Metcalfe and Sparks Streets

Photo from the National Archives website - James Topley collection PA-008765 c. 1889 (copyright has expired). 

It is a view of Metcalfe street looking north towards Parliament Hill.  Notice the old Parliament building - this was the original building before the fire of 1916 which destroyed all of the Centre block.  The Library of Parliament (the only part of the Centre Block to survive the fire) is right behind The Victoria Tower.   The horse and carriage is located approximately where the Sparks Street Mall now intersects Metcalfe Street.  Originally Sparks street was a street open to traffic and only made a pedestiran mall in the 20th century.

This is the same intersection in October 2010.  Notice how the Peace Tower is easily the centre of this photograph (you can see the Library of Parliament just behind it).  It clearly shows the changes in the Parliamentary scene from the original photograph. 

The Four Corners gift shop is located at the corner of Metcalfe and Sparks Streets and is the original building from the older photo above.  Likewise, the building next to it, 14 Metcalfe Street, houses the NCC Info Centre  however the building that was at the corner of Metcalfe and Wellington Streets (as seen in the first photo) was taken down at some point as it is now a vacant lot leading up to the Info Centre.  The Blackburn building is located across the street on the North East corner of Metcalfe Street.