Blossom Park, Ontario
Encyclopedia
Blossom Park is a suburb
an community located in the south-end of the city of Ottawa
, Ontario
. It is considered an outer-suburb of the city. Before the 2001 city of Ottawa amalgamation it was a suburb of the city of Gloucester
.
Population (2006): 12,361.
The area was cleared and farmed by settlers who began to arrive in the early decades of the 19th Century. Early settlers included Charles Kinmond, a native of Perthshire
, Scotland, Leonard Wood (1805–1888) and his wife Martha (1821–1905) and John Halpenny (1818–1873) who hailed from Wicklow, Ireland. Their farms were accessed by the Metcalfe Road, later known as Highway 31 (now Bank Street
) which became a major regional thoroughfare by the middle of the century.
The first known reference to "Blossom Park" appeared in a subdivision plan which was drafted by the Bytown Suburb and Land Company. It was approved by the Gloucester Township council on November 6, 1911 and filed at the Carleton County land registry office in Ottawa. A street grid was established but little development took place and the area remained essentially rural through the first half of the 20th Century. It was transformed into a suburban community with the construction of bungalows on 150 x 100 foot lots along Central Boulevard (now Kingsdale Avenue) and Rosebella Avenue and on the north side of Lawrence Avenue (now Queensdale) between Albion and Conroy Roads in the 1950s. Lots on the south side of Queensdale between the future site of the Sawmill Creek Housing Co-op (built 1983-84) and Conroy were sold piecemeal for residential development beginning in 1960.
Lots fronting on the east side of Highway 31 were severed by farmer John W. Goth (1878-1959) and sold piecemeal for residential development beginning in 1947.
Saint Bernard (Roman Catholic) Parish was established in 1957. Saint Bernard School had opened its doors in 1955 followed by the adjacent Blossom Park Public School in 1956 and later Sainte Bernadette: a French-language Roman Catholic School on the east side of Sixth Street which opened in 1965. The Kmart Plaza (now the Blossom Park Shopping Centre) opened in 1970. Transit service was extended to the community by the Ottawa Transportation Commission (now OC Transpo) in 1972.
The Quail Ridge subdivision was constructed in the late 1970s followed by Bernard Court (which was built in 1980) and the Victoria Heights neighbourhood which was constructed in the late 1980s.
Wood's Cemetery, on a hill on the west side of Bank Street was formally established in 1881, but the site had actually been used by settlers as a burial ground from the 1850s or earlier, the oldest marked grave being that of Charles Kinmond who died December 19, 1859. The adjacent Jewish Cemetery, now known as the Jewish Memorial Gardens, was established early in the 20th Century.
The Gloucester Presbyterian Church, which was built in 1928 and stood on the west side of Highway 31 near Sieveright Road was demolished in 1990.
The Aladdin Drive-In on Albion Road was a major local attraction from 1948 until its demolition in the 1990s.
Blossom Park residents welcomed Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip when their motorcade passed through the community during the royal tour commemorating the centennial of Confederation in 1967. Former Prime Minister John Diefenbaker
visited Blossom Park Public School in 1971.
Blossom Park reached a major milestone on the road from rural to suburban with the opening of the Kmart Plaza (now Blossom Park Shopping Centre) on the site of a former cow pasture on the southwest corner of Highway 31 (Bank Street) and Queensdale Avenue in August 1970. Originally anchored by Kmart, the mall now features Farm Boy
, Dollar It!, Giant Tiger
, a dentist, hair dresser, Telus store and a Greek restaurant.
The current limits of the neighbourhood are: Hunt Club Road
to the north, Airport Parkway
to the west, Conroy Road
to the east and the Greenbelt to the south (near Lester Road).
The north-south light-rail line project (which was cancelled in 2006) was planned to pass on the western edge of the area when the expansion would have been completed in 2009. Natives disputed ownership of a parcel of land with the city of Ottawa that was to be used by the LRT line.
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
an community located in the south-end of the city of Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
. It is considered an outer-suburb of the city. Before the 2001 city of Ottawa amalgamation it was a suburb of the city of Gloucester
Gloucester, Ontario
Gloucester is a suburb of and within the City of Ottawa. Gloucester Township was established in 1792 and originally included lands east of the Rideau River from the Ottawa River south to Manotick. It was incorporated as a township in 1850 and became a city in 1981...
.
Population (2006): 12,361.
The area was cleared and farmed by settlers who began to arrive in the early decades of the 19th Century. Early settlers included Charles Kinmond, a native of Perthshire
Perthshire
Perthshire, officially the County of Perth , is a registration county in central Scotland. It extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the north, Rannoch Moor and Ben Lui in the west, and Aberfoyle in the south...
, Scotland, Leonard Wood (1805–1888) and his wife Martha (1821–1905) and John Halpenny (1818–1873) who hailed from Wicklow, Ireland. Their farms were accessed by the Metcalfe Road, later known as Highway 31 (now Bank Street
Bank Street (Ottawa)
Bank Street is the major north-south road in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It runs south from Wellington Street in downtown Ottawa, south through the neighbourhoods of Centretown, The Glebe, Old Ottawa South, Alta Vista, Hunt Club, and then through the villages of Blossom Park, Leitrim, South...
) which became a major regional thoroughfare by the middle of the century.
The first known reference to "Blossom Park" appeared in a subdivision plan which was drafted by the Bytown Suburb and Land Company. It was approved by the Gloucester Township council on November 6, 1911 and filed at the Carleton County land registry office in Ottawa. A street grid was established but little development took place and the area remained essentially rural through the first half of the 20th Century. It was transformed into a suburban community with the construction of bungalows on 150 x 100 foot lots along Central Boulevard (now Kingsdale Avenue) and Rosebella Avenue and on the north side of Lawrence Avenue (now Queensdale) between Albion and Conroy Roads in the 1950s. Lots on the south side of Queensdale between the future site of the Sawmill Creek Housing Co-op (built 1983-84) and Conroy were sold piecemeal for residential development beginning in 1960.
Lots fronting on the east side of Highway 31 were severed by farmer John W. Goth (1878-1959) and sold piecemeal for residential development beginning in 1947.
Saint Bernard (Roman Catholic) Parish was established in 1957. Saint Bernard School had opened its doors in 1955 followed by the adjacent Blossom Park Public School in 1956 and later Sainte Bernadette: a French-language Roman Catholic School on the east side of Sixth Street which opened in 1965. The Kmart Plaza (now the Blossom Park Shopping Centre) opened in 1970. Transit service was extended to the community by the Ottawa Transportation Commission (now OC Transpo) in 1972.
The Quail Ridge subdivision was constructed in the late 1970s followed by Bernard Court (which was built in 1980) and the Victoria Heights neighbourhood which was constructed in the late 1980s.
Wood's Cemetery, on a hill on the west side of Bank Street was formally established in 1881, but the site had actually been used by settlers as a burial ground from the 1850s or earlier, the oldest marked grave being that of Charles Kinmond who died December 19, 1859. The adjacent Jewish Cemetery, now known as the Jewish Memorial Gardens, was established early in the 20th Century.
The Gloucester Presbyterian Church, which was built in 1928 and stood on the west side of Highway 31 near Sieveright Road was demolished in 1990.
The Aladdin Drive-In on Albion Road was a major local attraction from 1948 until its demolition in the 1990s.
Blossom Park residents welcomed Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip when their motorcade passed through the community during the royal tour commemorating the centennial of Confederation in 1967. Former Prime Minister John Diefenbaker
John Diefenbaker
John George Diefenbaker, PC, CH, QC was the 13th Prime Minister of Canada, serving from June 21, 1957, to April 22, 1963...
visited Blossom Park Public School in 1971.
Blossom Park reached a major milestone on the road from rural to suburban with the opening of the Kmart Plaza (now Blossom Park Shopping Centre) on the site of a former cow pasture on the southwest corner of Highway 31 (Bank Street) and Queensdale Avenue in August 1970. Originally anchored by Kmart, the mall now features Farm Boy
Farm Boy
Farm Boy is an Ottawa, Canada based Eastern Ontario regional supermarket chain that sells primarily fresh produce, baked goods, organic foods, dairy, deli, meat, fish and some prepared products including a private label line...
, Dollar It!, Giant Tiger
Giant Tiger
Giant Tiger Stores Limited is Canada’s third-largest chain of discount stores . Following the 2006 acquisition of Zellers and its parent, the Hudson's Bay Company, by American entrepreneur Jerry Zucker, Giant Tiger became the largest Canadian-owned discount retailer...
, a dentist, hair dresser, Telus store and a Greek restaurant.
The current limits of the neighbourhood are: Hunt Club Road
Hunt Club Road (Ottawa)
Hunt Club Road also known as Ottawa Road #32, is a major east-west route in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Hunt Club originally ran from Albion Road to Riverside Drive, but was extended east to Hawthorne Road in the late 1980s. The section between Bank Street and Riverside Drive, originally only one lane...
to the north, Airport Parkway
Airport Parkway (Ottawa)
Airport Parkway is an expressway in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It runs from the Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport to an interchange with Heron Road where it turns into Bronson Avenue.-Route description:...
to the west, Conroy Road
Conroy Road (Ottawa)
Conroy Road is a road in the City of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It runs from Walkley Road in the north to Bank Street in the south. Conroy Road forms the eastern fringe of the neighbourhood of Blossom Park, Ontario and ends in the community of Kemp Park, Ontario. Conroy Road is home to Pine Grove...
to the east and the Greenbelt to the south (near Lester Road).
The north-south light-rail line project (which was cancelled in 2006) was planned to pass on the western edge of the area when the expansion would have been completed in 2009. Natives disputed ownership of a parcel of land with the city of Ottawa that was to be used by the LRT line.