Our popular Heritage Ottawa Lecture Series runs from September to June every year, and features a wide range of interesting speakers and topics pertaining to Ottawa's history and heritage.
Unless otherwise noted, lectures are free and are held at the Main Branch of the Ottawa Public Library, located at 120 Metcalfe Street at the corner of Laurier Avenue. Elevators are available and the room is wheelchair accessible.
Lectures begin at 7:00pm, last approximately one hour and are followed by an informal gathering.
There is no need to pre-register. We look forward to welcoming you at our next Heritage Ottawa event!
Thanks to our Lecture Series sponsor Andrex Holdings.
Upcoming Lectures
-
Next Lecture Series begins in September 2017Tuesday, September 5, 2017 - 00:00CanadaMany thanks to the speakers, volunteers and attendees who helped make Heritage Ottawa's 2016 - 2017 Lecture Series a resounding success!
Our 2017 - 2018 Lecture Series begins in September....
Past Lectures
-
What's in a Name?Wednesday, June 21, 2017 - 19:00 to 21:00Auditorium, Ottawa Public Library120 Metcalfe StreetOttawa, ON K1P 5M2CanadaThis lecture will present the early histories of Bytown, Rochesterville and Nepean with an exposé woven from the Rochester, Cole, Baillie and McDougall families whose collective...
-
Prime Ministers' Row ProjectWednesday, April 19, 2017 - 19:00 to 20:00Auditorium, Ottawa Public Library120 Metcalfe StreetOttawa, ON K1P 5M2CanadaThe extraordinary built heritage of Ottawa’s Laurier Avenue East, historically home to seven Fathers of Confederation and eight Prime Ministers, will be transformed into Canada’s first...
-
Vimy One-Hundred Years Later: A New Education CentreWednesday, March 15, 2017 - 19:00 to 20:00Auditorium, Ottawa Public Library120 Metcalfe StreetOttawa, ON K1P 5M2CanadaThe Canadian National Vimy Memorial, centred on the evocative design of Walter Allward's beautiful monument and the surrounding landscape, evokes tremendous emotion and provides...
-
A Landmark Transformed: The New Global Centre for PluralismWednesday, February 15, 2017 - 19:00 to 20:30The Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat199 Sussex Drive ( use Boteler Street entrance )Ottawa, ON K1N 1K6Canada
HERITAGE OTTAWA 2017 PHILLIPS MEMORIAL LECTUREUPDATE: This lecture is available on YouTube courtesy of our partners at the Global Centre for Pluralism.
Order...
-
Heritage Ottawa at FiftyWednesday, January 18, 2017 - 19:00 to 21:00Auditorium, Ottawa Public Library120 Metcalfe StreetOttawa, ON K1P 5M2CanadaJoin us for a lively review of the past and future of local heritage as we gear up to celebrate a milestone anniversary year!
Councillor and Chair of the Built...
-
THE GRÉBER PLAN: 65 YEARS LATERTuesday, December 13, 2016 - 19:00 to 20:00Dominion-Chalmers United Church355 Cooper Street ( use entrance on Lisgar Street )Ottawa, ON K2P 0G8CanadaThis talk presents the fascinating story of Jacques Gréber’s vision and plan for Canada’s capital, with a look at what worked and what we might do differently today.
From his 1950's lens,...
-
THE DIEFENBUNKER: COLD WAR FORTRESSWednesday, November 16, 2016 - 19:00 to 20:00Auditorium, Ottawa Public Library120 Metcalfe StreetOttawa, ON K1P 5M2CanadaA marvel of Canadian engineering built under duress during the unknown threats of the Cold War era, the massive structure now known as "The Diefenbunker" demanded the development of a number of...
-
Emerging Scholars: Three TalksTuesday, October 25, 2016 - 19:00 to 20:00Auditorium, Ottawa Public Library120 Metcalfe StreetOttawa, ON K1P 5M2CanadaJoin us at 7pm for three informative talks by recent graduates. Each talk will be 15 to 20 minutes in duration and the audience will have an opportunity to pose questions to the speakers.
... -
HOW HERITAGE WORKS IN OTTAWA: THE FIFTH ANNUAL HERITAGE OTTAWA FORUMSaturday, October 15, 2016 - 12:00 to 16:30allsaints317 Chapel Street ( at Laurier Avenue East, main entrance of former Church )Ottawa, ON K1N 7Z2CanadaThe Event is Full and Pre-Registration is Now Closed.Join us for this informative afternoon of presentations and practical information focusing on How Heritage Works in Ottawa. Hear and share...
-
From Triplex to Tower: Building Ottawa's Apartments 1945-1975Wednesday, September 21, 2016 - 19:00 to 20:00Auditorium, Ottawa Public Library120 Metcalfe StreetOttawa, ON K1P 5M2CanadaBetween the post-World War II housing crisis and the dawn of the condo era, Ottawa witnessed successive waves of apartment building construction - good, bad, and indifferent.
This...
-
National Arts Centre: The Rejuvenation in its Urban and Historic ContextWednesday, June 15, 2016 - 19:00 to 20:00National Arts Centre53 Elgin Street( Lecture takes place in the SALON, access via Main Lobby )Ottawa, ON K1P 5W1CanadaThe National Arts Centre was the federal government’s centennial project to commemorate Canada’s 1967 celebration of Confederation. The project fulfilled a long-held national dream to create a...
-
History of Ottawa's BrickyardsWednesday, April 20, 2016 - 19:00 to 20:00Auditorium, Ottawa Public Library120 Metcalfe StreetOttawa, ON K1P 5M2CanadaBrick was an uncommon building material in the Ottawa area until the building boom that crested in the early 1870s.
Brickworks for the Ottawa market mostly developed along the banks of the...
-
Bletchley Park's Outpost in Sandy HillWednesday, March 16, 2016 - 19:00 to 20:00Auditorium, Ottawa Public Library120 Metcalfe StreetOttawa, ON K1P 5M2CanadaDuring World War ll, an Examination Unit was installed in a Victorian mansion in Sandy Hill to carry out top secret code breaking activities. This lecture will examine how the Unit came to be set...
-
2016 Phillips Memorial LectureWednesday, February 24, 2016 - 19:00 to 21:00The Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat199 Sussex Drive ( use Boteler Street entrance )Ottawa, ON K1N 1K6CanadaSaving Heritage: Preserving History in the Developing WorldPlease note that PRE-REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED for this lecture.
Harnessing the culture and history of a region can be a powerful...
-
MacDonald Gardens: A Study in Community HeritageWednesday, January 13, 2016 - 19:00 to 20:00Auditorium, Ottawa Public Library120 Metcalfe StreetOttawa, ON K1P 5M2CanadaBEFORE AND AFTER FREDERICK TODD
The park at the centre of Macdonald Gardens commemorates the graveyards of four congregations from 1845 to 1873.
This lecture will reveal how...
-
Landscape Architecture in Canada 1870 - 1920Wednesday, December 9, 2015 - 19:00 to 20:00Auditorium, Ottawa Public Library120 Metcalfe StreetOttawa, ON K1P 5M2CanadaThe Creation of Canada's Iconic Public Open SpacesThis well illustrated talk explores the outstanding work carried out in the creation of Canada's public open spaces and institutions from about...
-
CRAFT, HERITAGE AND DIGITAL TOOLSWednesday, November 18, 2015 - 19:00 to 20:00Auditorium, Ottawa Public Library120 Metcalfe StreetOttawa, ON K1P 5M2CanadaDigital technologies play an increasingly significant role in large, complex heritage documentation projects such as the one under way for the Parliament Buildings National Historic Site of Canada...
-
REINVENTING BUILDING 94 AT THE CENTRAL EXPERIMENTAL FARMWednesday, October 14, 2015 - 19:00 to 20:00Auditorium, Ottawa Public Library120 Metcalfe StreetOttawa, ON K1P 5M2CanadaThe New Canadian Agriculture and Food MuseumThe masterful re-purposing of Building 94, a "Recognized" Federal Heritage Building on the Central Experimental Farm National Historic Site, was...
-
Behind Closed Cells: The Architecture of Canada's Jails and PrisonsSaturday, October 3, 2015 - 19:00 to 20:00Ottawa Jail Hostel Courtyard75 Nicholas StreetOttawa, ON K1N 7B9CanadaSPECIAL PUB LECTUREFor over a century, the intimidating architecture of Canadian prisons inspired sentences to be carried out in solitude and silence.
Set within Ottawa's own historic jail...
-
OTTAWA'S RURAL AND SUBURBAN HERITAGESaturday, September 26, 2015 - 09:30 to 17:00St. John's Anglican Church, South March325 Sandhill RoadKanata, ON K2K 1X7CanadaThe Annual Phillips Memorial Heritage Forum Saturday, September 26, 2015 9:30 am - 5:00 pmFollowed by an optional bus tour of Beaverbrook to 6:30 pm
PLEASE NOTE: Registration for this...