Two buildings were demolished, two were completely refurbished and another, the West Block, is nearing the end of a massive transformation. One building has a new tenant, another finally convinced its tenant to move out, and a third is close to finding a tenant at long last.<\/p>\n
Obviously, these aren’t the only changes in Ottawa in the last five years. Work continues on\u00a0the light rail system, and landmark buildings, like the old train station and the National Arts Centre, are in the middle of renovations.<\/p>\n
But here’s a second look at how the eight federally-owned buildings we profiled\u00a0have changed, and what work is left to be done.<\/p>\n
West Block<\/h2>\n
In 2011, when work began on the 146-year-old West Block of Parliament, it might have seemed insurmountable: crumbling masonry and mortar joints, asbestos in the walls and outdated mechanical, electrical and emergency systems.<\/p>\n
- \n
- \n
The West Block: A look inside Parliament Hill’s $863M fixer-upper<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Then there was the addition: a glass-roofed infill structure in the covered courtyard that will served as the House of Commons chamber when work begins to restore the Centre Block.<\/p>\n
With the $863-million\u00a0job now getting closer to completion (its expected to done in \u2014 surprise \u2014 2017) the federal government provided a preview this fall, which you can see in the photos below.<\/p>\n
\nWellington building<\/h2>\n
The Wellington building had been vacant since 2010, as repairs \u2014 estimated at $425.2 million \u2014 began to remove asbestos, refit the interior and repair the exterior. In 2016, that work was completed, with doors, windows, masonry and the building’s copper roof.<\/p>\n
Undoubtedly one of the visual highlights of the fix was the restoration of the dramatic ceiling mosaic inside the main entrance.<\/p>\n
You can see it and more in the photo gallery below. To see more photos, visit our feature page<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n
Former U.S. embassy<\/h2>\n
The former U.S. embassy, at 100 Wellington St.,\u00a0has been vacant since 1999, with many false starts along the way, including then prime minister Jean Chr\u00e9tien’s ill-fated plan in 2001 to turn the building into a portrait gallery.<\/p>\n
In August,\u00a0the current government polled the public to ask what they wanted to see it used for, providing a few options, and some 7,137 people responded.<\/p>\n
The results<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>favour using the space as a\u00a0‘Canada House,’ a venue to celebrate the diversity present in\u00a0all parts of the country. There was also support for using it as a gallery space\u00a0or an Indigenous cultural centre.<\/p>\n
![\"Former](\"http:\/\/usa.timesofnews.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/RSSPoster_PRO\/cache\/c8b57_former-u-s-embassy-on-wellington-street-in-ottawa.JPG\")
<\/p>\nThe former U.S. Embassy at 100 Wellington Street, which is across the street from Parliament Hill in Ottawa, remains abandoned. (Google Streetview)<\/p>\n
Sir John Carling building<\/h2>\n
The plan in 2011 was to demolish the Sir John Carling building, the former\u00a0home to 1,200 bureaucrats.<\/p>\n
Sir John Carling building demolished<\/strong>0:38<\/p>\n
Then after that, the plan was to landscape it.<\/p>\n
But along the way, local politics became intertwined with federal interests, and in December 2016\u00a0the site was pegged as the likely new home of the Ottawa Civic campus<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n
- \n
- Government set to cede Sir John Carling site after politicians unite on hospital move<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
144 Wellington St.<\/h2>\n
![\"Sir](\"http:\/\/usa.timesofnews.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/RSSPoster_PRO\/cache\/c8b57_sir-john-a-macdonald-building.jpg\")
<\/p>\nThe former Bank of Montreal building was restored and renamed the Sir John A Macdonald building in 2015. (Google)<\/p>\n
Renovations to repair the former Bank of Montreal building began in 2012 and were completed in 2015.\u00a0Built in the early 1930s, it was\u00a0refurbished and renamed the Sir John A. Macdonald building.<\/p>\n
It reopened in 2015, and\u00a0now hosts\u00a0parliamentary meetings and functions.<\/p>\n
Plouffe Park warehouse<\/h2>\n
![\"Plouffe](\"http:\/\/usa.timesofnews.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/RSSPoster_PRO\/cache\/a4106_plouffe-park-warehouse.jpg\")
<\/p>\nThe demolition of the Plouffe Park complex in 2015 is new enough that Google Maps satellite imagery still shows the old warehouses. (Google)<\/p>\n
The vast warehouse space dating back to the Second World War once stretched from 933 Gladstone Ave. in the south to the offices of 1010 Somerset St. in the north. In 2015, it was demolished and has since been landscaped.<\/p>\n
- Government set to cede Sir John Carling site after politicians unite on hospital move<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
![](\"http:\/\/usa.timesofnews.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/RSSPoster_PRO\/cache\/a4106_%2A.jpg\")
![\"Auditor](\"http:\/\/usa.timesofnews.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/RSSPoster_PRO\/cache\/81ff1_auditor-general-report-20080506-topix.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"50](\"http:\/\/usa.timesofnews.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/RSSPoster_PRO\/cache\/81ff1_50-sussex.JPG\")
<\/p>\n