~1920
2015
Laurentian Club at the corner of Elgin Street and Albert Street in Ottawa around 1920
Jim Flaherty Building at the corner of Elgin Street and Albert Street in Ottawa in 2015
Title: Untitled. Reference number: PA-042714
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-5
Building with rich architectural detaisl replaced by one with "saveur du jour".
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Social class segregation was common in Ottawa at the turn of the previous century.  Entrance to gentlemen's club was only granted to those belonging to a certain class or profession.  Sick of that questionable behavior and frustrated that business partners and clients were excluded from those elitist clubs, three businessmen founded the Laurentian Club in 1904.  Around 1929, the club had more than 300 members and 65 privileged members.

The Laurentian Club was renting space in the building you could see at the corner of Elgin Street and Albert Street on the archival photo.  Unfortunately, the federal government expropriated (war measures?) the building and it was demolished a few years later to build the Lorne Building.  The Lorne Building is now gone and the 2015 shows a brand new building at 90 Elgin Street which is hosting the offices of the Ministry of Finance.  They named the building the Jim Flaherty building after the former Minister of finances under the Harper's government.

The building on the archival photo was design by Arthur Le B. Weeks Architects. 
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