Finding our new space was almost a no-brainer. I say “almost” because we looked at a number of different locations, but we all knew the first was the one—55 Murray Street. A heritage building in the heart of the ByWard Market in Ottawa, it was built in 1872 as a Carriageway building and has a story that we’re still discovering and falling in love with. A brothel at one point, barely surviving a devastating fire at another—suffice it to say, our location has a resilience and just enough of a sordid past to make us feel right at home from the very first visit. Sometimes you’re just lucky in love.
It’s been a year of change up here north of the 49th, becoming a part of the SCS family in August of last year and planning for growth. When we took this key step as part of a new agency family, we knew right from the beginning that our move was about more than just finding a great office. Our new home needed to fit our goals and principles as an agency and play its own unique role in connecting us to a bigger ethos that inspires.
Located at the intersection of culture, politics and commerce, 55 Murray has a connection to the creative heart and culture of Ottawa, rich in history and big ideas that have been a part of shaping a nation and its global impact. We wanted that challenge in our face every day, pushing us beyond satisfied, demanding better every day and challenging us to be innovators and instigators.
Creative development is a process of discovery and evolution. That’s not just true about the work we do for our clients or our projects, it’s true of our story as an agency as well. We’re constantly growing, constantly evolving and becoming better people, better partners, better creatives, better leaders. So, we’ve decided to leave it simple and open. As we create with our clients and grow in this new chapter, that story will also be told in our space.
If you’re ever up in our neck of the woods, we’d love to have you in, share a bit more about the sordid past of 55 Murray, and dream about a future we can create together.
Also published on Medium.
