ONGOING PROJECTS
Discover the Glebe BIA’s ongoing projects
Stay informed about the dynamic initiatives shaping the neighbourhood. The Glebe BIA’s ongoing projects are designed to enrich the neighbourhood experience, foster economic growth, and strengthen local connections.
Explore how we’re creating a vibrant, inclusive and thriving destination for shopping, dining, entertainment and culture in the heart of Ottawa.
Fourth Avenue Courtyard Restoration
In partnership with the Fourth Avenue Baptist Church, the BIA has undertaken a rehabilitation of the charming, historic Fourth Avenue Courtyard. This courtyard, with historic features, lush gardens and dappled shade, offers a perfect respite in the heart of the Glebe and creates a gathering space within the neighbourhood.
The BIA launched the first 2025 program in the Courtyard in June: City Sounds Live, a 6-performance music series in partnership with the Ottawa Music Industry Coalition. This series had great reception from the community.
To further the enhancement of this space, the BIA has restored the gardens on the North side of the Church in the Courtyard and returned flexible, public seating to the Courtyard to welcome our community to this welcoming, shady space.
The gardens have undergone a thorough rehabilitation with the help of Garden Releaf – a local, female-owned small business – and soil amendments and native species have been brought back to the gardens to create a more sustainable, healthy garden space. Existing plants were incorporated and preserved where possible, including the Matteuccia struthiopteris (Ostrich ferns), Phlox (cultivar unknown), Hostas (cultivars unknown), and Aster (cultivar unknown).
New species found in this garden include:
- Lindera benzoin (Spicebush)
- Diervilla lonicera (Northern Bush Honeysuckle)
- Dryopteris marginalis (Marginal woodfern)
- Rudbeckia laciniata (Cutleaf coneflower)
- Aquilegia canadensis (Wild Columbine)
- Solidago caesia (Bluestem goldenrod)
- Geranium maculatum (Wild geranium)
- Waldsteinia fragarioides (Barren strawberry)
- Fragaria vesca (Woodland Strawberry)
- Penstemon hirsutus (Hairybeard Beardtongue)
- Symphyotrichum novae-angliae (New England aster)
- Asarum canadense (Wild Ginger)
- Tiarella cordifolia (Foam Flower)
- Echinacea purpurea (Coneflower)
- Rudbeckia Triloba (Brown eyed Susan)
- Agastache Foeniculum (Anise Hyssop)
- Monarda fistulosa (Wild bergamot)
- Elymus hystrix (Bottlebrush rye)
- Maianthemum racemosum (Large False Solomon’s Seal)
- Aruncus dioicus (Goat’s Beard) *native to western Canada
Welcome to the Glebe! Have a Seat
We are very excited to introduce our newest additions to the Bank Street-scape. Our sunny new chairs can be found at comfy locations at Fifth and Bank, Fourth and Bank, Third and Bank, and Second and Bank, creating the perfect opportunities to touchdown while you run errands and meet up with your family or friends.
These chairs were custom designed and built by Montreal-based design team, OutThere Studio and will be seasonal additions to the Glebe, utilizing one of our iconic Glebe colours and offering new chances to sit, sip, and catch up with your neighbours and friends. The chairs will be in the Glebe at the start of each spring until the end of the fall.
These chairs are part of the Public Realm improvements the BIA is prioritizing and offer more opportunities to our residents and visitors to enjoy the Glebe in their own time.
The Bank Street chairs are supported in part by the Architectural Design Feature Fund through the City of Ottawa.
Glebe Mural Tour
Explore the National Capital’s interactive mural map, mural index, and artist directory. OTTAWALLS documents the stories, murals, locations, and artists defining our city’s urban art. Join our community-led mission to archive, celebrate, and preserve the public art of Ottawa and Gatineau.
