The Ottawa Library has announced that they have purchased the Bottle House to renovate it into a new library for Ottawa. Executive Director, Terry Chartier, says when they began searching for a future location back in 2018. They were looking for a location in downtown Ottawa, accessible with sufficient parking and the ability to have a drive-through window. At that time, no properties were available. The Walnut Street location meets all those needs and also has a long history of great businesses in Ottawa. Chartier says the library will continue that history well into the future and will target fundraising efforts to renovate the building. Originally the library bought property on West 15th Street across from Kanza Park; however, as time has moved forward and costs continue to rise, it was evident the project would not happen for many years.
Though the library closed on the property a week ago, Bottle House partners and the library wanted to make sure two community events, the Ottawa High School and West Franklin proms, were not interrupted. They will still be held at the Bottle House location in April. Chartier says even though they will not be able to occupy the building immediately, they do look forward to hosting some of the programs at the new location soon.
