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• 1 media/Figure 1 146 Bayswater.JPG 2025-07-28T16:41:37+00:00 The Building 10 Information of the building of 146 Bayswater can be found here plain 146 2025-08-05T18:10:35+00:00 146 Bayswater Avenue stands right on the intersection of Bayswater and Gladstone Avenue. It is a brick veneer residential building, standing two and a half stories high. The house was built in 1886 by David Cuthbertson, a well-known contractor-builder in the early years of Ottawa.
  
  The building has been divided into multiple apartments since at least 1927, and at least two of these apartments were rented throughout the years. Currently, there are three apartments in the building, the top floor being a small one bedroom and one bathroom apartment.
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  It was initially owned by David Cuthbertson; but when he left in the years between 1900 and 1904, it was inhabited by James Oliver who owned the integral Oliver & Sons furniture factory a few blocks away. One of the building's most prominent residents was James Oliver’s son, Herbert James Oliver. He later went on to become a member of the Public School Board and even to serve as Chairman in 1926.
  
  The shape of the building remained the same for decades, possibly since its initial construction. Fire Insurance plans from 1948 and 1956 show the same footprint as the building has today. The difference is the garage: while there certainly was garage attached to the house since 1948, this seems to have been added after 1886 because initially there was a barn on the same lot. 
  
  The barn is noted in an Ottawa Journal article, where it is mentioned that it burnt down. It is also possible that when the building burnt down during the Great Fire of 1900, David Cuthbertson (its owner at the time) decided to change its architectural footprint or its materials.
• 1 2025-07-21T18:42:11+00:00 Area of Bayswater 8 Area Homepage plain 92 2025-08-05T19:12:21+00:00 At the time of 146 Bayswater's construction, Bayswater Avenue was called Fourth Avenue. Hintonburg had not yet been assimilated into Ottawa (and would not be until 1907). Instead, Fourth Avenue was located in a larger area collectively known as Bayswater. The boundaries of Bayswater were the Grand Trunk tracks, Carling Avenue, Preston Street, and Parkdale Avenue. It was a relatively quiet and secluded place—only twenty people lived there in 1890.
  
  The names listed are as follows:
  1. Thomas Church (foreman at Bronson's saw mill)
  2. John Ralph (team owner)
  3. Hugh Sparks (carpenter)
  4. John Hogan (Section foreman of the city)
  5. Jas. Riddell (official at the Bronson mill)
  6. David Cuthbertson (Contractor)
  7. John Kennedy (occupation not remembered)
  
  The area was surrounded by farmland. Much of it was owned by the Sparks Estate, and some of it belonged to the Experimental Farm. It seemed to be almost like the countryside, especially due to the proximity of the Farm. In the summer, cows would be driven from the Farm towards Somerset St. and walk over the lawns, much to the chagrin of the residents.
  
  In 1899, the Hintonburg Waterworks system began pumping water through the area. Farmland was sold very quickly to builders and contractors. Many of the residents were employees of the Canadian Pacific Railways and Grand Trunk Railways. It is then that the J. Oliver & Sons company began building their factory on Oliver St. (now Gladstone Avenue).
  
  In 1907, Hintonburg voted to join Ottawa. It was at this point that numbered streets (such as Fourth Avenue) and streets labelled with the cardinal directions were renamed. This marked the beginning of growth for Hintonburg. Ottawa wished to encourage development in the previous area of Bayswater, so gave the region a low fixed assessment rate for twenty years. No factories were constructed, aside from the J. Oliver & Sons furniture factory, but many people were attracted by the low assessment and built their homes there. Additionally, the proximity of the Canadian Pacific and the Grand Trunk Railways meant that many railway workers built, bought, or rented houses in the area.
  
  During the Great Fire of 1900, Hintonburg managed to largely escape the blaze. It was protected in the east from Rochesterville due to the tracks of the Canadian Pacific Railway. Only four houses on Fourth Avenue burned down, including 146 Fourth Ave (now Bayswater Avenue). The other three buildings were those belonging to John F. Kennedy, James Campbell, and George Rochester. They likely caught fire from the burning wood flying through the air.
  
  After the fire, the number of residents in Hintonburg increased by one hundred, because many displaced Rochesterville residents moved there. Some of them moved in with existing residents and others took advantage of the many empty lots to build new houses with their insurance payouts. It continued to be fairly countrified: indeed, a James Berrigan or Barrigan owned a barn located at 146 Bayswater which burned down in November of 1917. Sadly, one horse was burned beyond aid, and the damage cost $300 (the equivalent of over $6000 in 2025). It is not clear whether James Berrigan lived at 146 Bayswater at this time or simply rented space there, but the existence of his barn speaks to the type of homes that were built there. It may also indicate the proximity of the Experimental Farm.
  
  Bayswater Avenue increased in size between the years of 1948 and 1965. A fire hydrant was added by 1956.
  
  
  
  
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