In 1972, the Department of Transportation moved into Place de Ville's newly completed Tower C. The concept for the group of buildings was developed by French town planner Jacques Gréber immediately after World War II at the invitation of Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King.

Gréber, a proponent of boulevards and highways as opposed to rail corridors, advised that the city redevelop the east bank of the Rideau Canal which was, at that time, covered with railway tracks leading to Ottawa Union Station.

By the mid-2000s it became apparent that the NDHQ complex at the Pearkes Building was overcrowded, forcing DND to spread some headquarters staff across the National Capital Region.

JDS's former Barrhaven campus comprises two large buildings with extensive computer networking capacity, and was advertised for sale at a fraction of its construction cost.

The location was perceived to be far more secure, being set back from public roads, with ample parking and transit connections for the several thousand employees it was designed to support.

[7] By January 2022, the Pearkes building was half-empty, despite plans to have all staff relocated to NDHQ Carling for renovations to start, which would require four years to complete.