Rideau Street and the Arts District
The former Union Station (and later the Government of Canada Conference Centre) will serve for the next few years as the Senate of Canada.
Originally part of the Sparks estate, this historic seven-block area between the Rideau Canal and Waller Street includes more than twenty designated heritage buildings, as well as Ottawa's first main commercial street, which was laid out by Colonel By in 1826. Sandwiched between Lower Town and Sandy Hill, it became the meeting point of transportation arteries, the premier hotel and department store district, and the judicial and civic government centre. It was transformed by the creation of the Rideau Centre, the Confederation Line LRT, and the municipal Arts District, centred on Arts Court and the Ottawa Art Gallery.