events

Lecture Series

Heritage Ottawa is lining up an enticing program for our 2025-2026 Free Lecture Series!

We ask that you PRE-REGISTER in advance of each free lecture. Stay tuned for more information about the upcoming season!

The lectures begin at 7 pm and are presented via ZOOM, unless otherwise indicated, and last approximately one hour.

Note: Several of our lectures are available for viewing on Heritage Ottawa's YouTube channel ​​​​​​.

Upcoming Lectures

February Lecture
DEMOLITION BY NEGLECT

DEMOLITION BY NEGLECT: Preserving the Past Before It's Too Late

VIA ZOOM | Click link below to register

On the occasion of our annual Bob and Mary Anne Phillips Memorial Lecture,…

Past Lectures

Kìwekì Point Lecture
KÌWEKÌ POINT REDEVELOPMENT'S INTERPRETATION

VIA ZOOM  

The recently completed Kìwekì Point is a signature public realm landscape for the National Capital Commission. The project began with the ambitious goal to reconnect the park…

Concrete Utopias: What's (not) so brutal about brutalism
CONCRETE UTOPIAS: WHAT'S (NOT) SO BRUTAL ABOUT BRUTALISM

AN IN-PERSON LECTURE  | REGISTER USING DROP-DOWN FORM ON THE RIGHT 

This seasonal event will be held at the special venue of the Beechwood National Memorial Centre, Sacred Space…

Thomas Seaton Scott: Canada's First Chief Architect (Photo: Topley/LAC/A-210518
Thomas Seaton Scott: Canada's First Chief Architect

VIA ZOOM | NOW AVAILABLE ON OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL

The varied career of Thomas Seaton Scott (1826-1895) includes his formative years in Britain, a grand tour of Gothic architecture in Italy and…

Hintonburg: 1131 Wellington St West
EMERGING SCHOLARS CONNECT! THESE WALLS CAN TALK: STORIES FROM HINTONBURG'S BUILT HERITAGE

VIA ZOOM | NOW AVAILABLE ON OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL

We are pleased to feature an Emerging Scholars Connect event with students from Carleton University to highlight how young people are…

Désin, complexe de la rue Booth, Société immobilière du Canada
HERITAGE PROTECTION AND CANADA LANDS COMPANY: STEWARDSHIP OF FORMER FEDERAL PROPERTIES

Presented via ZOOM 

Canada Lands Company plays an important role in preserving heritage assets on its properties through responsible redevelopment of former federal properties. As a…

Spanning the Bridges of Ottawa-Gatineau
Spanning Time: The Bridges of Ottawa-Gatineau

SPECIAL EVENT IN APPRECIATION OF OUR MEMBERS, DONORS, SPONSORS & VOLUNTEERS

Seeing Big - New Museum in Gatineau
Seeing Big - A New Museum for the Outaouais

The new Musée régionale de l’Outaouais will be defined by the rich history, heritage and cultural vitality of the region’s broad territory. Creating a new regional museum is a rare opportunity,…

At Home With the Prime Ministers
At Home With The Prime Minister: Ottawa Residences of the Prime Ministers Prior to 1952

VIA ZOOM | NOW AVAILABLE ON OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL

Prior to the establishment of 24 Sussex Drive as the official residence, Prime Ministers had to secure their own accommodations in Ottawa.…

Event photo
The Ontario Heritage Act Turns 50! The Good, the Bad and the Beautiful

VIA ZOOM | NOW AVAILABLE ON OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL 

On the occasion of our annual Bob & Mary Anne Phillips Memorial Lecture, Heritage Ottawa is pleased to mark the 50th anniversary of…

Event photo
The Abbot of Kingsmere: Mackenzie King and his Ruins

VIA ZOOM | NOW AVAILABLE ON OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL BY CLICKING HERE.

The architectural ruins that William Lyon Mackenzie King built at his Kingsmere estate defy simple explanation. Today,…

Singing tower in background
The Singing Tower on the Hill: A Civic Voice to Commemorate, Communicate & Celebrate
AN IN-PERSON LECTURE | SCROLL DOWN TO REGISTER FOR THIS EVENT

This seasonal event will be held at the special venue of the Beechwood National Memorial Centre, Sacred Space Room, 280 Beechwood…

Safdie Lecture
MOSHE SAFDIE — SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE DESIGN

VIA ZOOM | NOW AVAILABLE FOR VIEWING ON OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL BY CLICKING HERE. 

Moshe Safdie has been practicing architecture for almost 60 years. He has designed headquarters in Boston…

post promoting event
Emerging Scholars Connect: Multi-Disciplinary Perspectives on Conservation and Community

IN PERSON AT UNIVERSITY OF OTTAWA, DESMARAIS HALL, ROOM 1130

FREE LECTURE VIA ZOOM

Young people bring fresh ideas, creativity, and a strong sense of innovation to the preservation…

Poster
Beauty and Authenticity in Ottawa’s Architecture: Options and Guidance for New Additions

In person at the Carleton Dominion-Chalmers Centre, Woodside Hall, 355 Cooper Street and Via ZOOM | | Now Available on our YouTube channel.

How should a new heritage district building…

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An Evening with the Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson

An Inspiring Capital for All of Us: An Evening with the Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson

Preregistration is required. SCROLL DOWN to register.

Heritage Ottawa is pleased to…

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The Identification of a Long Ignored Indigenous Cultural Landscape in the National Capital Region, and the Road That Led Us Here

FREE LECTURE VIA ZOOM | Now Available on our YouTube Channel.

The grass may be greener elsewhere but your front yard may still hold surprises.

Although awareness of the…

Event photo
Canadian Women Astronomers and the Dominion Observatory

Presented via ZOOM and now available on Heritage Ottawa's YouTube channel.  

Built in 1904, the Dominion Observatory — Canada’s National Observatory — helped nurture the careers of…

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24 Sussex Drive: From Residence to Reticence

CLICK HERE to watch the CPAC recording of this important discussion!

THANK YOU to the hundreds of people who participated in our panel discussion on the future of 24 Sussex Drive that took…

Photo of the garden
Maplelawn’s Walled Garden of Delight: 30 Years of Stewardship

Presented via ZOOM and available on our YOUTUBE CHANNEL.  

The property today known as Maplelawn was established in the 1830s by the Thomson family, and successively owned and…

The Freiman’s Santa Claus Train

This lecture is now available on Heritage Ottawa's YouTube channel. 

Via ZOOM | CLICK HERE to register for this free lecture.

Between 1956 and 1972, children in…