Many streets in Ottawa, particularly in Centretown, are named for early Ottawans. Bell Street is no exception.
Its namesake was Robert Bell, an influential early Bytown resident, journalist and politician.
Bell’s contribution to Ottawa is significant: in 1849, he bought the newspaper that would later become the Ottawa Citizen, and after a stint on the Bytown town council, he represented the county of Russell in the provincial parliament from 1861 to 1867. Bell was also president and co-founder of the Bytown and Prescott Railway.
The street now spans two neighbourhoods. Starting in the heart of Chinatown and ending in the Glebe, it is split in half, separated by the Queensway into Bell Street. North, and Bell Street South.
No matter where you intersect with Bell Street., the homes and apartments are squeezed together, packed tightly as though the street has been shrink-wrapped. The charming older homes contrast with the newer, more modern row houses scattered along the street’s landscape. Fairview Towers apartment complex, occupying almost an entire block, stands out with its aged and weathered exterior with more than 10 storeys of high-density flats.
With front yards a rarity, front doors often open right onto the sidewalk. Green space and trees are limited on Bell Street, save for a vacant lot where the street intersects with Christie Street. Cars and trucks line the narrow one-way street as only a few of the homes have driveways, and in the winter months, high snow banks constrict traffic even more.
Two large redbrick churches act as bookends. At one end, St. Luke’s Anglican Church marks the beginning of the street. At the other end, the building that once housed the Bell Street United Church, and now houses the Korean Community Church, marks the end of Centretown’s section of the lengthy street.