This article originally appeared on The Ottawa Jewish Archives Facebook page.

Well, in 1956 congregations Adath Jeshurun and Agudath Achim amalgamated to form the Congregation Beth Shalom. The Adath Jeshurun synagogue at 375 King Edward Avenue was then converted to function as the Chevra Kadisha – the Jewish Community Memorial Chapel. 

Written by Nancy Miller Chenier; photo by Michelle Ramsay-Borg

York Street gets its name from that “Grand Old Duke of York” referenced in the familiar children’s nursery rhyme. When Colonel By founded Bytown and laid out the street plan for Lowertown, Prince Frederick, second son of King George III and Queen Charlotte, was the Duke of York and Albany. Although this duke died in 1827, the title lives on in Prince Andrew, the second son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip.

In Colonel By’s early plan, York Street was 120 feet wide and was the only thoroughfare other than Rideau to extend to King Street (now King Edward Avenue). In the 1840s, York Street was the dividing line for Lowertown’s two political wards. In 1850, money was allocated to build a plank sidewalk on the south side and to macadamize the roadway with a layer of stone compacted by a dust and water mixture. Around 1909, York Street was opened for traffic from King Street to Chapel Street.