1. Home
  2. Walks
  3. Un-Built Ottawa

Un-Built Ottawa

Un-Built Ottawa - Historical Mega-Projects That Never Happened
Canada's National War Memorial, Confederation Sq.
Canada's National War Memorial, Confederation Sq.

You might have noticed that there's no giant dam with a lake a few hundred metres upstream from downtown Ottawa today. Nor are there docks for ocean-going ships in Hull, nor a giant star-shaped fortress on Parliament Hill, nor a century-old transit tunnel under Wellington Street, nor a 25-year-old "Grand Metcalfe Boulevard" slicing up the middle of the core. It might surprise you that these are just a few of the dozens of huge city-altering projects that have been seriously proposed and considered by prominent leaders at various points over Ottawa history.

Join local history nerd and long-time Jane's Walk leader Dennis Van Staalduinen as he takes you on another mind-bending stroll through alternative history. He'll share lots of examples of surprising mega-projects from Ottawa history distinguished by the fact that they never happened, and we'll consider together how radically different the urban fabric of Ottawa would be if any—or heaven forbid, all—of these projects had gone ahead.



The Grand Metcalfe Boulevard Plan

Location
Route

We'll meet at the south side of the National War Memorial in Confederation Square. From there, we will step into the past and envision how our city might be different today if each of these projects had been completed. The visualizing will take place around Wellington St. and Parliament Hill. We'll work our way Westward along Wellington along the top of the escarpment for the first part of the walk, then descend to river level toward the end near Richmond Landing / Lebreton Flats.

We'll finish up near the Mill St. Brew Pub. Participants may wish to stop at the pub for refreshments after the walk


Accessibility: The walk will follow city sidewalks and paved pathways. Please keep your 'visualizations' tidy and free of construction debris ;>).


Please review our covid guidelines before attending a walk.


About the walk leader

Dennis Van Staalduinen is a seasoned Jane' Walk walk leader and an advocate for the Wellington West business district. A renowned local storyteller, he loves discovering the hidden connections between cities, stories, and history, and over the years has led more than a dozen compelling and entertaining new walks for Jane's Walk, including 'Sir John A. Macdonald Gets an Eyeful,' 'Necropolis Now! Monuments to Dead People,' and 'Ghosts of Wellington Street.'

Guide:

Dennis Van Staalduinen

When:
Date:Sat Jun 17, 2023
Time:2:00 PM
Duration: 2 hours
Language: English
Where:
Start:National War Memorial, Confederation Square
End:near the Mill Street Brew Pub
Area:Centretown
Distance:1.5 kms
Accessibility:

The walk will follow city sidewalks and paved pathways.

Gallery
Canada's National War Memorial, Confederation Sq. Artist's concept of the view of Parliament from the Grand Metcalfe Boulevard. Dennis Van Staalduinen speaking to participants at his walk Town & Crown (2014), Dennis talks to attendees at his walk on Alternate Histories of Ottawa Dennis talks to attendees at his walk on Alternate Histories of Ottawa, 2016
Volunteer to Marshal This Walk