Sussex and George: The case of the disappearing view

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This past week, Chapters’ Rideau Street store reopened their childrens’ section on the second floor, newly rebranded as part of their “IndigoKids” program. The northwestern corner of the second floor had been undergoing those renovations for a month, so a certain degree of change was expected.

But what I saw — or rather, what I didn’t see — when I first visited the reopened section at the upper end of the escalators was a surprise, though.

Where was the wonderful view of Sussex and George from the windows at the northwest corner of the building? In fact, where were the windows?

Confused, and sure something had gone missing, I went outside and looked up … and of course, I saw right away that the glass is still in place in the outer walls of the building. It’s just that the windows are no longer usable as windows. They are now — and for what looks like the foreseeable future — walled off by shelving for merchandise. The wide angle view of the intersection of Sussex and George Streets that’s been part of the store’s charm since Chapters first took over and remodeled the former Woolworth’s store is no more for the purposes of their customers.

Granted that the need of retail stores to maximize the revenue-earning ability of every square centimetre of floor space possible is a never-ending one. Also, there are still functional picture windows on both floors of that location. However, it seems to these eyes at least that something has been lost in that pursuit: the charm of a “birds’ eye” view of a key intersection of one of our city’s oldest neighbourhoods, and a space for relaxation – of the staff or the patrons, or perhaps those simply visiting the store for the moment.

Another view elsewhere in the downtown has been changed this past year. In this instance, whether or not the trade-off was a good one is more debatable.

On the site of the old Ottawa Congress Centre, the new Ottawa Convention Centre opened for business this past spring. As most Ottawans who either live in or regularly visit the downtown core already know, the rebuilding involved a radical redesign. The roof of the old complex was connected directly to the rest of the Rideau Centre shopping centre’s rooftop garden spaces. This provided a picturesque view of the Rideau Canal right across the street.

As can be seen from the above photo, the raising of the Convention Centre’s height by the equivalent of two stories wasn’t designed to allow patrons of either the Convention Centre or the Rideau Centre to continue enjoying that view in the open air, save from the exterior staircases bracketing the Convention Centre on either end along the Canal-facing side of the building.

A personal opinion: the southern exterior staircase connecting McKenzie King Bridge to Colonel By Drive (seen above) preserves the best elements of the old view and its sight lines.

all photos by the author