Click here to learn about more buildings in Sandy Hill and central Ottawa

 

 

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Sandy Hill which is nominally defined by the area enclosed by Nicholas St, Rideau St., the Rideau River and the Queensway, has a rich heritage of architecture and events dating back to the first half of the 19th century when Ottawa was known as Bytown.

When Ottawa was chosen as the new capital of Canada by Queen Victoria it resulted in Ottawa's first housing shortage. Besides needing the administrative buildings for the Canadian Parliament there were demands for embassies and houses for the civil servants, politicians, business leaders and educators that would be taking up residence in Ottawa.

Sandy Hill, Ottawa's other hill promised to be a place where people could live in comfort and be close to their places of work. So, starting in the 1870's Sandy Hill experienced a building boom that lasted for close to 50 years.

Now we tend to take for granted the buildings of Sandy Hill that were built a hundred or more years ago. But every year we see a handful of these buildings falling to the wrecker's hammer. Our heritage neighbourhood is an irreplaceable resource and one that we must try and protect. It is for this reason that ASH believes that Sandy Hill should be designated as an Ottawa Heritage Area.

A heritage, though is not just buildings. It's also about the people that lived there and the events that took place. So the "I Spy in Sandy Hill" page is dedicated to all those people that lived and died in our community. Our aim is to highlight buildings and landmarks that you might pass by every day without knowing the stories behind them.

Readers are invited to send in their stories and ideas for "I Spy" articles. Click here for an e-mail link to the "I Spy " editor.

 


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