Beacon Hill is a neighbourhood located in the north-east section of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Beacon Hill was a part of Gloucester until it was amalgamated with the new city of Ottawa. It is sometimes colloquially referred to as "The Beaks","Beacon","The Hill" or "The BH". Beacon Hill is a primarily residential area, built in the 1960's and 70's. It consists of two parts, Beacon Hill North and Beacon Hill South, divided by Montreal Road. It includes the Robert O. Pickard sewage treatment plant and three high schools, Colonel By, Gloucester H.S., and Lester B. Pearson Catholic High School. It is bounded on the east by the Greenbelt, including Ruisseau Green's Creek ravine area, to the south by Highway 174, and on the west by the older neighbourhoods of Cardinal Heights (south of Montreal Road) and Rothwell Heights (north of Montreal Road).
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History
It is most likely that the community drew its name from a lighthouse in the Ottawa River, downstream from Duck Island. It is thought that the light from the river could be seen from Naskapi Dr. (the top of the hill), hence Beacon Hill. Though the lighthouse is no longer in use, its foundation still remains visible from the bike path. One of the key hangouts among young people in Beacon Hill is secret park located behind T.D McGee Catholic School. The 'Hill' the name refers to is actually a ridge running roughly parallel to the Ottawa River. A large, open area of the ridge is a municipal park (Ski Hill Park) and is located behind the Beacon Hill Mall on Ogilvie Road. Ski Hill Park is generally referred to as 'Zeller's Hill' by residents who lived in the community prior the 1990s when a Zeller's department store occupied the Beacon Hill Mall.
Schools
- Le Phare Elementary School (French Immersion Public)
- Robert Hopkins Elementary School (English/French Immersion Public)
- Henry Munro Middle School (English/French Immersion Public)
- Colonel By Secondary School (English/French Immersion Public, with International Baccalaureate Program)
- École élémentaire catholique La Vérendrye (French Catholic)
- École élémentaire publique Séraphin-Marion (French Public) now in the building of the former Lamira Dow Billings Public School which closed following the 2000-2001 school year.
- Thomas D'Arcy McGee Catholic School (English Catholic)
- Gloucester High School
- Lester B. Pearson Catholic High School
- Brother Andre Catholic School (former Elmridge Catholic)
Toboggan Hills
From largest to smallest:
- Green's Creek
- Ski Hill Park
- Loyola Park
Notable Beacon Hill Residents, Past and Present
- Tom Green, shock comic
- Thomas Maypother (later became Tom Cruise) attended Henry Munro Middle School in the early 1970s
- Bryan Adams briefly attended Colonel By Secondary School
- Thomas Radford (CHIN Radio Host)
- Shawn Moore (Winner-Beacon Hill Hottest Guy Contest)
- Leo Heistek (Chin Radio Host Double Dutch in the morning)
