Sparks Street
Sparks Street (French: Rue Sparks) is a
Sparks runs from Elgin Street in the east to Bronson Avenue. The Sparks Street Mall, that contains a number of outdoor restaurants and also a number of works of art and fountains, only runs from Elgin to Bank Street. The pedestrian-only portion continues for another two blocks westward, with the final two blocks west of Lyon Street being a regular road and merges into Bronson Avenue going south.
The mall and most of the buildings on the south side are owned and operated by the
History
Located one block south of
When Ottawa was selected as Canada's capital, the area became even more important as the street became home to a number of government offices and homes for parliamentarians. One of these was
The peak of the street was in the early twentieth century when a number of
As the city expanded, the downtown became less centralized and commerce spread to neighbouring streets. Government ministries, requiring larger offices, also went elsewhere. In 1959, the street's streetcar line was closed.
Pedestrian mall
Starting in 1960 the street was closed to vehicular traffic in the summers in an attempt to improve commerce. This plan was modelled on
Today, the pedestrian mall is open year-round and extends from Elgin to Kent Streets. While the mall is quite busy during weekdays, it is only lightly used during weekends. The National Capital Commission remains committed to operating and improving the mall. The street's landscaping has been updated. The Commission was successful in bringing the
Events
Sparks Street is home to the Sparks Street International Chicken & Rib Cook-off every year in late June.
Each year, around the
Latin Sparks Festival made its debut in 2012 as a small group of 40 friends gathered weekly on Sparks Street to dance outdoors in the summertime. Sparks Street is home to Latin Sparks Festival since 2012, featuring music, dancing and food.[4]
Landmarks
Sparks contains some of Ottawa's most important structures. Just past the eastern end of Sparks at Elgin Street is the National War Memorial and across Elgin from Sparks is the National Arts Centre.
The eastern section of the street sees a number of the oldest buildings, including
A pair of notable newer buildings are also on this section of the mall, including the CBC Ottawa Broadcast Centre and the Thomas D'Arcy McGee Building, which is located at the corner of Metcalfe and Sparks.
West of Bank Street, outside of the mall itself, the street is overshadowed by the
One of the best known addresses in all of Canada for many years was "56 Sparks Street, Ottawa" as it was the tag line used in a large number of radio and television commercials and commentaries made by
Transit access
On September 14, 2019, the
References
- ^ a b ottawakiosk city guide Archived 2011-08-20 at the Wayback Machine, retrieved 19 August 2012
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "The Strøget Solution". The Ottawa Citizen. 22 March 2008. Archived from the original on 9 November 2015. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
- ^ "Ottawa International Busker Fest". Retrieved December 28, 2018.
- ^ "Latin Sparks Block Party". latinsparks.ca. Retrieved December 28, 2018.
- ^ Dan Conlin, "Lotta Hitschmanova's Uniform", Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21