The City Centre building, located just to the south of Ottawa’s Lebreton Flats, is a curiously contradictory building featuring an office block at the north end of a curved, 2-storey warehouse block complete with rear access ramps and front exterior walkways.  It was originally constructed to serve the more industrial base of the Flats that was wiped out around the time the building was completed.  Without the industrial uses, the City Centre developed in isolation from the surrounding area which includes a high percentage of residential uses.

As the building aged, it did so poorly, as its materials were not well suited to a building that was expected to be more than a basic industrial building.  At its lowest point, it was identified as one of Ottawa’s worst eyesores.  This characterization became one of its strengths as the rents were relatively affordable and the locations is within the orbit of downtown Ottawa with easy access to the Transitway.  It is now home to a range of tenants within the warehouse spaces including Art-is-in Bakery, Maker Space and Orange Gallery, among others.  With these new tenants and a recent limited facelift, the City Centre appears to be here to stay, at least for the foreseeable future.

This is the type of building that is lacking in the City; the type of building that provides the opportunity for businesses and initiatives to develop with the flexibility to take a bit more time to work through the challenges of growing a business or initiative and encouraging word-of-mouth.  Ottawa would be well served to nurture the slow evolution of more buildings like this.  It may not be the prettiest building, but it definitely functions well and reminds Ottawa of its formerly industrial roots.