This page is referenced by:

• 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.
  
  
  
  
  Navigate to:
  The Building
  Builder of 146 Bayswater
  Residents of 146 Bayswater
  Bibliography
  
  Or, follow the path:
• 1 2025-07-21T18:42:12+00:00 Fire of 1900 6 Ana Teoh Area 3 plain 2025-08-05T19:14:13+00:00 The damage of the Great Fire of 1900 was enabled by the lack of preparation on the part of the Ottawa Fire Department. In 1897, the West Block fire on Parliament Hill resulted in the resignation of the Fire Chief Young. City officials picked a Peter Provost from Montréal to become the new Chief and to overhaul the Department. Provost had come with the Montréal group to help with the West Block fire. He was experienced in reorganising Fire Departments, as he had helped with the Department in New Brunswick. The picking of an “outsider” to revamp the Department meant that Provost could make decisions without being accused of favoritism.
  
  Though Provost did manage to create a clear chain of command and successfully disciplined his men, he was working with far too few firefighters and without enough money for equipment. He was concerned about the fire hose which kept bursting and, in addition, requested another steam truck which he did not receive.Since the number of big fires of 1898 and 1899 were much lower than that of previous years, city politicians did not see the need to give him his new equipment. The lack of men and outdated equipment set up the tragedy of 1900. Another factor is that the major industry of Ottawa and Hull was lumber: the giant piles of drying timber on either side of the Ottawa River were the ideal fodder for fire.
  
  The fire began at around 10:00 am on April 26, 1900. The initial blaze was a chimney fire in the home of Antoine Kirouac. His frame house was located within a neighbourhood of frame houses, in the centre of the business district of Hull. The Ottawa Fire Department responded without much concern, but northwesterly winds fanned the flames and vast swathes of the city were consumed in only two hours. The wind blew sparks and shingles across the river from the huge piles of lumber in Hull to those on the Ottawa side. At 2:00 pm, MacKay Milling Company’s flour mill was destroyed, as was the Electric Light Power House, whose destruction caused the whole city to remain in darkness for five days. The militia was enlisted to souse the streets with water, which saved the eastern part of the city. By evening, the winds died down and the cliffs west of Concession St. (now Bronson Ave.) helped stop the fire—though fire fighting continued on the edges. In total, the fire caused $10,000,000 of property damage, $3,000,000 of lost drying lumber, and 15,000 homeless people. Somehow, only seven people died in the fire, though many later lost their lives due to injuries and sickness caused by the fire. Refugees were hosted in the houses of friends and tents in Cartier Square Drill Hall and Lansdowne Park—luckily the weather was fairly warm, so those who slept outside did not suffer.
  
  
  Hintonburg was not very affected by the fire. This is due to the Canadian Pacific and Canadian Atlantic Railways, which created a break in flammable material over which the flames could not easily jump without the help of the winds which had since died down. The residents likely stayed at the edge of the village ready to put out any sparks—many other Ottawa residents did the same for their own houses, but were unsuccessful. Only four houses in Hintonburg were lost in the fire, all of which were located in the area of Bayswater. One of these houses was 146 Bayswater, which at that time was owned by David Cuthbertson. Other houses were 142 Bayswater belonging to George Rochester, 168 Bayswater owned by John F. Kennedy, and a house belonging to James Campbell which was located where Highway 417 exists now.
  
  Hintonburg increased in population with the displaced residents from Rochesterville. The village also did great business because of all the lost commerce in LeBreton Flats and the Preston Area.  Massive rebuilding campaigns began at the end of the year led to 750 homes in the Ottawa-Hull area, but unfortunately most of these homes were destroyed in the fire of May 1903. 
  
  
  
  Navigate to:
  The Building
  Residents of 146 Bayswater
  Bibliography
  
  Or, follow the path: