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By Allen Brown In late May 2025, the first post-pandemic meeting of Ottawa’s heritage community was convened by Heritage Ottawa and the Lowertown Community Association at the Routhier Community Centre. About 25 heritage proponents from various community associations across Ottawa met to discuss heritage-related issues and priorities. Linda Hoad, Heritage Ottawa’s Advocacy Committee co-chair, began…
By Allen Brown On March 24, city councillor Stéphanie Plante, municipal heritage planner Taylor Quibell and Lowertown Community Association president Sylvie Bigras unveiled a new plaque commemorating the Union of Canada and its demolished building, located at the corner of York and Dalhousie streets, the current site of the Andaz Hotel. Ms. Quibell recalled that…
By Allen Brown The Lady Grey Drive retaining wall, built in 1911 with local stone, has undergone several repairs over the years, most recently in 2010. Despite these efforts, parts of the wall started to collapse near the Ottawa Rowing Club in 2020. The National Capital Commission (NCC) therefore has begun a project to replace…
By Allen Brown The feature story in the February 2024 edition of the Echo focused on city council’s approval of a new addition to the Andaz Hotel and an adjacent 22-storey residential rental building by Claridge Homes at 141 George Street. The article pointed out that the developer didn’t implement recommendations by the Ontario Municipal…
By Allen Brown Representatives from the Lowertown Community Association (LCA) and Heritage Ottawa (HO) expressed their concerns about the proposed demolition of 79 Guigues Street at the December 10, 2024, meeting of the city’s Built Heritage Committee (BHC). The 125-year-old home is only a block away from three other buildings on St. Patrick Street lost…
By Allen Brown The Lady Grey Drive retaining wall, built in 1911 with local stone, has undergone several repairs over the years, most recently in 2010. Despite these efforts, parts of the wall started to collapse near the Ottawa Rowing Club in 2020. The NCC therefore has begun a project to replace the wall to…
By Allen Brown The City of Ottawa’s Built Heritage Committee (BHC) recommended demolition of three heritage buildings on St. Patrick Street at their meeting on September 10, 2024. It was a sad and frustrating decision for community advocates. Curiously, on the advice of city legal counsel, a week earlier city council waived the demolition permit…
By Allen Brown On May 14, the City of Ottawa’s Built Heritage Committee approved a motion to erect a monument to commemorate the Irish Famine of 1847-52 at a former cemetery where Irish Famine victims were buried, in what is now Macdonald Gardens Park. The monument is one of several being erected in Canada this…