Green Island (Rideau River)
Green Island in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, is an island at the junction of the Rideau River, just off Sussex Drive in Ottawa at the Rideau Falls at the confluence with the Ottawa River. It is situated near the neighbourhood of New Edinburgh. To the west of the island is the National Research Council, and Global Affairs Canada (formerly Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada); to the east is 24 Sussex Drive and the embassy of France. On either side of the falls are facilities for a hydroelectric power plant. Down the Rideau river are the ruins  of a rail bridge that once led to Ottawa's Union Station. Commemorations. Green Island has several commemorations including: Ottawa City Hall (1958–2001). Green Island was the location of Old City Hall, of the old city of Ottawa, before the amalgamation of the region in 2001. After considering 36 different locations, Green Island was confirmed as the new location of Ottawa City Hall on January 31, 1956. The official sod-turning ceremony was held on September 16, 1956. Construction was completed in 1958. City Council held its first meeting at the new location on July 21, 1958. Princess Margaret officially  opened the stone and glass building, which featured a marble spiral staircase leading to the second floor, on August 2, 1958. This building remained Ottawa’s City Hall until municipal amalgamation came into effect on January 1, 2001. The building of an expensive addition to the city hall (designed by Moshe Safdie), the architect of the National Gallery of Canada shortly before the building was decommissioned was a source of controversy in the city.