Strathcona Heights

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

Sandy Hill’s heart

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 birth of hockey in Ottawa

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

A walk down memory lane

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

Sandy Hill during the World Wars

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

All Saints Church

This imposing Gothic Revival style church at the corner of Laurier Ave. E. and Chapel St., was designed by English architect Alfred Calderon and was completed in 1900. It is designated a heritage building under the Ontario Heritage Act. With … Read More

Australia House

The grand house with a beautiful walled garden standing at 407 Wilbrod St. has been the residence of the Australian High Commissioner since 1940. It is believed the house was designed by Ottawa architect J.H. Watts, the first curator of … 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

The Examination Unit

The rambling Edwardian house with the big verandas that used to stand at 345 Laurier Ave. E. (right beside Laurier House) was demolished in the 1960s to allow the construction of the current undistinguished apartment building. The house had been … Read More

Health facilities

A little over one hundred years ago, the area around the intersection of Rideau St. and Wurtemburg Ave. was Ottawa’s main hospital precinct[1]: The Carleton County Protestant Hospital first established in 1851 still stands at the corner of Rideau and … Read More

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