Three quarter picture of the building
Photo: Parks Canada / Parcs Canada, 1995
- Built
- 1898
- Recognized
- 1983
- By
- Government of Canada
The register’s text, word for word
Description
Successfully combining the practical with the fanciful, the Aberdeen Pavilion captures the spirit of the fairground. Its voluminous interior space, well-lit by many windows, is an ideal venue for exhibitions of all kinds, while its over-the-top exterior of sweeping roof, dome, corner towers and classical detail embodies the holiday atmosphere of a fair. The building is located in the midst of Lansdowne Park, Ottawa’s downtown fairgrounds. The designation refers to the building on its footprint.
Heritage value
Aberdeen Pavilion was designated a national historic site of Canada because it is the only large-scale exhibition building in Canada surviving from the 19th century.
This grand exhibition building was erected in 1898 by the Dominion Bridge Company for the Central Canada Exhibition Association. Designed by the Ottawa architect, Moses C. Edey, it was named to honour the incumbent governor general, the Earl of Aberdeen, a staunch supporter of the agricultural fair movement. Also known as the Cattle Castle, it is the oldest surviving example of its type in the country, with its elaborate pressed metal ornamentation, a whimsical mix of classical and agricultural motifs, the structure evokes both the festive spirit and serious purpose of the l9th-century fair.
SourceHistoric Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, Minutes, June 1983 and November 1991.
Character‑defining elements
Aspects of this site which contribute to its heritage character include:
- those elements which speak to its qualities as a large-scale exhibition building of the late 19th century, namely, its light-weight and structurally innovative construction of structural steel covered with pressed metal and glass, its large, uninterrupted interior volume so suitable for exhibitions, its location on the site that has been used for exhibitions of various kinds for over a century, and its fanciful and festive architectural decorations such as the dome decorated with swags and garlands, the eclectic classical detail, the corner towers, and the curved roof with monitor windows.
End of the register’s text
Location
1015 Lansdowne Park / Bank Street, Ottawa, Ontario, K1S, Canada
45.39982° N, 75.68345° W
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Nearby
All 195 places in Ottawa
Similar places
Places whose register descriptions are closest to this one.
Gouinlock Buildings / Early Exhibition Buildings National Historic Site of CanadaToronto, Ontario
PavilionSandy Beach, Alberta
Cambrian PavilionBanff National Park of Canada, Alberta
Rockcliffe PavilionOttawa, Ontario
Dominion Exhibition Display Building Nº 2 National Historic Site of CanadaBrandon, Manitoba
Picnic Shelter / PavilionAulac, New Brunswick
From the Canadian Register of Historic Places, as last updated on December 12, 2025. The register’s text is shown word for word.