Dave Allston

Dave Allston is the senior asset manager (heritage) at National Defence, where he has worked in various capacities, including almost six years managing small team performing data quality and analysis on the National Defence portfolio, and five years as acting chief, IE Business and Data Support. He is also the returning officer for Ottawa Centre with Elections Ontario. Dave has a strong interest in local history and, since 1998, has been operating Houstalgia Research Company, providing historical research and detailed reports on the history of heritage and non-recognized properties, houses and neighbourhoods, as well as social, legal and architectural studies of properties over a 200-year period. In 2015, he began writing for the Kitchissippi Times community newspaper, and launched his own history blog, the Kitchissippi Museum. Dave has been a guest speaker for many groups and organizations, and contributes regularly to many mainstream media groups (such as the CBC and Ottawa Citizen) when a Kitchissippi-area local history issue arises. He also volunteers at community events, promoting his collection of local historical photos, maps and artifacts, as well as at local seniors’ residences, as well as at local seniors’ residences, conducting genealogical research.

Winter ward fun: The history of outdoor recreation in Kitchissippi

As we approach a full year of living in a pandemic, one of the...

Home for the holidays in 1880s Hintonburg

By Dave Allston 140 years ago, Christmastime arrived in Hintonburg. The villagers gathered with their...

Early Days: The 20th century tale of the Churchill Avenue police station

By Dave Allston Now a neighbourhood in central Ottawa, there was a time when Westboro...

24-hours and 10-cent burgers: A step back in time to a classic diner on Wellington Street West

For forty years, one of the most popular and unique restaurants in the city...

Early Days: Scott Street — How one of Ottawa’s oldest roadways took shape

Scott Street is undergoing a significant face lift over the next few years as...

‘Connecting pieces:’ Remembering 150 years of history on Richmond Road

By Dave Allston One of Westboro’s most recognizable buildings, situated at the neighbourhood’s busiest intersection,...
- Advertisement -

F.X. Sauvé: The Francophone Godfather of Kitchissippi

 Hintonburg and Mechanicsville have particularly deep francophone roots. While both neighbourhoods still feature a...

Early Days: When the circus came to Wellington West

Few forms of entertainment in the early 20th century were more popular than the...

The history of one of the busiest corners of Kitchissippi

Kitchissippi has its share of busy intersections, but few are as rich in history...

Early Days: The evolution of 1385 Wellington St. W.

When you look at the history of Wellington Street West and Richmond Road, you...

Step in our time machine, for a 1867 walking tour of Kitchissippi

Have you ever wondered what Kitchissippi would look like if we could go back...

Early Days: The building project that changed Kitchissippi forever

To many, the Sir John A. MacDonald Parkway along the Ottawa River is a...
- Advertisement -