Elgin Street (Ottawa)
Elgin Street is a
street in
Ottawa,
Ontario,
Canada. Originally named
Biddy's Lane, it was later named after
Lord Elgin.
The north/south running street begins at
Wellington Street near the northern end of Ottawa, just east of the
Parliament buildings and just west of the bridge of the
Rideau Canal. In the centre of Elgin Street for the first two blocks is
Confederation Square, home of Canada's
National War Memorial. To the south of this on the east of Elgin is the
National Arts Centre, to the west is the
British High Commission. Continuing south Elgin passes
Confederation Park to the east, and the
Lord Elgin Hotel to the west. outh of the park, just past
Laurier Avenue is the
Ottawa Court House, across from the
First Baptist Church, followed by
City Hall (former Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton Headquarters), and
Knox Presbyterian Church.
South of this, the street becomes mainly a business area, home to a number of stores, restaurants, and bars. Progressing south, the street steadily becomes more residential, home to low rise apartment buildings. Elgin ends at the
Queensway, where it turns into
Hawthorne Avenue, before turning east, and going over the
Rideau Canal at the
Pretoria Bridge. At the southern end of Elgin, is the headquarters of the Ottawa police force.