Queale Terrace at 304-312 The Driveway
I read with great interest your columns on Glebe history. I was curious if you had any history and/or vintage photos of the townhouses on Queen Elizabeth that run from 304-312 or so?
In 1899, The Ottawa Improvement Commission (forerunner of the National Capital Commission) had been set up by Sir Wilfrid Laurier to make Ottawa "the Washington of the North". One of the OIC's first activities was to purchase lands along the west side of the Rideau Canal from Laurier Avenue to Lansdowne Park in order to construct a picturesque driveway. By 1906, they had done extensive landscaping and road building in this area, making the Driveway a prestige address in Ottawa.
The five door row at 304-312 Queen Elizabeth Driveway was built in 1906 for William R. Queale, and became known as Queale Terrace. It was laid out in a sawtooth plan that showed to best advantage along the Driveway. The main structure is solid brick, with a flat roof hidden behind a facade of varying three story towers, gables and cornices. The irregular plan and decorative elements, such as bull's-eye windows, and alternating flat and arched windows, make the row a distinctive piece of Queen Anne Revival domestic architecture. Queale Terrace is one of only nine properties in the Glebe with Heritage Designation.