Exploring the Capital: An Architectural Guide to the Ottawa Region

by Andrew Waldron, Peter Coffman (Photographer), Harold Kalman (Contributor)

The many and varied threads of Canada’s national life come together in its capital region. Where the Rideau River flows into the Ottawa River, an Algonquin community was visited by French explorers and settled by British colonists. The town grew into a city, spilled over a provincial border, and now represents Canada to the world.

Ottawa is a seat of government and has all the official edifices to show for it. But as Andrew Waldron shows you in Exploring the Capital, it’s a lot more than that. Follow the twelve guided-tours covering all corners of the region in Ontario and Quebec and you’ll encounter homes and schools, cultural sites and green spaces, houses of worship and shrines to commerce. Early houses, humble or magnificent, from the era of the lumber barons can be found steps away from the latest in sleek condominiums and office towers built for sustainability. Waldron takes you behind the doors of more than 390 diverse structures to learn who made them, how, and why.

Exploring the Capital is for architectural experts and amateurs, and for residents and visitors alike. Visit Ottawa’s landmarks and neighbourhoods through its stories, maps, and photographs, and learn how great design and engineering turn landscapes into cityscapes.

Genres: Architecture, Nonfiction

208 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 31, 2017

Reviews

[Jason Machinski · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent read it has many interesting tidbits of info on Ottawa and its architecture. I have lived in Ottawa for years and used the city’s buildings and spaces as backdrops for portraits, however, this book has given me so many more ideas and places to explore.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is an enjoyable, easy-to-read description of buildings in the national capital region broken down by walking/biking/driving tours. There are many historical tidbits, but the focus, as suggested in the title, is architecture. The treatment of style and architectural considerations isn't heavy at all. It adds to the enjoyment of the read. There's a glossary at the end of the book which helps decode the occasional sentence like "The pedimented central bay flanked by scroll-like volutes is a device seen in Italian Baroque churches."

I found this book to be an eye-opener. I've passed many (possibly most) of these buildings over the years and with few exceptions haven't given them a second thought. The book's drawn my attention to just how much of our environment is built, and how much thought and work goes into each building. I also realized in reading about one well-to-do neighbourhood that I hadn't really visited it much or seen many of its impressive old stately homes. So I went for a drive through it recently, which I greatly enjoyed.

The book's well worth a read. It's an enticing guide to some of the treasures in the area.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great architectural tour through Ottawa and region, great enough to entice me out of the armchair and seek out some of these wonderful buildings. I borrowed this from the library, but I think I'll need to purchase a copy for our home library, as I'm sure it will be well-used over the years. Loved learning about a hidden little road in my neck of the woods, full of architect-designed dream homes.