Building Styles

Napanee

The MacPherson House in Napanee was built before 1830 and stayed in the MacPherson family for over 70 years. It is a beautifully kept building and well worth a visit.

This house, like many others, is just on the cusp of Neo- Classical, and has often been called Georgian. The layout and the symmetry are definitely Georgian, but the detailing is light, delicate and more Neo- Classical. The wood paneling and the glazing are both much more Neo-Classical than Georgian.

Napanee

The door from the MacPherson House shows the Neo-Classical elements. The glazing bars on the windows are the first thing you notice. The transom is made to look like an elliptical fanlight even if it isn't one.

The heavy columns and frames of the Georgian period have been replaced by gently fluted pilasters as seen on either side of the door. The cornice is held in place by a second set of pilasters further removed from the door surround.

The six-panelled door has no exterior hardware, it would have been opened only from within. There would always have been either the lady of the house or a maidservant in attendance.

Kingston

The overall shape of the Neo-Classical building is not that far removed from the Georgian; basically it is a box. The difference, as seen in this beautiful example from Kingston, is the detailing. The windows are still 12-over-12 sash windows, but the mullions are much finer than in the Georgian examples. The small portico has been replaced by a large balconied portico that is extended from a pedimented frontispiece.

While there are generally quoins on a Georgian building, they are often brick and help to square the corners. The quoins on this building are decorative and made from finely cut ashlar. A simple stone band separates the first from the second floor. Double chimneys prove the building is not a modern copy of the older style.

Niagara-on-the-Lake

The Rogers Blake Harrison house of 1817 is a brilliant example of Neo-Classical detailing added to a basically Georgian design. This house is part of the Loyalist Style.

Because it was the colony's first capital, Niagara-on-the-Lake suffered greatly in the War of 1812. When peace was declared in 1814 there were only two houses left standing. This house is one that was rebuilt along the original main street. The door detail below shows the embellishments that went into the new design.

Niagara-on-the-Lake

The semi-elliptical fan transom set above a paneled door with glazed sidelights is the hallmark of the Neo-Classical design. Elegantly fluted white pilasters with simple bases and capitals form the frame. The door is painted a dramatically contrasting black. A simple iron grille over the sidelights may have been added later.

Doors of this era were more likely to have door knobs (the earlier Georgian doors rarely did) but they weren't a necessity.

The trim on this door is much lighter than earlier Georgian doors, the glazing is delicate, and the keystone illustrates a Baroque tendency found only in Niagara and a few other regions.

Cobourg

The colonnaded half-round portico is one of the truly wonderful elements of the Neo-Classical style. On this house the frontispiece on its own is somewhat plain despite the pediment and the cornice; the portico is definitely the focal point of the façade. The doorway is a Classical design with a half-round arch and spandrels.

The windows are 12-over-12 sash with green shutters. The second floor are 8-over-12. A cornice band completes the design.

Many Neo-Classical buildings were built of brick. On Neo-Classical buildings, detailing is always white.

Merrickville

This large country estate is built in the Georgian style but has distinct Neo-Classical detailing. Once again a semi-elliptical fanlight with side lights frames a door that is found within a pedimented portico. The portico is not grand as in the Classical Revival style, but is light and elegant, decorating the door rather than making a civic statement. The vocabulary is the same, but the effect is totally different from the Classical Revival.

The house is made of local stone with refined stone window surrounds and oversized stone quoins.

Gananoque

This beautifully restored Neo-Classical building in Gananoque shows the elements of Neo-Classical exterior detailing without the symmetrical floorplan. The colours are black and white.

The window and door lintels on the first floor are decorated with slightly pedimented frames. The hip roof is unusual for this type of a building, as is the second storey balcony. Both could have been added at a later date.

The sash windows have also been updated.

Brockville

Here is another building that could be either Georgian or Neo-Classical from a distance. It is made from local stone that is well cut and carefully placed. Notice how well the voussoirs are placed around the arch of the door.

The front door is definitely Neo-Classical with the elliptical fanlight and side lights. The keystone and elliptical cornice over the door are also Classical in design. The sash windows have simple jack arches and heavy stone sills.

Holland Landing

This is a beautiful Neo-Classical doorway on a basically Georgian brick building. It was built for the lawyer Henrey Blackstone in 1851.

The building is brick with a six-panel door made of unpainted wood. A careful look at the placement of the lock and door handle show that they were certainly added many years after the house was built.

Over the door is a half-round lunette. On either side are fluted Doric columns with large abacuses but very small echini. The door is simple, but still refined and elegant. The columns are heavy, but the overall appearance is Neo-Classical rather than Georgian.

Brockville

The George Malloch House, built in 1840, is not symmetrical but still maintains Classic proportions. One of the major differences between the Georgian and the Neo-Classical styles is the quantity of window space on the façade. In a Georgian building the windows would be much smaller as would the window panes.

The portico is also a wonderful example of Neo-Classicism, even though it somewhat hides the fanlight and door details. This is not a "temple front" as found in the Classical Revival style, but a wonderful off-center portico. It may have been added later. Ionic pillars hold up the pediment and the tympanum is finely decorated. Window shutters of the same colour add balance. They would probably have been shut in the winter against inclement weather.

Simcoe

Once again, this looks, at first, like a Georgian house: the symmetrical, central hall layout, the sash windows, and the twin chimneys. On second look, you can see that the amount of the façade taken up by windows is quite large, and the second floor central window is particularly generous.

Finally, the front door and portico are much too ornate for a Georgian home. The transom and side lights have small glass panes. The portico is a temple-front design but with pilasters instead of columns holding up a pediment and architrave. The porch may have been added later.