Embassy of the United States in Ottawa
From Biocrawler, the free encyclopedia.
The United States embassy in Ottawa is one of Ottawa's most notable buildings and one of America's most impressive embassy buildings. It was opened in 1999. Previously the United States embassy was in a plum location across the street from the parliament buildings. Built in the 1930s this building proved to be too small and embassy employees were spread between eight other Ottawa buildings. The old structure and the spread out employees made it very difficult to provide an ideal level of security. The road to a new embassy was a long and difficult one, with attempts made at getting a new structure beginning in the 1960s. Finding an appropriate site and receiving acceptance from both governments proved to be difficult. One proposal to build the embassy in Rockcliffe Park, near the Aviation Museum of Canada was opposed by locals who worried about security threats and congestion.
The new embassy is located on what used to be a small hill and parking lot on the western edge of the Byward Market. Early in Ottawa's history it had been the site of a number of small homes and businesses, but the land was expropriated by the federal government during the First World War and a temporary office building was built on the site to house government workers. The building was torn down after the war, but another temporary structure was built on the site during World War II, this structure survived until 1972 when it was razed and left as a parking lot.
To the west of the embassy is Major's Hill Park while the National Gallery of Canada is just to the northwest of the new embassy. The building's design, done by noted architect David Childs, was somewhat controversial in Ottawa. It was built in a very American style foreign to Canada. Others complained that the structure overshadowed the historic market. Local businesses also complained worrying about the danger posed by potential terrorist attacks against the embassy. These complaints were aggravated after the September 11th Attacks when a number of roads around the embassy were blocked congesting traffic and hurting businesses. To this day traffic flow on Sussex Drive has been hampered by the closing of one of the lanes in order to place extra barriers. Many others feel the structure is a significant Ottawa landmark that adds much to the city.
The embassy was dedicated by President Bill Clinton on October 8, 1999, the first time in American history a president had personally dedicated a new embassy.
See also:
External link
- Official Site (http://www.usembassycanada.gov/content/index.asp)
