, or lumber and paper mills who had been displaced by the Great Fire of 1900. In fact, Mechanicsville was known by that name as early as 1879 when it was shown in Belden's Historical Atlas of Carleton County in Nepean Twp., being part of Lot 36 in Concession A, Ottawa Front. Mechanicsville in 1879 was considerably smaller than the present day Ottawa neighbourhood. Its western boundary was then the present-day Parkdale Avenue. In the 1950s and 1960s, when what is now known as the

Kichi Zibi Mikan The Kichi Zībī Mīkan, ( ) formerly the Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway, and previously the Ottawa River Parkway, is a four-lane scenic parkway along the Ottawa River in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It runs from Carling Avenue near Connaught Avenu ...

, (formerly the Macdonald Parkway) was being developed by the

National Capital Commission The National Capital Commission (NCC; , CCN) is the Crown corporation responsible for development, urban planning, and conservation in Canada's Capital Region (Ottawa, Ontario and Gatineau, Quebec), including administering most lands and build ...

, large sections of the neighbourhood along the river were expropriated and demolished. While this created green space, the parkway and on and off-ramps at Parkdale Avenue have also created a barrier to the waterfront. In the 1970s and 1980s, expansion of Scott Street, and the development of the Transitway along the old rail line on Scott has served to cut off the area from the area south of Scott, which was at one time, considered part of the Mechanicsville neighbourhood.

Area character

The area is mostly residential, of wood-frame/wood siding 1900s era homes on grid streets. Along Parkdale Avenue, there are several newer highrise apartment buildings. To the east is an older industrial area along Bayview. The neighbourhood has good bus access and has experienced infilling of town homes in recent years. These include both low- and high-income housing. In 2007, a serious fire affected some high density social housing and the neighbourhood helped the victims of this fire. Prominent landmarks include the Protection of the Holy Virgin Memorial Church and the Embassy of Indonesia.

References

{{authority control Neighbourhoods in Ottawa