By Carolyn Quinn
This summer Heritage Ottawa will be leading two walking tours of historic Lowertown: Basse-Ville, secteur ouest with urban historian Mark Farine and a returning favourite, Lowertown East with well-known heritage advocate Nancy Miller-Chenier. We are delighted to have two such knowledgeable experts ready to share details of these fascinating parts of our city.
The first tour on Sunday July 10 is in French and sets off from Bingham Park at the corner of Cathcart and Dalhousie streets. It focuses on the cultural developments and important monuments that are part of the Lowertown West Heritage Conservation District. The richness of the heritage character of the area is strongly associated with the variety of architectural styles, building materials and massing, and the institutions that influenced the predominantly French and Irish settlement.
On August 7, the Lowertown East tour departs from the community resource centre, Patro d’Ottawa, at 40 Cobourg Street. The area is home to many important religious, civic and residential buildings. Despite a controversial 1970s urban renewal development, it remains a walkable neighbourhood with a strong multicultural history. The tour includes the fascinating history of heritage-designated Macdonald Gardens park with its acres of lawn, trees, winding paths and iconic stone summer house.
Heritage Ottawa is an award-winning, volunteer driven, not-for-profit organization that champions the protection Ottawa’s built heritage and cultural landscapes. We’ve been delivering our walking tour program since 1996. It allows us to show off the great variety and richness of our city’s heritage, while raising some funds for the organization.
If you are interested in this tour, or any others on offer this season, visit us at www.heritageottawa.org. Advance registration is required.
Carolyn Quinn is a volunteer member of the board of directors of Heritage Ottawa.