Canadian Historic Sites: Occasional Papers in Archaeology and History No. 24

Second Empire Style in Canadian Architecture

by Christina Cameron and Janet Wright

Ontario Houses

For domestic buildings in Ontario, the Second Empire style assumed a variety of forms. The classic type is the free-standing residence, two storeys in height with an additional storey tucked into a ponderous mansard roof (Figs. 67-68). Most of these houses are built of brick, more often of yellow brick than of red. They pay tribute to the Second Empire idiom in their frequent use of round-headed doors and windows, pronounced eaves brackets, slate roof tiles arranged in decorative patterns, iron cresting atop weighty mansard roofs, and ornate dormer windows. The sophisticated design of many of these dwellings suggests close ties with models presented in American pattern books.

The most dignified examples of this type imitate the symmetrical arrangement of the façade found in public buildings in this style (Figs. 69-70). At the same time, however, a less formal version emerged which allowed for an asymmetrical massing of the façade (Figs. 71-73). Whether arranged symmetrically or asymmetrically, they generally attain a good deal of plasticity from bay windows that are sometimes carried up into the roof in tower-like forms,

Examples of this type still survive in what were developing urban centres in the 1870s — Toronto, London, Belleville, Brookville, Cobourg, Woodstock, Dundas, Port Hope, Brantford, Chatham, St. Catharines. A distinct regional variation occurs in the Galt-Guelph area where local custom called for stone instead of brick (Fig. 74).

A characteristic feature of Second Empire houses in Ontario is their massive bulk. Even when they are one storey high, they manage to attain a quality of weight and solidity (Figs. 75-76). Indeed, the impression can be one of top-heaviness with the mansard roof taking on visual importance disproportionate to the size of the house (Fig. 77).

While most Second Empire residential construction in Ontario occurs in attractively sited detached dwellings, the style is occasionally used for multi-purpose housing in the crowded urban core. The high cost of land meant that building lots were expensive; this necessitated the design of terraces (Fig. 78), row houses (Fig. 79) or narrow detached houses with plain side walls (Fig. 80) that would use the land economically. As one would expect, ornate Second Empire details are scaled down, but the mansard roof and sometimes even pavilion massing are retained.

The Canadian Inventory of Historic Building has recorded many fine examples of Second Empire houses in Ontario. The sophistication and careful execution of their details rank these houses among the purest high style examples in Canada. With their massive proportions and elaborate designs, they are the embodiment of the dignified and enduring family home.