Ancestral Roofs

"In Praise of Older Buildings"

Sunday, December 24, 2017

Ottawa and I have history

 The other day, while I was browsing a drawer of family photos, I came across this undated (1920s?) souvenir booklet of Ottawa, in its leather-look cover. I think it must have belonged to our grandmother, don't recall when it came into my possession.

I hope that the person who purchased it, presumably on a visit to the city, enjoyed it as much as I am doing. The photos of nearly empty streets, shiny black autos, the occasional freight wagon pulled by horses, trolley cars, and Wellington Street lined with mature trees are fascinating.

What is surprising and really impressive is the similarity of the street scenes - so many of the buildings still stand. Admittedly, many of the photos are of Parliament Hill, and barring fires or gift-wrapping for facade repair, they do tend to remain the same.

I'm about to do a few posts of before and after photos. Stand by, should be fun.

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