[1][2] It is located on Bank Street adjacent to the Rideau Canal in The Glebe neighbourhood of central Ottawa.

In 1875, the City of Ottawa hosted the thirtieth annual Exhibition of the Provincial Agricultural and Arts Association.

In order to provide sufficient space for subsequent fairs, the City acquired more of Lansdowne and the buildings that were there in 1883 for $25,000.

[3] The Central Canada Exhibition Association was formed in 1888 and the site witnessed many improvements, including the erection of a new Horticultural Hall and Grandstand.

The Aberdeen Pavilion has figured prominently in military matters: troops of Lord Strathcona's Horse were encamped there during the Boer War; the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry mustered there before being sent to France in the First World War; and during World War II it served as an induction centre for thousands of Canadian troops heading overseas and was the home to The Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa (4th Princess Louise Dragoon Guards).

In 1947, the Marian Congress was held at Lansdowne Park from June 18 to 22, 1947, hosted by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Ottawa.

John O'Neill, assistant pastor at St George's Church was the prime organizer of the Congress.

A message to the Congress from Pope Pius XII was broadcast during a Mass on June 19 and carried by major radio networks across the country.

In April 1952, the fairground at the park was selected in an exercise by the federal civil defence organization as an assembly point where the survivors of a nuclear attack on Ottawa gathered to receive food and water.

The city restored the Aberdeen Pavilion at the time, using funds planned for a Central Canada Ex move, in exchange for allowing the Ex to continue to use the site.

The Aberdeen Pavilion hosted Stanley Cup championship games in 1904 played by the Ottawa Silver Seven.

Since 1967, when the Ottawa Auditorium was demolished, Lansdowne Park has become a site of musical concerts, both inside the Arena at TD Place and outside on the Stadium field.

In September 2007, cracks were found in Frank Clair Stadium, necessitating the demolition of a portion of its south-side stands.

[13] OSEG proposed a public-private partnership with the city to rebuild the stadium and redevelop the grounds with residential and commercial uses to finance the reconstruction and annual upkeep of the site.

[14] Ottawa City Council decided to enter into a partnership with the OSEG group and abandoned its own review.

[15] The redevelopment plan split into two components after the City rejected the portion of the OSEG proposal regarding the lands bordering the Rideau Canal.

OSEG was assigned the precinct around the stadium and along Bank Street, while a design competition was held for an urban park to be located along the canal.

[18] The city retains ownership of the site, leasing the commercial and retail component to pay off the debt under a revenue-sharing formula with OSEG.