The memorial building with plaques was erected by the city of Ottawa. The plaques were unveiled in 1990 and 1997. The memorial is dedicated to Admiral of the Fleet Sir Provo William Perry Wallis, GCB (1791-1892), from Halifax, Nova Scotia. He joined the Royal Navy at a very young age and fought in the War of 1812, commanding a frigate in battle near Boston when the ship's captain was severely wounded and his second-in-command killed. He saw action throughout the 1800`s in Halifax, Madagascar, the Mediterranean and South America. He was appointed Admiral of the fleet in 1877.
The building now known as Wallis House was built in 1873 as the County of Carleton Protestant General Hospital. It remained a hospital until 1924 whereupon it served as a Catholic seminary until 1943 when the military took over and used it as the Headquarters for the Women's Royal Canadian Naval Service during the Second World War. The Navy gave it the name Wallis House, after Provo Wallis a hero of the War of 1812. After the Second World War, it served as housing for returning veterans and during the 1950`s was used for various military purposes, eventually becoming the home of 28 Service Battalion. In 1994 it was sold to a developer who transformed the building into condominiums.
