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Tabaret Hall

550 Cumberland Avenue

Written by Bytown Museum on 03/Dec/2009

A photograph of Tabaret Hall in Sandy Hill

Thousands of students have passed through the majestic columns that grace the front of Tabaret Hall at the University of Ottawa. It is likely that many of them don't realize that the hall was named for university founder Reverend Joseph-Henri Tabaret, rector for 30 years in the 19th century.

Tabaret believed that “in this part of Canada, the use of both languages is not a matter of discussion, it is a matter of necessity.” The University of Ottawa is now the oldest and largest bilingual university in North America. Originally established as the College of Bytown by the Oblate Fathers in 1848, the institution moved from Lowertown to its present Sandy Hill location in 1856.

Did you know that the Tabaret Hall columns inspired the school's logo? The building, designed by American architect A.O. Von Herbulis, was inspired by the Capitol Building in Washington.


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The view of the front of Tabaret Hall is one of the most amazing views I have seen in the entire city. I may be a bit biased as a U of O student, but seeing that building on the first day of registration after moving halfway across the country to study in Ottawa was certainly special

Doug Chiasson, Friday, July 24, 2009

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