Home1951
The Federal District Commission (predecessor to the NCC, 1927–1958) begins to buy heritage buildings and assets to protect, renovate and rehabilitate them.
1958
The NCC is formed under the National Capital Act and sets up a Historical Advisory Committee and begins to compile archival information on historic buildings within the Capital region.
1961
A history of the National Capital Region —The Queen's Choice — is commissioned from Wilfrid Eggleston.
1962–72
Through a series of annual grants and a major contribution, the NCC ensures the continuous care and maintenance of the Mill of Kintail, in Almonte, and its acquisition by the Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority.
1963
The NCC gives the first of many grants to assist in the preservation and maintenance of historic buildings. We begin to erect historic plaques, to undertake detailed research on heritage buildings and to publish short historical works. This same year, major restoration work is begun to protect historic commercial buildings on Sussex Drive — what will eventually become the “The Mile of History.”
1964
An illustrated history —City on the Ottawa — is commissioned from Courtney C. J. Bond. Two years later, a companion volume for the Capital region appears, The Ottawa Country.
1969–70
A comprehensive inventory of heritage buildings and sites in the Capital region is prepared. It covers 800 properties. The NCC restores the Thompson-Perkins Mill and leases it as a restaurant overlooking the historic Chaudières area.
1970s
The Symmes Hotel, an inn that once sheltered travellers on the Ottawa River, in Aylmer, Quebec, is restored.
1971–72
The rehabilitation of Victoria Island and Richmond Landing begins.
1972
Action is taken to save the interior of the Rideau Street Convent Chapel. As a joint project, the National Gallery of Canada and the NCC disassemble the chapel interior, mark all the pieces, and reassemble this historic treasure in 1988, in the new National Gallery of Canada building on Sussex Drive.
1974
We publish National Capital Region Heritage, a 233-page catalogue of heritage buildings, which is only part of a growing program of research grants and publications.
1975–76
With the Roman Catholic Church, the NCC restores the Archbishop’s Palace on St. Patrick Street in Lowertown.
1978
Publication of an art book, Hull Yesterday, and a history book, The Wrights: A Genealogical Study of the First Settlers in Canada's National Capital Region (by Patrick M. O. Evans).
1981
We help celebrate the 150th anniversary of the completion of the Rideau Canal by installing heritage panels along the waterway from Hog’s Back to Parliament Hill. We open the Log Farm, a living museum restored to the period of the 1850s, in the Greenbelt. For a second time, we participate in archaeological digs at Pontiac Bay. The NCC works with Parks Canada to prepare a Federal Heritage Buildings Policy.
1983
For the Canadian Canoe Festival (1980–1986), we build a replica of a Durham Boat (the boat that brought many settlers up the Ottawa River in the early 19th century).
1984
We restore the Maison Charron, an early pioneer home, in Jacques-Cartier Park in Hull. Restoration of buildings at the Mackenzie King Estate begins. Moorside and the Waterfall Trail are landscaped.
1985
The interiors of the Kingswood cottages, one-time summer retreat of Prime Minister Mackenzie King (1903–1927) in Gatineau Park, are restored and work begins on Moorside. We inaugurate “Capital Vignettes”— small outdoor plays on Canadian historical themes. We receive two awards from the Canadian Housing Design Council for Architectural Excellence for the reconstruction of the Riel-McDougal Block on Sussex Drive and for the Sussex Courtyards project. The NCC takes over management of the official residences, together with responsibility for their heritage preservation.
1985–2000
We develop Confederation Boulevard as a ceremonial route that provides the public with an experience of many of the Capital region’s most important national symbols and heritage treasures.
1990s
In the context of the rehabilitation of Major’s Hill Park, we develop and install interpretative panels in the Park and a historical display on the site of Colonel By’s house.
1993–95
We participate in a heritage study with the City of Gatineau to identify cultural landscapes on its land. Three heritage districts are now protected in Gatineau under this label, through the application of various zoning and planning tools.
1993–2002
We develop partnerships to support the archaeological excavations at Leamy Lake Park, site of many Aboriginal artifacts dating back thousands of years. Focus changes every year, from research to potential studies, small exhibits and even guided tours.
1993
We organize a workshop with Parks Canada to discuss cultural landscapes, understand the concept and agree on a definition. Participants come from all levels of government. A public conference is also organized with guest speakers from the US Parks Services and ICOMOS UK.
1994–95
We restore and adapt the Chambers, a grouping of important heritage buildings facing Confederation Square, as NCC headquarters. The project includes restoration of the Central and Scottish-Ontario Chambers.
1995–98
We cooperate with Parks Canada to manage and finance a study related to the identification of the cultural landscapes of the Rideau Canal corridor, from Kingston to Ottawa. In 2005, the Rideau Canal is nominated as a potential World Heritage Site.
1995–96
Maplelawn is restored by a developer (the NCC is responsible for roof and window restoration). The Maplelawn Café remains in operation until spring 1998. The house is now occupied by the Keg Manor. Starting in 1993, the Friends of the Maplelawn Garden, a group of dedicated volunteers, is responsible for the maintenance and preservation of this rare example of a 19th-century walled garden.
1997–98
We complete an inventory of all known archaeological sites in the region and undertake archaeological mapping of the Capital region to identify vulnerable sites so that they can be protected in case of future development.
1998
We embark on a public/private partnership for the rehabilitation of the Wakefield Grist Mill and Maclaren House, in Gatineau Park. They are converted into a country inn with meeting rooms and fine dining. Some of the industrial artifacts stored in the Mill are displayed on site, while others have found a new home in historical museums or active historic mills.
1998
Following an intensive study with the NCC involving consultation with public property owners and community groups, the City of Ottawa approves Central Area Official Plan and By-Law measures, to protect the visual integrity and symbolic primacy of the Parliament Buildings and other national symbols.
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