Lansdowne Park
Encyclopedia
Lansdowne Park is a 40 acres (16.2 ha) historic sports, exhibition and entertainment facility in Ottawa
, Ontario
, Canada
, owned by the City of Ottawa. It is located along Bank Street
and is adjacent to the Rideau Canal
, in central Ottawa. Lansdowne Park contains Frank Clair Stadium
, the Ottawa Civic Centre
arena (the stadium is built into the arena), the Aberdeen Pavilion
hall, Coliseum and other exhibition buildings. Until 2010, the Park was the site of the annual Central Canada Exhibition
(Ottawa SuperEX).
was deeded 24.5 acres (9.9 ha) acres by the Dominion government, and acquired another 15 acres (6.1 ha) bought from owners over several years, to make up the initial grounds of Lansdowne Park. Two notable exhibitions occurred prior to the first Central Canada Exhibition
. In 1875 the City of Ottawa
hosted the thirtieth annual Exhibition of the Provincial Agricultural and Arts Association. In 1877 an exhibition included the first public demonstration of the telephone
in Canada.
A third provincial exhibition was held at Lansdowne in 1879. In order to provide sufficient space for subsequent fairs, the City acquired more of Lansdowne in 1883 for $25,000, as well as the buildings that were already there. The Central Canada Exhibition Association was formed in 1888 and the site witnessed many improvements, including the erection of a new Horticultural Hall and Grandstand. The first Central Canada Exhibition opened on September 20, 1888 and was held annually until 2010.
The Aberdeen Pavilion
has also figured prominently in military matters: troops of Lord Strathcona's Horse were encamped there during the Boer War; the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry
mustered there before being sent to France in the First World War; and during World War II
it served as an induction centre for thousands of Canadian troops heading overseas and was the home to The Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa
(4th Princess Louise Dragoon Guards
).
The City of Ottawa periodically reviews the use and state of the facility. Lansdowne was developed as a municipal fairgrounds, and somewhat rural in nature. Over time, permanent buildings were built on the site, and a majority of the site was paved, both for parking and for exhibition use. As the result of a review in the 1990s, the City demolished some of the buildings, and restored some parkland. The City restored Aberdeen Pavilion
at the time, using funds planned for a Central Canada Ex move, in exchange for allowing the Ex to continue to use the site.
, figure skating
, Canadian football
, ice hockey
and Association football. The Aberdeen Pavilion hosted Stanley Cup
championship games in 1904 played by the Ottawa Silver Seven
. The Civic Centre has hosted the Canadian Men's curling championship, Canadian and World championships in figure skating and the Memorial Cup
Canadian junior-age ice hockey championships.
In particular, Frank Clair Stadium and its outdoor field has a long history of sports usage in baseball
, football, lacrosse
and soccer. The stadium has held Grey Cup
football and World Cup Under 20 soccer championships. Before the south stands were built, the field was a combination baseball, outdoor lacrosse and football facility. The Ottawa Giants
and Ottawa Athletics
professional baseball teams used the facility from 1951 to 1954. In football, the Ottawa Rough Riders
and Ottawa Renegades
professional football teams used the field until 2005. Today the University of Ottawa
football team uses the field. The Ottawa Lacrosse Club and the Ottawa Capitals lacrosse clubs used the field from before 1900 for field lacrosse.
A 0.25 mile (0.402335 km) dirt track existed at the field and it was used initially for horse racing. In 1955, it was converted to host stock car racing. The track was extended to 0.33 mile (0.5310822 km), banked and paved in 1957. Successful financially, the stock cars were evicted from the site after lobbying by local residents. Race promoter Gerry Bisson then built a race track west of Ottawa in Stittsville, Ontario
(now part of Ottawa) which is today known as Capital City Speedway
.
The Horticulture Building, built in 1914, was designed for winter use as a curling rink with seasonal exhibition uses. Other buildings including the General Purpose Building and the McElroy Building, both since demolished, also had sheets of ice installed for curling.
, the Association does not have money to build on the site for 2011 and has not announced its plans for 2011.
The Civic Centre and Coliseum buildings are used regularly for other exhibitions such as home shows, industrial exhibitions and conventions, including political conventions. Since 1967, when the Ottawa Auditorium was demolished, Lansdowne Park has become a site of musical concerts, both inside the Civic Centre and outside on the Stadium field. Although the Scotiabank Place
arena was built in 1996 and hosts the largest indoor concerts in Ottawa, the Civic Centre continues to host musical concerts.
, necessitating the demolition of a portion of its south-side stands. The City of Ottawa subsequently started a review to redevelop Lansdowne Park. A group of Ottawa businessmen, known as the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group (OSEG), were awarded a new Canadian Football League franchise in March 2008, contingent on securing a stadium in which to play.
OSEG proposed a public-private partnership with the city to rebuild the stadium and redevelop the grounds with residential and commercial uses to finance the reconstruction and annual upkeep of the site. Ottawa City Council decided to enter into a partnership with the OSEG group and abandoned its own review.
The redevelopment plan split into two components after the City rejected the portion of the OSEG proposal regarding the lands bordering the Rideau Canal
. OSEG was assigned the precinct around the Stadium and along Bank Street, while a design competition was held for an urban park to be located along the Canal. The OSEG plan envisions two towers along Bank Street, a new set of grandstands at the football stadium and a new residential and commercial precinct to the north of the Stadium. The new greenspace along the Rideau Canal frontage is intended as a new front lawn for Lansdowne.
The estimated cost to the city for the stadium renovation and its share of the parking development is $129.3 million. OSEG's funding of the commercial redevelopment and its share of the parking is $118 million. The urban park is estimated to cost $35 million and $8.5 million has been spent for a new trade show and exhibition hall built near Ottawa airport, to replace the existing space at Lansdowne. The total estimated cost is $290.8 million, $172.8 million coming from the city. The city retains ownership of the site, leasing the commercial and retail component to pay off the debt under a revenue-sharing formula with OSEG. Under the most recent schedule, the City estimates completion of the project in 2015.
The redevelopment plan has been opposed by some Ottawa residents, particularly those near the Lansdowne site. Heritage activists objected to a plan to move a heritage building on the site. An organization called the Lansdowne Park Conservancy (Conservancy) made an unsolicited stadium and park bid for Lansdowne that was rejected by the City of Ottawa. The $98 million proposal included retaining the existing buildings and a renovated stadium. Under the LPC plan, the city would fund the entire redevelopment cost to be repaid through site revenues. Two challenges of the project were made. Opponents opposed the redevelopment plan at the Ontario Municipal Board
, which approved the project after a mediated agreement with many opponents was made. A court challenge brought by the Friends of Lansdowne (Friends) group was heard at Ontario Superior Court, arguing that the project was illegal and the city acted in bad faith. In a verdict delivered on July 28, 2011, the court rejected all of the group's arguments. Both the Conservancy and Friends groups plan to appeal to the courts.
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, owned by the City of Ottawa. It is located along Bank Street
Bank Street (Ottawa)
Bank Street is the major north-south road in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It runs south from Wellington Street in downtown Ottawa, south through the neighbourhoods of Centretown, The Glebe, Old Ottawa South, Alta Vista, Hunt Club, and then through the villages of Blossom Park, Leitrim, South...
and is adjacent to the Rideau Canal
Rideau Canal
The Rideau Canal , also known as the Rideau Waterway, connects the city of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada on the Ottawa River to the city of Kingston, Ontario on Lake Ontario. The canal was opened in 1832 as a precaution in case of war with the United States and is still in use today, with most of its...
, in central Ottawa. Lansdowne Park contains Frank Clair Stadium
Frank Clair Stadium
Frank Clair Stadium is a Canadian football stadium in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is located in Lansdowne Park, on the southern edge of The Glebe neighbourhood, where Bank Street crosses the Rideau Canal.-Tenants:...
, the Ottawa Civic Centre
Ottawa Civic Centre
The Ottawa Civic Centre, also known as the J. Benson Cartage Centre for 2011–2012, is an indoor arena located in Ottawa, Ontario, seating 9,862. With temporary seating and standing room it can hold 10,585. Opened in December 1967, it is used primarily for sports, including curling, figure skating,...
arena (the stadium is built into the arena), the Aberdeen Pavilion
Aberdeen Pavilion
The Aberdeen Pavilion is an exhibition hall in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Overlooking the Rideau Canal, it is located in Lansdowne Park, Ottawa's historic fairgrounds...
hall, Coliseum and other exhibition buildings. Until 2010, the Park was the site of the annual Central Canada Exhibition
Ottawa SuperEX
Ottawa SuperEX is an eleven-day annual exhibition that takes places every August at Lansdowne Park in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The exhibition provides exhibits, entertainment and amusements indoors in the buildings on site and outdoors on the grounds...
(Ottawa SuperEX).
History
In 1847, the then BytownBytown
Bytown is the former name of Ottawa, Canada's capital city. It was founded on on September 26, 1826, incorporated as a town on January 1, 1850, and superseded by the incorporation of the City of Ottawa on January 1, 1855. The founding was marked by a sod turning, and a letter from Governor General...
was deeded 24.5 acres (9.9 ha) acres by the Dominion government, and acquired another 15 acres (6.1 ha) bought from owners over several years, to make up the initial grounds of Lansdowne Park. Two notable exhibitions occurred prior to the first Central Canada Exhibition
Ottawa SuperEX
Ottawa SuperEX is an eleven-day annual exhibition that takes places every August at Lansdowne Park in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The exhibition provides exhibits, entertainment and amusements indoors in the buildings on site and outdoors on the grounds...
. In 1875 the City of Ottawa
City of Ottawa
The City of Ottawa is the corporate entity of municipal government in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The corporation is responsible for provision of services to the public as well as enforcement of municipal by-laws...
hosted the thirtieth annual Exhibition of the Provincial Agricultural and Arts Association. In 1877 an exhibition included the first public demonstration of the telephone
Telephone
The telephone , colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that transmits and receives sounds, usually the human voice. Telephones are a point-to-point communication system whose most basic function is to allow two people separated by large distances to talk to each other...
in Canada.
A third provincial exhibition was held at Lansdowne in 1879. In order to provide sufficient space for subsequent fairs, the City acquired more of Lansdowne in 1883 for $25,000, as well as the buildings that were already there. The Central Canada Exhibition Association was formed in 1888 and the site witnessed many improvements, including the erection of a new Horticultural Hall and Grandstand. The first Central Canada Exhibition opened on September 20, 1888 and was held annually until 2010.
The Aberdeen Pavilion
Aberdeen Pavilion
The Aberdeen Pavilion is an exhibition hall in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Overlooking the Rideau Canal, it is located in Lansdowne Park, Ottawa's historic fairgrounds...
has also figured prominently in military matters: troops of Lord Strathcona's Horse were encamped there during the Boer War; the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry
Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry
Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry is one of the three regular force infantry regiments of the Canadian Army. The regiment is composed of four battalions including a primary reserve battalion, for a total of 2,000 soldiers...
mustered there before being sent to France in the First World War; and during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
it served as an induction centre for thousands of Canadian troops heading overseas and was the home to The Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa
The Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa
The Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa is a Primary Reserve infantry regiment of the Canadian Forces.-History:The 1st Volunteer Militia Rifle Company of Ottawa was formed on April 3, 1856. At that time, the bulk of Canada's militia existed as small, independent companies scattered throughout the provinces...
(4th Princess Louise Dragoon Guards
4th Princess Louise Dragoon Guards
The 4th Princess Louise Dragoon Guards is an inactive armoured regiment of the Canadian militia.-Lineage:The Regiment's history dates back to Ottawa in the early 1870s and its membership in Canada's militia...
).
The City of Ottawa periodically reviews the use and state of the facility. Lansdowne was developed as a municipal fairgrounds, and somewhat rural in nature. Over time, permanent buildings were built on the site, and a majority of the site was paved, both for parking and for exhibition use. As the result of a review in the 1990s, the City demolished some of the buildings, and restored some parkland. The City restored Aberdeen Pavilion
Aberdeen Pavilion
The Aberdeen Pavilion is an exhibition hall in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Overlooking the Rideau Canal, it is located in Lansdowne Park, Ottawa's historic fairgrounds...
at the time, using funds planned for a Central Canada Ex move, in exchange for allowing the Ex to continue to use the site.
Sports usage
Lansdowne Park has long been the primary sports facility in Ottawa. The sports venues located on the site have played host to championships in curlingCurling
Curling is a sport in which players slide stones across a sheet of ice towards a target area. It is related to bowls, boule and shuffleboard. Two teams, each of four players, take turns sliding heavy, polished granite stones, also called "rocks", across the ice curling sheet towards the house, a...
, figure skating
Figure skating
Figure skating is an Olympic sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform spins, jumps, footwork and other intricate and challenging moves on ice skates. Figure skaters compete at various levels from beginner up to the Olympic level , and at local, national, and international competitions...
, Canadian football
Canadian football
Canadian football is a form of gridiron football played exclusively in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed prolate spheroid ball into the opposing team's scoring area...
, ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
and Association football. The Aberdeen Pavilion hosted Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
championship games in 1904 played by the Ottawa Silver Seven
Ottawa Senators (original)
The Ottawa Senators were an amateur, and later, professional, ice hockey team based in Ottawa, Canada which existed from 1883 to 1954. The club was the first hockey club in Ontario, a founding member of the National Hockey League and played in the NHL from 1917 until 1934...
. The Civic Centre has hosted the Canadian Men's curling championship, Canadian and World championships in figure skating and the Memorial Cup
Memorial Cup
The Memorial Cup is a junior ice hockey club championship trophy awarded annually to the Canadian Hockey League champion. It is awarded following a four-team, round robin tournament between a host team and the champions of the CHL's three member leagues: the Ontario Hockey League , Quebec Major...
Canadian junior-age ice hockey championships.
In particular, Frank Clair Stadium and its outdoor field has a long history of sports usage in baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, football, lacrosse
Lacrosse
Lacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...
and soccer. The stadium has held Grey Cup
Grey Cup
The Grey Cup is both the name of the championship of the Canadian Football League and the name of the trophy awarded to the victorious team. It is Canada's largest annual sports and television event, regularly drawing a Canadian viewing audience of about 3 to 4 million individuals...
football and World Cup Under 20 soccer championships. Before the south stands were built, the field was a combination baseball, outdoor lacrosse and football facility. The Ottawa Giants
Ottawa Giants
The Ottawa Giants were a professional minor-league baseball team based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada that operated in 1951. The team was a relocation of an existing franchise, the Jersey City Giants...
and Ottawa Athletics
Ottawa Athletics
The Ottawa Athletics were a professional minor-league baseball team based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada that operated from 1952-1954. The team played at Lansdowne Park in Ottawa.-History:After the 1951 season, the Ottawa Giants folded...
professional baseball teams used the facility from 1951 to 1954. In football, the Ottawa Rough Riders
Ottawa Rough Riders
The Ottawa Rough Riders were a Canadian Football League team based in Ottawa, Ontario, founded in 1876. One of the oldest and longest lived professional sports teams in North America, the Rough Riders won the Grey Cup championship nine times. Their most dominant era was the 1960s and 1970s, a...
and Ottawa Renegades
Ottawa Renegades
Ottawa Renegades was the most recent name of a Canadian Football League team based in Ottawa, Ontario founded in 2002, seven years after the storied Ottawa Rough Riders folded...
professional football teams used the field until 2005. Today the University of Ottawa
University of Ottawa
The University of Ottawa is a bilingual, research-intensive, non-denominational, international university in Ottawa, Ontario. It is one of the oldest universities in Canada. It was originally established as the College of Bytown in 1848 by the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate...
football team uses the field. The Ottawa Lacrosse Club and the Ottawa Capitals lacrosse clubs used the field from before 1900 for field lacrosse.
A 0.25 mile (0.402335 km) dirt track existed at the field and it was used initially for horse racing. In 1955, it was converted to host stock car racing. The track was extended to 0.33 mile (0.5310822 km), banked and paved in 1957. Successful financially, the stock cars were evicted from the site after lobbying by local residents. Race promoter Gerry Bisson then built a race track west of Ottawa in Stittsville, Ontario
Stittsville, Ontario
Stittsville is a suburban community in the western part of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. A part of the National Capital Region, Stittsville is located immediately to the south-west of Kanata, and about from downtown Ottawa.-History:...
(now part of Ottawa) which is today known as Capital City Speedway
Capital City Speedway
Capital City Speedway is a stock car racetrack in Ottawa, Canada. The Speedway includes a drag strip and a 3/8th mile oval, and runs 5 different series including the 4 For Fun class, mini Stock Class, Thunder Car Class, ACT Late Model Class and the Lentch Automotive Legends Class...
.
The Horticulture Building, built in 1914, was designed for winter use as a curling rink with seasonal exhibition uses. Other buildings including the General Purpose Building and the McElroy Building, both since demolished, also had sheets of ice installed for curling.
Exhibition and entertainment usage
The site hosted the annual Central Canada Exhibition, also known as the 'Ottawa Super Ex' from 1888 until 2010. The Exhibition would use the full site, offering agricultural and cultural exhibits, midway rides and various entertainments for 10 days every year in August. The Central Canada Exhibition Association (CCEA) was the primary manager of Lansdowne Park for the City until turning over operation of the Park to the City on May 1, 1973. The Central Canada Exhibition completed its last season at Lansdowne Park in August 2010. While the CCEA owns some land south of Ottawa, near Rideau Carleton RacewayRideau Carleton Raceway
Rideau Carleton Raceway is a Canadian horse racing and gambling complex located at Ottawa, Ontario. The facility began operation in 1962 and specialises in standardbred harness racing....
, the Association does not have money to build on the site for 2011 and has not announced its plans for 2011.
The Civic Centre and Coliseum buildings are used regularly for other exhibitions such as home shows, industrial exhibitions and conventions, including political conventions. Since 1967, when the Ottawa Auditorium was demolished, Lansdowne Park has become a site of musical concerts, both inside the Civic Centre and outside on the Stadium field. Although the Scotiabank Place
Scotiabank Place
Scotiabank Place is a multi-purpose arena, located in Kanata, a suburban district of Ottawa, Ontario. It is home to the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League. It has also hosted the Canadian University Men's Basketball Championship...
arena was built in 1996 and hosts the largest indoor concerts in Ottawa, the Civic Centre continues to host musical concerts.
Redevelopment
In September 2007, cracks were found in Frank Clair StadiumFrank Clair Stadium
Frank Clair Stadium is a Canadian football stadium in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is located in Lansdowne Park, on the southern edge of The Glebe neighbourhood, where Bank Street crosses the Rideau Canal.-Tenants:...
, necessitating the demolition of a portion of its south-side stands. The City of Ottawa subsequently started a review to redevelop Lansdowne Park. A group of Ottawa businessmen, known as the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group (OSEG), were awarded a new Canadian Football League franchise in March 2008, contingent on securing a stadium in which to play.
OSEG proposed a public-private partnership with the city to rebuild the stadium and redevelop the grounds with residential and commercial uses to finance the reconstruction and annual upkeep of the site. Ottawa City Council decided to enter into a partnership with the OSEG group and abandoned its own review.
The redevelopment plan split into two components after the City rejected the portion of the OSEG proposal regarding the lands bordering the Rideau Canal
Rideau Canal
The Rideau Canal , also known as the Rideau Waterway, connects the city of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada on the Ottawa River to the city of Kingston, Ontario on Lake Ontario. The canal was opened in 1832 as a precaution in case of war with the United States and is still in use today, with most of its...
. OSEG was assigned the precinct around the Stadium and along Bank Street, while a design competition was held for an urban park to be located along the Canal. The OSEG plan envisions two towers along Bank Street, a new set of grandstands at the football stadium and a new residential and commercial precinct to the north of the Stadium. The new greenspace along the Rideau Canal frontage is intended as a new front lawn for Lansdowne.
The estimated cost to the city for the stadium renovation and its share of the parking development is $129.3 million. OSEG's funding of the commercial redevelopment and its share of the parking is $118 million. The urban park is estimated to cost $35 million and $8.5 million has been spent for a new trade show and exhibition hall built near Ottawa airport, to replace the existing space at Lansdowne. The total estimated cost is $290.8 million, $172.8 million coming from the city. The city retains ownership of the site, leasing the commercial and retail component to pay off the debt under a revenue-sharing formula with OSEG. Under the most recent schedule, the City estimates completion of the project in 2015.
The redevelopment plan has been opposed by some Ottawa residents, particularly those near the Lansdowne site. Heritage activists objected to a plan to move a heritage building on the site. An organization called the Lansdowne Park Conservancy (Conservancy) made an unsolicited stadium and park bid for Lansdowne that was rejected by the City of Ottawa. The $98 million proposal included retaining the existing buildings and a renovated stadium. Under the LPC plan, the city would fund the entire redevelopment cost to be repaid through site revenues. Two challenges of the project were made. Opponents opposed the redevelopment plan at the Ontario Municipal Board
Ontario Municipal Board
The Ontario Municipal Board is an independent administrative board, operated as an adjudicative tribunal, in the province of Ontario, Canada...
, which approved the project after a mediated agreement with many opponents was made. A court challenge brought by the Friends of Lansdowne (Friends) group was heard at Ontario Superior Court, arguing that the project was illegal and the city acted in bad faith. In a verdict delivered on July 28, 2011, the court rejected all of the group's arguments. Both the Conservancy and Friends groups plan to appeal to the courts.