John Diefenbaker Building, Ottawa, Ontario
Posted by: Weathervane
N 45° 26.323 W 075° 41.646
18T E 445713 N 5031922
The John Diefenbaker building, previously Ottawa's city hall from 1958 to 2000, and now commonly known as Old City Hall, is located on Sussex Drive, in Ottawa, Ontario. The odd shape part of the building was built in 1988 during a major expansion.
Waymark Code: WMX6Y4
Location: Ontario, Canada
Date Posted: 12/05/2017
Views: 17
There is a walkway on the east side of the building that will take you to this waymark.
The John G. Diefenbaker Building is a building in the New Edinburgh neighbourhood of Ottawa, Ontario. The building served as Ottawa's city hall from 1958 to 2000, and is commonly known as Old City Hall. Purchased in 2003 by the Government of Canada, it was known by its municipal address, 111 Sussex Drive, until September, 2011 when it was renamed after Canada's 13th prime minister, John Diefenbaker.
In 1988 Ottawa mayor Jim Durrell initiated a controversial[3] scheme to expand the building, quadrupling its original size. Architect Moshe Safdie was chosen for the redesign, carried out in 1992-93. Conflict soon broke out between Safdie and the city.[4] Safdie demanded a higher fee and delayed the project for several months before the city acquiesced to his demand. Then a conflict broke out over a pair of eighteen story observation towers. City council voted to cut the towers to save the million dollars they cost. This infuriated Safdie who felt the towers were essential to the design. The panel that picked the design had singled out the tower as one of the highlights of the design. Eventually the city compromised and a bare scaffold was erected.
The new building caused considerable controversy in the city with some liking the design, but others seeing the $72 million structure a waste of money.[citation needed] The building was much larger than the city needed and for several years large sections were vacant.[citation needed] In 1999 offices were rented out to Global Affairs Canada, which is based nearby, and this mostly filled the building.
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