Old Ottawa East

Central

Fast Facts

Population: 6,645 (City of Ottawa Neighbourhood Study)
Size: 1.71 km² (Computed from the City of Ottawa Neighbourhood Study boundary polygon)
Distance from Parliament Hill: About 2.6 km southeast (straight-line distance)
Who's building: eQ Homes / The Regional Group (Greystone Village)

Overview

Old Ottawa East is a riverside neighbourhood bounded by the Rideau Canal to the west and the Rideau River to the east, centred on historic Main Street. Once the separate village of Archville and later Ottawa East, it is home to Saint Paul University and the former Oblate Fathers' lands now being redeveloped as Greystone Village, alongside small shops and restaurants along Main Street and the Flora Footbridge connecting to the Glebe across the canal.

Boundaries

The Ottawa Neighbourhood Study boundary runs along the Rideau Canal to the west, the Rideau River to the east and south, and Nicholas Street / the Queensway area to the north, covering Main Street and the former Oblate lands now being redeveloped as Greystone Village.

Map

History

Old Ottawa East began as the suburban community of Archville, settled by farmers in the mid-19th century. It was incorporated as the separate village of Ottawa East in 1888 and amalgamated into the growing city of Ottawa in 1907. The arrival of the railway brought industries such as coal and gas yards along the Rideau River and Canal.

In 1863, a 26-acre lot in the neighbourhood was sold to the Roman Catholic College of St. Joseph, which grew into Saint Paul University. The Oblates of Mary Immaculate and the Sisters of the Sacred Heart occupied the site for more than 150 years, exerting a strong influence on the community through the churches and schools they founded; the Edifice Deschâtelets, built in 1885, is the oldest and largest historic institutional building in the neighbourhood.

Main Street, the original central road of Archville, remains the neighbourhood's commercial spine, though it is no longer central to the wider city. Long-running local businesses such as The Green Door vegetarian restaurant, open since 1988, reflect the street's small-scale, community character.

The Oblates sold their 26-acre landholding in 2014, and it is now being redeveloped as Greystone Village, a LEED ND Silver-certified master-planned community of roughly 950 homes led by eQ Homes and The Regional Group — one of the largest single redevelopments in the neighbourhood's history.

Claim to Fame

Old Ottawa East's defining feature is its setting between the Rideau Canal and the Rideau River, combined with more than 150 years of institutional history tied to Saint Paul University and the Oblates of Mary Immaculate, whose former lands are now becoming Greystone Village.

Surrounding Neighbourhoods

Sandy Hill and the University of Ottawa lie across the Rideau River to the north, the Golden Triangle and Centretown are across the Rideau Canal to the west (reachable via the Flora Footbridge), Old Ottawa South is across the canal to the south, and Overbrook is across the Rideau River to the east.

New Developments

Greystone Village — eQ Homes / The Regional Group — A 26-acre, LEED ND Silver-certified master-planned community of about 950 homes on the former Oblates of Mary Immaculate lands along the Rideau River, acquired in 2014 and built around the historic Edifice Deschâtelets (1885). Visit website

Architecture

Main Street and its side streets retain small-scale homes and storefronts from the neighbourhood's days as the independent village of Archville and Ottawa East in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The Edifice Deschâtelets (1885), a large stone institutional building along the Rideau River, anchors the neighbourhood's Oblate-era heritage, while Greystone Village is introducing new low- and mid-rise residential construction on the former Oblate lands.

Restaurants

The Green Door — Vegetarian
Ottawa's longest-running vegetarian restaurant, at 198 Main Street since 1988, with a pay-by-weight buffet and in-house bakery.
Visit website
Sula Wok — Asian fusion
Walk-up Asian fusion restaurant at 184 Main Street, popular for eat-in, takeout and catering.
Visit website

Pedestrian and Cycling

The Flora Footbridge carries pedestrians and cyclists across the Rideau Canal to the Glebe, and pathways along both the canal and the Rideau River make the neighbourhood one of the more walkable and bike-friendly in central Ottawa.

Schools

Lady Evelyn Alternative School — Ottawa-Carleton District School Board
Junior kindergarten to Grade 6 alternative public school at 63 Evelyn Avenue, the neighbourhood's only English-language public elementary school.
Visit website
Immaculata High School — Ottawa Catholic School Board
Catholic secondary school (grades 9-12) at 140 Main Street.
Photo: Themightyquill, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons Visit website

Amenities

Flora Footbridge — Pedestrian and cycling bridge
Footbridge across the Rideau Canal linking Old Ottawa East to the Glebe, a popular walking and cycling connection.
Photo: Cantons-de-l'Est, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Saint Paul University — University
Bilingual Catholic university on Main Street, federated with the University of Ottawa since 1965, tracing its origins to an 1863 land grant to the Roman Catholic College of St. Joseph.
Photo: SimonP, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons Visit website

Transit Options

OC Transpo bus routes serve Main Street and Riverdale Avenue, connecting to Lees Station. Check octranspo.com for current route numbers, since the network is periodically redesigned.