2009-2010 Lecture Series

ABOUT THE LECTURE SERIES

Once again Heritage Ottawa is proud to present its annual lecture series. Come join us for a varied and rich range of topics relating to Ottawa's built heritage.

• Admission is free and all are welcome

• We’ll have light refreshments afterwards

Location: Ottawa Public Library Auditorium, 120 Metcalfe St., corner of Laurier Ave. W., unless otherwise noted.
Time: 7:00 pm

Call 613-230-8841 for further information

Canada’s National Historic Sites: Current Trends and Future Directions

Location: Woodside Hall, Dominion Chalmers United Church, O’Connor between Lisgar and Cooper.

Date: Wednesday, September 23, 2009

With changing audiences and changing expectations, Canada's National Historic Sites are facing some challenging times. Dr. Larry Ostola, Director General, National Historic Sites Directorate, Parks Canada, will provide an overview of the system of National Historic Sites in the present context, and the initiative that Parks Canada is currently engaged in to renew the program and enhance the relevance of these historic destinations.

This lecture will be in a bilingual format

Muséoparc, Vanier

 Date: Wednesday, October 21, 2009

From dream to reality, Francis Beaulieu, Executive Director, Vanier Museopark, will describe how a group of citizens of Ontario’s francophone bastion succeeded in mobilizing their community to create a new institution which will ensure the preservation of their history and heritage for future generations. It is the only francophone museum in Ottawa and one of very few Canadian museums outside Quebec dedicated to the Francophonie.

This lecture will be in French

National Arts Centre

Date: Wednesday, November 18, 2009

The National Arts Centre is one of the most outstanding performance spaces in Canada. Well-known Ottawa journalist and professor, Sarah Jennings, will outline the construction of this splendid work of architecture, (now a National Historic Site), enriching her story with insights into the functioning of the Centre, and with anecdotes about some of the remarkable people who have brought this great institution to life. Her splendid book on the NAC, entitled Art and Politics: The History of the National Arts Centre, (published by Dundurn Press), will be available for sale after the lecture.

This lecture will be in English

Heritage Porches: Sow’s Ear or Buried Treasure

Date: Wednesday, January 20, 2010

This lecture will celebrate different porch styles and how they transform a home’s curb appeal. Paul Denys is a designer who has built, restored and renovated homes since 1984. Paul will be discussing porch composition, tools and techniques, and he will also be showing photos of some of his favourite styles.

This lecture will be in English

Heritage Ottawa’s Fifth Annual Bob and Mary Anne Phillips Memorial Lecture

The Rideau Street Convent Chapel: Saving the Most Beautiful Room in the Nation

Location: National Gallery of Canada

Date: Thursday, February 18, 2010

The Rideau Street Convent Chapel has been called the most beautiful chapel in Canada. It is an extraordinary creation, a 19th century Gothic Revival interior created for the convent, completely in wood. In the early 1970s, plans were made to demolish the convent. An epic battle to save the exquisite chapel ensued. While the convent is lost, the chapel is now one of the centrepieces of the National Gallery of Canada. Leslie Maitland will be the speaker for this lecture.

This lecture will be in English

Terra Incognita: Unknown Landscapes

Date: Wednesday, March 17, 2010

The ancients used the term Terra incognitato describe regions not yet mapped or documented; today it is used to describe any unexplored subject or field of research. Ottawa has a rich landscape heritage, with examples both obvious and less so. Join Conservation Landscape Architect, John Zvonar, for a tour of some of the Capital’s less familiar, and consequently under-appreciated, landscapes. He will provide the context for understanding and appreciating these places.

This lecture will be in English

Landmarks Not Landfill:  New Ideas for Old Buildings

Date: Wednesday, April 21, 2010

“Old ideas can sometimes use new buildings. New ideas must use old buildings.”When urban thinker Jane Jacobs wrote those lines in The Life and Death of Great American Cities in 1961, her vision of old buildings as assets instead of problems resonated with heritage advocates. Natalie Bull, Executive Director, Heritage Canada Foundation, tells how Jacobs’ timeless message underpins the foundation’s Landmarks Not Landfill campaign – a recent chapter in the longstanding call for federal heritage incentives for Canada.

This lecture will be in English