Building Styles

Sault Ste. Marie

This is the oldest stone building northwest of Toronto. It was built in 1813 for Charles Oakes Ermatinger, a fur trader, merchant, and Justice of the Peace.

Typical of the style are the two chimneys, the 12-over -12 sash windows, the low pitched roof, and the relatively plain door. Wooden window shutters and a pedimented portico complete the picture. It was constructed from vernacular materials - mostly river stone. The shutters would have been closed in the winter to keep out the cold.

Niagara-on the-Lake

Georgian doors are very sturdy and quite simple. This two-fielded panel door has a strong central knocker. The door handle was added much later; a Georgian gentleman's door was always opened from within. The lady of the house or a maid-servant always in the house to take care of any visitors.

The transom and sidelights are quite plain and made from original small panes of glass. Above the door is a simple classical cornice and entablature, and the sides are framed in sturdy unfluted pilasters. Like many Georgian houses, the door detailing is white.

Port Hope

This is an urban carriage house probably not used as a residence for at least part of its lifespan. There are two separate entrances on either side of a carriageway. The horse and buggies or horses would have been driven through the carriageway and tethered at the rear of the building.

The windows are 12-over -12 sash, the detailing is all white and there are simple transoms over the doors with no side lights. The carriageway is simply framed with a pseudo three-centered arch, a type of arch popular in the Elizabethan period. There is no cornice detailing or ornament of any kind.

Sault Ste. Marie

Built in 1865, "Upton" was the home of Wemyss Simpson, the last Chief Factor of the Hudson's Bay Company in Sault Ste. Marie. It was subsequently purchased by "Heritage Sault Ste. Marie" and converted into three condominiums. The restored Regency Style veranda is typical of Georgian homes, but not many have been maintained; wood is less durable than stone. The six-over-six sash windows, quoins, and low hip roof are typical of the style.

Simcoe

This old Georgian home is now the Museum in Simcoe. It is also a two-storey brick building with six-over-six sash windows and shutters, two chimneys, and a sturdy cornice.

The front entrance has a large transom with two sidelights. The front door is new, and the front entrance may be newer than the building.

Maitland

Georgian features of this simple stone house in Maitland include sash windows, symmetrical five bays, half-round fanlight over the door, and a gable roof with two chimneys. The windows have simple jack arches, and the door has a half-round arch with cut-stone voussoirs. There is a simple stone band under the second floor windows and a simple cornice.

For anyone interested in Georgian or stone building, a trip to Maitland will be worth it. There are many original stone buildings as well as a stone tower overlooking the St. Lawrence River.

Burritts Rapids

Here is another classic five bay Georgian house with a high gable roof and two chimneys. This could be a later Georgian house judging from the sash windows that are six-over six meaning that the glass panes are larger than in earlier houses. Also the door has a very ornate fanlight, still half-round, but certainly more intricate than earlier examples.

Around the fanlight is an impressive arch made from cut-stone voussoirs and over the windows are the usual jack arches. The house is situated on the bank of the Rideau River with a beautiful view over the water, another feature often found in Georgian homes.

Niagara-on-the-Lake

In Niagara-on-the-Lake the houses are made with a wood siding veneer more often than with stone or brick. This house was probably rebuilt after the War of 1812, but the original 12-over -12 windows and symmetrical bays remain as in the original. The front door detail is very simple with a cornice and rectangular side lights. The amount of window area on the façade is more than in the original Georgian designs, but, again, may have been modified after the 1812 war.

Waterdown

Here is another beautifully maintained Georgian house made in vernacular materials. The stone would have come from the Niagara Escarpment, Waterdown is just on the edge. The finish is called "ashlar", a term for stone cut so that the finish is smooth with minimal joints. The door surround is restrained and elegant with a simple square transom and side lights.

Like many Georgian buildings, it is situated brilliantly, on the crest of a hill overlooking a valley.

Springdale 1810

This house was built in or before 1810 by Hector McKay. It was bought by Joseph Webster in 1819 and remained in his family until the twentieth century.

The front of the house is composed of dressed stone while the back is rubble. Like the others in this area, it has six over six sash windows, a wooden door with side lights and a square transom. The door surround is simple but elegant. There are large stone lintels and well preserved shutters on the windows . The austere lines of the house earned it the designation of Wilderness Georgian.

Springdale

This door detail illustrates how carefully the owners have preserved the original wood. The reveals are paneled as are the door and base panels. The agraffe above the door is a simple foliage pattern. There are large quoins along the edge of the door made of the same limestone, but in larger blocks than the rest of the façade.

Port Credit

The Cotton House built by Robert Cotton about 1856 is a good example of a clapboard Georgian. The façade is symmetrical with shuttered six-over-six sash windows and an elegant transom and side lights around the door. Two chimneys indicate that there were two fireplaces.

The house was originally part of a large estate. Robert Cotton was a Justice of the Peace, a businessman who ran, among other things, the Port Credit General Store, and a member of the local government The house remains a private residence.

Clarkson

Like many Georgian houses the Benares house of 1856 had a splendid veranda. The house has the usual sash windows and sturdy front door with transom and sidelights. In addition, it has a frontispiece with a pediment. The veranda, the second floor balcony, and the roof cornice and modillions are decorative accents indicating an affluent owner.

Benares is now a period museum open to the public. The grounds are impressive and there is a large modern museum and exhibition space on the property.