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The Joyful Land Buddhist Temple at two locations. 562 Somerset on the south of the street and the current location further west at 879. The old building has been repainted now and it is not nearly as appealing to look at in my opinion.
click image to enlarge The image on the left is a view to the City Centre which is light office and industrial space ( and the Orange Monkey which is a pretty decent poolroom.)The right photograph is another image of the vacant Robert Tape machine shop at 989 Somerset. While I was making these photos I was approached by two young men who were also photographers. They were using film and a skateboard - old school stuff.
click to enlarge images The picture on the right is the most recent one, the one on the left is going to be trendsetter for aregeebee - I have decided that the street poles carry a lot of the sense of place that I am trying to elicit with this thing and some of the interesting ones will appear from time to time.
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This painted sign has not been repaired, and I have no idea what it says. This is one of the oldest pictures I have made on the street that is posted on the blog - it was my first digital camera. I love the colour of the light and the strong feeling of what time of day it is.
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On April 6, 2005 the Mekong Grocery burned killing 5 and injuring 3 more. The dead were members of a Cambodian family who resided at 816 Somerset Street, for about a week afterwards there was a sidewalk shrine in front of 807 Somerset where passers-by could see pictures of the victims and leave donations or condolences.
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This storefront is gone now - it has been rennovated and is now occupied by PC Cyber computers limited, a business which has flourished - there are 5 locations in the city now. The branch at 645a now deals mostly in used equipment and warranty returns or refurbished goods - definitely the bargain division of this successful business.
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There is a bridge on Somerset Street which passes over the O-train tracks. The O train tracks terminate at the Prince of Wales Bridge which crosses the Ottawa River. Robert Tape at 989 Somerset was a precision machine shop built on stilts with a funky little ramp on the bridge for parking. The Musca winemaking supply company is a testament to the nearby Preston Street area which is an important node for the Italian community here in Ottawa. Both of these buildings are on the north side of the bridge. My landlord fo many years was named Musca and I believe the apartment we lived in was where he raised his family many years ago.
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This house was recently rennovated (second picture) befor re-opening as a Pakistani import goods outlet.
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The bank is located on the northeast corner of Bronson and Somerset, which is one of four major intersections around which the life of this street seems to revolve. For your interest these intersections are at Bank Street, Bronson Avenue, Booth Street and where Somerset terminates at Wellington Street.
The lower image is an older one which shows an earlier graphic treatment . Seeing these two images together feels a bit like revisiting George Orwell's 1984 - I accept the current logo as the state of the world - everything was as it is now and history is a plastic , deformable text . Naturally, I am comfortable with the logotype of Scotiabank as it is. I have no knowledge of what it was, although it is my job to adjust perceptions of the past without leaving traces that betray the present. There is an excellent movie adaptation of Orwell's book starring William Hurt ( amongst others.)
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"Refuge - Mother and Child" , Vietnamese Commemorative Monument by Pham The Trung located at the south west corner of the intersection of Preston
and Somerset street.
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