My love for old pictures of Ottawa has been documented on this blog before, and I’m happy to report that I’m at it again! I stumbled upon these pictures of what used occupy the land the current Courthouse sits on, and I’m fascinated by the difference!
Certainly some of our readers will remember these, known as the Cartier Square buildings. They were constructed at the start of WWII and were specifically intended to be temporary buildings. Temporary in the case of the buildings on this lot lasted until 1980, when these were demolished. I particularly like the second photo above, looking at the front of the building (of what today would be the front of the Courthouse), from the position of Elgin and Nepean. A future post of what pre-dates Place Bell is certainly in the future!
If you’d like to learn more about Ottawa’s temporary buildings, I suggest this article from Urbsite. (In fact, I recommend spending a lot more time on Urbsite, if you’re into old Ottawa!)