Lebreton Flats, 20th Century
Written by Bytown Museum
on
03/Dec/2009
The scale and severity of the Great Fire of 1900 that destroyed Lebreton Flats and much of Hull drew international attention, and donations to a relief fund poured in from around the world, totalling almost $1,000,000.
The fire marked the beginning of the end for an already-declining lumber industry. It wiped out most of the sawmills at the Chaudière Falls and strengthened opposition to piled lumber within city limits. The only lumber barons to rebuild after the fire were E.B. Eddy and J.R. Booth.
Within months of the fire, a neighbourhood began to rise again, only to be torn down 60 years later. In the early 1960s, the working-class neighborhood was razed to make way for a planned headquarters for the Department of National Defence. Close to 3,000 people were forced out of their homes and the land stood vacant for decades.
Today, Lebreton Flats is undergoing a major redevelopment and is now home to the Canadian War Museum.
How do you feel about the redevelopment of Lebreton Flats? Share your story with us.
