1969 – 2016 An artist, Annie Pootoogook lived for several years in Sandy Hill. Annie Pootoogook was born in Cape Dorset, Nunavut in an extraordinary artistic family. Her father, Eegyvadluk, was a talented carver and one of the first stonecut … Read More
Strathcona Heights, south of Mann Ave., was the last area of Sandy Hill to be developed for residential living. Formerly the site of government telecommunications towers, the Central Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) developed it immediately after the Second World … Read More
The three Davis brothers (Michael P, William H and James T) were the sons of an Irish immigrant who moved to Canada (and eventually Ottawa) in the 1840s. All became successful builders of major public works, such as the historic … Read More
Pavlov was a Soviet spy. Pavlov lived at 77 Marlborough between 1942-1945 in a house whose exterior is little changed from the 1940s. Officially Second Secretary at the Soviet Embassy nearby, Pavlov was in fact a representative of the NKGB … Read More
At the turn of the 20th Century, Sandy Hill was Ottawa’s choice residential neighbourhood and many members of Ottawa’s political and business elite lived there. Nothing better illustrates the cozy relationship that existed at the time among the members of … Read More
The game of hockey was not invented in Ottawa but it has deep roots in the city, including in Sandy Hill. In 1887, a group of investors incorporated the Rideau Skating and Curling Club and raised $10,000 to erect a … Read More
1858-1931 Canadian geologist and paleontologist Ami lived at 453 Laurier Ave. E. between 1907 and 1921. Son of a Swiss protestant missionary and a French mother, Ami studied geology at McGill University under the renowned William Dawson before joining the … Read More
Anson Gard, “the Wandering Yankee”, was an American writer and humourist who wrote a dozen folksy books about Canada. Destined for international as well as domestic audiences, these combinations of oral histories and city directories were meant to be both … Read More
November 11, 2018 marked the hundredth anniversary of the Armistice that ended the War to end all wars. Although far from the battlefields, many Sandy Hill residents were profoundly affected by this war. Memorials in several Sandy Hill churches and … Read More
1881-1959 C.M. Edwards was the sixth child of John C. Edwards (who built 345 Laurier) and a nephew of W.C. Edwards. Between 1920 and 1937, he lived at 407 Wilbrod St. In the 1921 census, Edwards is listed with … Read More