Frank McGee
1882 – 1916 A member of the Ottawa Silver Seven, Frank ”One-eyed” McGee scored 14 goals in a Stanley Cup play-off game in 1905 and was considered one of the best hockey players of his generation. Francis Clarence “Frank” … Read More
Philip D. Ross
1858 – 1949 Avid sportsman, newspaperman, businessman and politician, Ross played an influential role in the development of hockey in Ottawa. Born in Montreal, Ross moved to Ottawa in 1885 and after a few years settled in Sandy Hill where … Read More
Antonio (1887 -1974) and Adine Tremblay (c1892 – 1986)
Antonio and his wife Adine lived at 214 Cobourg St. between 1938 and 1957 (they had lived at 535 Besserer St. for at least ten years before that). Antonio worked as a translator for the Department of Public Works until … Read More
Sandy Hill cemeteries
How many cemeteries have there been in Sandy Hill? The answer is surprisingly complicated. We know for sure of the Sandy Hill cemeteries (sometimes referred to in the singular) that were established in 1845 to replace an older 1828 cemetery … Read More
Naming Sandy Hill’s streets
Although Sandy Hill is one of Ottawa’s oldest neighbourhoods, it is not reallyold. Yet, it is surprising how many Sandy Hill streets have disappeared or changed names over the past hundred and fifty years. They are clearly not the permanent … Read More
The Ottawa Little Theatre
The Ottawa Little Theatre (OLT) has stood at the corner of King Edward Ave. and Besserer St. since 1928. Originally housed in a former church, it was forced to build the current facilities after a destructive fire in 1970. … Read More
The University’s expansion into Sandy Hill
In the 1950s, the University of Ottawa’s campus in Sandy Hill was much smaller than it is now and was divided into two discrete sections: there was the historical core, around Tabaret Hall on Laurier Ave. East, on land first … Read More
Wallis House
Today, Wallis House, the striking Queen Anne revival style building at 589 Rideau St. at the corner of Charlotte St., is a condominium. This, however, is the sixth use of this building which started its life as a hospital, became … Read More
Ambrose O’Brien
1885 – 1968 Ambrose O’Brien lived at 453 Laurier Ave. E. (now le Cordon Bleu) between 1923 and 1940. Before that, he had lived for six years down the street at 413 Laurier Ave. in a large house that no … Read More
Fulgence Charpentier
1897 – 2001 A man of many talents and uncommon energy, Fulgence Charpentier was described as a living encyclopedia of the 20th C. Charpentier was born in 1897 in Sainte-Anne-de-Prescott, in eastern Ontario, and died in 2001 in Ottawa, … Read More