The Glebe
Encyclopedia
The Glebe is a neighbourhood in Ottawa
, Ontario
, Canada
. It is located just south of Ottawa's downtown area
, with its northern border being demarcated by the Queensway
highway. It is bounded by the Rideau Canal
to the south and east. Many maps show the western edge as Bronson Avenue
, but some also include the triangle farther west formed by Bronson, Carling Avenue
, and Dow's Lake
. The Glebe Community Association uses the latter definition. As of 2006, the area's population was 10,886.
The Glebe has a strong community association
which, in addition to running a large community centre
, lobbies the local government on issues such as traffic calming
and neighbourhood development.
The Glebe is mostly populated by families; the area has many children, and consequently its social services are oriented towards youth. It is also almost entirely anglophone
. The Glebe lies in the federal riding of Ottawa Centre
, and the same provincial electoral district
.
The stretch of Bank Street
that runs through the Glebe is one of Ottawa's premier shopping areas, with many small stores and restaurants offering a wide variety of services. Much of the rest of the Glebe consists of detached homes, many of them constructed in the early decades of the 20th century. Some of these homes are owner-occupied family residences, while others have been subdivided into multiple rental apartments.
The Glebe is home to Lansdowne Park
which contains Frank Clair Stadium
where Ottawa's Canadian Football League
(CFL) football
team, the currently suspended Ottawa Renegades
, and the University of Ottawa
Gee-Gees play their home games, as well as the Ottawa Civic Centre
, the permanent home of the Ottawa 67's
and temporary home (1992–1995) for the Ottawa Senators
before Scotiabank Place
(formerly the Corel Centre, prior to that it was called The Palladium) was completed.
The area that became the park was purchased from local farmers in 1868 by the City of Ottawa Agricultural Society. From the canal two bodies of water jut into the Glebe: Patterson Creek
and Brown's Inlet
. These areas are surrounded by parks and some of the city's most expensive homes.
The last Saturday in May of each year brings the "Great Glebe Garage Sale
" to the neighbourhood; every household that participates puts items out for sale, attracting a large contingent of bargain hunters to the area. Sellers are expected to donate a portion of the proceeds to a designated charity.
. The word "glebe
" means church lands and the area was originally known as "the glebe lands of St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church". When the area was opened for development in 1870, real estate agents began to refer to it simply as "The Glebe".
The Glebe was one of Ottawa's first suburb
s. In 1900, the Ottawa Electric Street Railway
was established, with one of its first routes running south along Bank Street. This allowed workers to live in the Glebe and take the street car to work. Most Glebe houses date from this era, and it became home to many middle-class workers. A number of the more upscale residences were designed by renowned Canadian architects W.E. Noffke
and David Younghusband
, while others were pattern-book homes built by local builders based on catalog designs similar to foursquare
architecture elsewhere in North America.
In the middle part of the century the Glebe changed as the middle class moved to more distant suburbs such as Alta Vista
and Nepean
and the Glebe became transformed into a predominantly working-class neighbourhood with the houses subdivided into multiple apartments or turned into rooming houses.
The neighbourhood began to change again in the 1970s when it underwent significant gentrification
and became one of Ottawa's elite neighbourhoods. These changes are obvious in the census. From 1971 to 1996 the percentage of the population with university degrees rose from 10 to 60 percent. White collar employment grew from less than half to some 95%. While in 1971 Glebe residents were 14 percent poorer than the average citizen of Ottawa, in 1996 they were 18 percent wealthier.
s
Secondary school
s
Junior high schools
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...
. It is located just south of Ottawa's downtown area
Downtown Ottawa
Downtown Ottawa is the central area of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Like other downtowns it is the commercial and economic centre of the city. It is sometimes referred to as the Central Business District and contains Ottawa's financial district. It is bordered by the Ottawa River to the north, the...
, with its northern border being demarcated by the Queensway
Queensway (Ottawa)
The Queensway is a major controlled-access freeway running through Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, from Kanata in the west to Orleans in the east. It is the primary east-west transportation artery in the Ottawa-Gatineau area....
highway. It is bounded by 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...
to the south and east. Many maps show the western edge as Bronson Avenue
Bronson Avenue (Ottawa)
Bronson Avenue is a major north-south arterial road in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It runs from downtown at Sparks Street in the north through Centretown, past the Glebe and Carleton University and turns into the Airport Parkway, which is an expressway to the Macdonald-Cartier International...
, but some also include the triangle farther west formed by Bronson, Carling Avenue
Carling Avenue
Carling Avenue is a major east-west arterial road in the west end of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It runs from March Road in Kanata to Bronson Avenue in the Glebe...
, and Dow's Lake
Dow's Lake
Dow's Lake in Ottawa, Canada is a small man-made lake on the Rideau Canal, situated two kilometres north of Hog's Back Falls in the middle of Ottawa. It is at the south end of Preston Street, just south of Carling Avenue, and just to the west of Bronson Avenue...
. The Glebe Community Association uses the latter definition. As of 2006, the area's population was 10,886.
The Glebe has a strong community association
City Centre Coalition
The City Centre Coalition is a coalition of 11 community groups in Ottawa, Ontario, which focuses on transportation issues in Ottawa.The 11 members groups are:* Action Sandy Hill* Centretown Citizens' Community Association...
which, in addition to running a large community centre
Glebe Community Centre
The Glebe Community Centre is a noted building in Ottawa, Canada, that is the symbolic heart of the Glebe neighbourhood. Construction began in 1914 and took ten years. Originally built as St. James Methodist Church, it became St. James United Church only a year after its completion when the United...
, lobbies the local government on issues such as traffic calming
Traffic calming
Traffic calming is intended to slow or reduce motor-vehicle traffic in order to improve the living conditions for residents as well as to improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists. Urban planners and traffic engineers have many strategies for traffic calming...
and neighbourhood development.
The Glebe is mostly populated by families; the area has many children, and consequently its social services are oriented towards youth. It is also almost entirely anglophone
English Canadian
An English Canadian is a Canadian of English ancestry; it is used primarily in contrast with French Canadian. Canada is an officially bilingual state, with English and French official language communities. Immigrant cultural groups ostensibly integrate into one or both of these communities, but...
. The Glebe lies in the federal riding of Ottawa Centre
Ottawa Centre
Ottawa Centre is an urban federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1968...
, and the same provincial electoral district
Ottawa Centre (provincial electoral district)
Ottawa Centre is an urban provincial electoral district in Ontario, Canada that has been represented in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario since 1968...
.
The stretch of 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...
that runs through the Glebe is one of Ottawa's premier shopping areas, with many small stores and restaurants offering a wide variety of services. Much of the rest of the Glebe consists of detached homes, many of them constructed in the early decades of the 20th century. Some of these homes are owner-occupied family residences, while others have been subdivided into multiple rental apartments.
The Glebe is home to Lansdowne Park
Lansdowne Park
Lansdowne Park is a 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...
which 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:...
where Ottawa's Canadian Football League
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
(CFL) 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...
team, the currently suspended 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...
, and 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...
Gee-Gees play their home games, as well as 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,...
, the permanent home of the Ottawa 67's
Ottawa 67's
The Ottawa 67’s are a junior ice hockey team based in Ottawa, Ontario. They have played in the Ontario Hockey League since 1967, Canada's centennial year. The current coach is Chris Byrne.-History:...
and temporary home (1992–1995) for the Ottawa Senators
Ottawa Senators
The Ottawa Senators are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
before 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...
(formerly the Corel Centre, prior to that it was called The Palladium) was completed.
The area that became the park was purchased from local farmers in 1868 by the City of Ottawa Agricultural Society. From the canal two bodies of water jut into the Glebe: Patterson Creek
Patterson Creek (Ottawa)
Patterson Creek is a small body of water in the middle of Ottawa, Canada. The creek was originally a small stream flowing east through a swampy area to the Rideau River. The construction of the Rideau Canal blocked the creek causing it to become much larger in size. The Creek originally ran from...
and Brown's Inlet
Brown's Inlet
Brown's Inlet is a body of water in central Ottawa. A former creek, it grew considerably in size with the creation of the Rideau Canal, into which it now empties. Originally considerably larger, the inlet was shortened and divided so that today on the surface it is two ponds, but they are connected...
. These areas are surrounded by parks and some of the city's most expensive homes.
The last Saturday in May of each year brings the "Great Glebe Garage Sale
Garage sale
A garage sale, also known as a yard sale, rummage sale, tag sale, lawn sale, attic sale, moving sale, or junk sale, is an informal, irregularly scheduled event for the sale of used goods by private individuals, in which "block sales" are allowed, so that sellers are not required to obtain business...
" to the neighbourhood; every household that participates puts items out for sale, attracting a large contingent of bargain hunters to the area. Sellers are expected to donate a portion of the proceeds to a designated charity.
History
The area is called the Glebe because in the initial 1837 survey of Ottawa the area was allocated to St. Andrew's Presbyterian ChurchSt. Andrew's Presbyterian Church (Ottawa)
St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church is the oldest Presbyterian church in Ottawa, Canada.-Creation:St. Andrews is Ottawa's oldest Protestant [Presbyterian Church in Canada] congregation, with the original church opening in 1828...
. The word "glebe
Glebe
Glebe Glebe Glebe (also known as Church furlong or parson's closes is an area of land within a manor and parish used to support a parish priest.-Medieval origins:...
" means church lands and the area was originally known as "the glebe lands of St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church". When the area was opened for development in 1870, real estate agents began to refer to it simply as "The Glebe".
The Glebe was one of Ottawa's first suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
s. In 1900, the Ottawa Electric Street Railway
OC Transpo
OC Transpo is the urban transit service of the City of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. An integrated hub-and-spoke system of services is available consisting of: regular buses travelling on fixed routes in mixed traffic, typical of most urban transit systems; a bus rapid transit system — a high...
was established, with one of its first routes running south along Bank Street. This allowed workers to live in the Glebe and take the street car to work. Most Glebe houses date from this era, and it became home to many middle-class workers. A number of the more upscale residences were designed by renowned Canadian architects W.E. Noffke
W.E. Noffke
W. E. Noffke was a residential architect in Ottawa, Canada. His houses, some of the grandest in the city of the time, are in eclectic style, often with Mediterranean influences...
and David Younghusband
David Younghusband
David Younghusband was a residential architect and building contractor in Ottawa, Canada. His houses, typically brick construction in the arts and crafts style and featuring a centre hall plan, form a prominent part of the residential architectural fabric in a number of Ottawa neighbourhoods...
, while others were pattern-book homes built by local builders based on catalog designs similar to foursquare
American Foursquare
The American Foursquare or American Four Square is an American house style popular from the mid-1890s to the late 1930s. A reaction to the ornate and mass produced elements of the Victorian and other Revival styles popular throughout the last half of the 19th century, the American Foursquare was...
architecture elsewhere in North America.
In the middle part of the century the Glebe changed as the middle class moved to more distant suburbs such as Alta Vista
Alta Vista (Ottawa)
Alta Vista is a neighbourhood in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Its boundaries can be broadly described as: Smyth Road in the north, St. Laurent Boulevard in the east, Walkley Road and Heron Road in the south, and Bank Street and Riverside Drive in the west...
and Nepean
Nepean, Ontario
- Recent quantity of snow :- History :Nepean Township, originally known as Township D, was established in 1792 and originally included what is now the central area of Ottawa west of the Rideau River. Jehiel Collins, from Vermont, is believed to have been the first person to settle in Nepean...
and the Glebe became transformed into a predominantly working-class neighbourhood with the houses subdivided into multiple apartments or turned into rooming houses.
The neighbourhood began to change again in the 1970s when it underwent significant gentrification
Gentrification
Gentrification and urban gentrification refer to the changes that result when wealthier people acquire or rent property in low income and working class communities. Urban gentrification is associated with movement. Consequent to gentrification, the average income increases and average family size...
and became one of Ottawa's elite neighbourhoods. These changes are obvious in the census. From 1971 to 1996 the percentage of the population with university degrees rose from 10 to 60 percent. White collar employment grew from less than half to some 95%. While in 1971 Glebe residents were 14 percent poorer than the average citizen of Ottawa, in 1996 they were 18 percent wealthier.
Churches
- Blessed Sacrament Catholic ChurchBlessed Sacrament Catholic Church (Ottawa)Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church is a Catholic church in the Glebe neighbourhood of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The parish was founded on March 25, 1913, with the first building being a simple chapel. When the current building opened in 1932, its plain design and lack of ornamentation caused local...
- Glebe-St. James United ChurchGlebe-St. James United ChurchGlebe St. James United Church, located in Ottawa's Glebe neighbourhood, was formed in 1965 from a merger of the Glebe and St. James congregations...
- St. Giles Presbyterian ChurchSt. Giles Presbyterian Church (Ottawa)St. Giles Presbyterian Church is a member of the Presbyterian Church in Canada located in Ottawa, Ontario. It was formed in 1925 by a minority group from Glebe Presbyterian, and a few other congregations, that did not support the vote to enter the United Church of Canada.It is located on the...
- St. Matthew's Anglican ChurchSt. Matthew's Anglican Church, OttawaSt. Matthew's Anglican Church is an Anglican church in the Glebe neighbourhood of Ottawa, Canada. Founded in 1898 to serve the growing areait is the third oldest Anglican parish in central Ottawa after St. Alban's and St. Bartholomew's. The original building was a wooden structure designed by...
Schools
Elementary schoolElementary school
An elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...
s
- First Avenue Public SchoolFirst Avenue Public SchoolFirst Avenue Public School is an elementary school in Ottawa, Ontario Canada. Built in 1898 it is one of only three survivors of a group of school houses built in Ottawa in the late nineteenth century. The nearby Mutchmor Public School being another. The building is today an officially...
- Corpus Christi SchoolCorpus Christi School (Ottawa)Corpus Christi School is located in Ottawa, Ontario, founded in 1926. It is a Catholic elementary school publicly funded under the Ontario school system. The current principal is Monica C. Kerwin, who replaced the retiring former principal, Bonnie McLaurin....
- Mutchmor Public SchoolMutchmor Public SchoolMutchmor Public School is an elementary school in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is located in The Glebe neighbourhood at the corner of Fifth Avenue and Lyon. It is run by the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board...
Secondary school
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
s
- Glebe Collegiate InstituteGlebe Collegiate InstituteGlebe Collegiate Institute is a high school in the Glebe neighbourhood of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Administered by the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board, Glebe Collegiate Institute has approximately 1,500 students; students and sports teams are referred to as "Gryphons".The school offers many...
- Lisgar Collegiate InstituteLisgar Collegiate InstituteLisgar Collegiate Institute is an Ottawa-Carleton District School Board secondary school in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.Lisgar Collegiate Institute, one of the country's best regarded public schools, is located in downtown Ottawa by the Rideau Canal and is only a few blocks from Canada's Parliament Hill...
(just north of the Glebe proper) - Immaculata High SchoolImmaculata High School (Ottawa)Immaculata High School is a Roman Catholic high school in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, operated by the Ottawa Catholic School Board. It is currently located along the Rideau Canal in Old Ottawa East neighbourhood of Ottawa...
(just east of the Glebe proper)
Junior high schools
Middle school
Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...
- Hopewell (just south of the Glebe proper)
- Glashan Public SchoolGlashan Public SchoolGlashan Public School is an Ottawa, Ontario junior high school teaching grade seven and grade eight. It is located in the Centretown neighbourhood between Kent Street and Bank Street....
(just north of the Glebe proper)
Restaurants
- Naji's Lebanese Restaurant and Take-Out
- The Arrow and the Loon
- Canal Ritz
- The Clocktower
- Corner Bar and Grill
- Feleena's
- Flippers
- Fratelli
- Infusion Bistro
- Jericho
- Kettleman's Bagels
- La Strada
- Light of India
- Mexicali Rosa's
- MVP Lounge
- New Nupur
- Royal Oak
- Siam Kitchen
- Von's Bistro
- The Wild Oat
- The Works
External links
- The Glebe - Evolution of an Ottawa Neighbourhood
- The Story of the Glebe
- The Glebe Community Association
- Flickr Photos of The Glebe
See also
- GlebeGlebeGlebe Glebe Glebe (also known as Church furlong or parson's closes is an area of land within a manor and parish used to support a parish priest.-Medieval origins:...
- List of Ottawa neighbourhoods