Posted by: Kathy Krywicki
Many of us have used the path from mid-block along Belmont Avenue into Windsor Park. But did you know that the pathway was formerly a municipal street?
As Edwinna von Baeyer noted in her history of the park entitled Windsor Park: An Enduring Greenspace in Ottawa South :
In 1984 the City of Ottawa sold land on either side of Garrett Place (the narrow street that led into the park from Belmont Avenue) in order to close the street to motorists. The City retained a 8-metre strip as a pedestrian walkway and sold strips on either side to adjacent property owners. Nearby residents were happy it was closed—evidently teenagers were using the dead-end street as a place to party.
Now pedestrians and cyclists can enjoy this park entrance as a short-cut to the field-house, the playground, skating rink, wading pool, and tennis courts.
