Lansdowne Park facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Lansdowne Park |
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| Type | Urban Park |
| Location | 1015 Bank Street, Ottawa, Ontario |
| Area | 40 acres (16 ha) |
| Created | 1868 |
| Operated by | City of Ottawa |
Lansdowne Park is a 40-acre (16 ha) park in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It's a special place with a long history of sports, exhibitions, and fun events. The City of Ottawa owns this park.
You can find Lansdowne Park on Bank Street, right next to the Rideau Canal. It's in a neighbourhood called The Glebe. Inside the park, there's the TD Place Stadium and Arena. You'll also find the Aberdeen Pavilion and the Horticulture Building.
Starting in 2012, Lansdowne Park got a big makeover. Parts of the stadium were rebuilt. New shops and homes were also added. The area along the Rideau Canal, which used to be a parking lot, became a beautiful urban park. It now has green spaces and places to play. Parking was moved underground. New basketball courts, a skate park, and water features were also built.
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A Look Back: Lansdowne Park's History
The story of Lansdowne Park began in 1847. The government gave 24.5 acres of land to what was then called Bytown (now Ottawa). Over the next few years, more land was bought. This created the first grounds of Lansdowne Park.
Some important events happened here early on. In 1875, Ottawa hosted a big agricultural exhibition. In 1877, something amazing happened: the first public demonstration of the telephone in Canada took place at an exhibition here!
The City of Ottawa bought more land in 1883 to make space for bigger fairs. In 1888, the Central Canada Exhibition Association was formed. They built new halls and a grandstand. The first Central Canada Exhibition opened on September 20, 1888. This fair happened every year until 2010. In 1890, the park was named after the 5th Marquess of Lansdowne. He was Canada's Governor General from 1883 to 1888.
The Aberdeen Pavilion has a special military history. Soldiers gathered there before heading off to war. Troops for the Boer War and First World War were there. During World War II, it was a place where thousands of Canadian soldiers joined up.
In 1947, a huge religious event called the Marian Congress was held at Lansdowne Park. Many thousands of people attended. A large outdoor area was built for the event. The famous Dionne Quintuplets even sang hymns. The event ended with a massive fireworks show.
In 1952, the park was chosen as a meeting point for people if there was ever a nuclear attack on Ottawa. This was part of a civil defence exercise.
Over the years, the City of Ottawa has made changes to the park. Some old buildings were taken down. More green space was added. The Aberdeen Pavilion was also restored.
Sports and Entertainment at Lansdowne
Lansdowne Park has always been a major sports hub in Ottawa. Its venues have hosted many championship games. These include curling, figure skating, Canadian football, ice hockey, and Association football (soccer).
The Aberdeen Pavilion hosted Stanley Cup championship games in 1904. The Civic Centre (now TD Place Arena) has hosted the Canadian Men's curling championship. It also held Canadian and World figure skating championships. The Memorial Cup for junior hockey was played there too.
TD Place Stadium has a long history of sports. It's been used for baseball, football, lacrosse, and soccer. It even hosted Grey Cup football games and World Cup Under 20 soccer championships. Professional baseball teams like the Ottawa Giants played here. Football teams like the Ottawa Rough Riders and Ottawa Renegades also called it home. Today, the University of Ottawa football team uses the field.
There used to be a dirt track at the field. It was first used for horse racing. In 1955, it was changed for stock car racing. The track was made longer and paved in 1957. Even though it was popular, stock car racing was stopped after people living nearby complained.
The Horticulture Building, built in 1914, was designed to be a curling rink in winter. It was also used for exhibitions at other times of the year.
Exhibitions and Fun Events
The park was home to the annual Central Canada Exhibition, also known as the 'Ottawa Super Ex'. This fair ran from 1888 until 2010. It used the whole park, offering farm exhibits, cultural displays, rides, and shows for 10 days every August.
The Arena at TD Place is often used for other big shows. These include home shows, industrial exhibitions, and conventions. Since 1967, Lansdowne Park has also been a popular spot for music concerts. These concerts happen both inside the Arena and outside on the stadium field.
Lansdowne Park's Big Makeover
In 2007, some cracks were found in Frank Clair Stadium. This meant part of the stadium had to be taken down. The City of Ottawa then started looking at ways to redevelop Lansdowne Park.
A group of Ottawa business people, called the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group (OSEG), wanted to bring a new Canadian Football League team to Ottawa. They needed a stadium to play in. OSEG suggested working with the city to rebuild the stadium. They also wanted to add shops and homes to help pay for the project. The City of Ottawa agreed to work with OSEG.
The redevelopment plan had two main parts. OSEG focused on the stadium area and along Bank Street. A competition was held to design a new urban park along the Rideau Canal. The OSEG plan included new buildings along Bank Street and new stands for the football stadium. It also added new homes and shops north of the stadium. The new green space along the Rideau Canal was designed to be a beautiful front lawn for Lansdowne.
The project was a big investment. The city paid for part of the stadium renovation and parking. OSEG paid for the commercial development. A new urban park was also built. Even though some people in Ottawa disagreed with the plan, the project went ahead. Courts reviewed the project and allowed it to continue. The redevelopment was mostly finished by 2015.
Images for kids
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The Aberdeen Pavilion exhibition hall, built 1898
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Lansdowne Park, seen from above before its big makeover.
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TD Place and Lansdowne Park in mid-October 2019.
