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

Second Empire Style in Canadian Architecture

by Christina Cameron and Janet Wright

Illustrations and Legends

1 City Hall 275 Notre Dame Street East, Montreal, Quebec Constructed: 1872-78 (severely damaged by fire 1922, rebuilt) Architect: H.M. Perrault Material: Stone With its mansard roof, pavilion massing, classicizing decoration and fine setting, Montreal City Hall, described in detail in the text, stands as a handsome early example of Second Empire design in Canada. (Public Archives of Canada.)

2 New Louvre Paris, France Constructed: 1852-57 Architects: L.T.J. Visconti and Hector-Martin Lefuel Material: Stone The Louvre was begun in the 16th century by Pierre Lescot and continued by a succession of architects over the next 300 years. Napoleon III's decision to link up the Louvre with the Palace of the Tuileries required a design that would be compatible with the existing buildings. As a result the design of the new wing, which was conceived by Visconti and continued after his death in 1853 by Lefuel, borrowed many features from the older parts of the building such as the high-pitched mansard roof, horizontal emphasis and sculptural ornamentation; however, these forms were so vigorously interpreted that they created a robust and original architectural character. Had this building been erected anywhere else but Paris, the design would probably not have had the same dramatic impact. The elegance of the court of Napoléon III and the ambitious urban planning schemes of Baron Haussmann had captured the imagination of the western world and earned the city its reputation as the model of cosmopolitan modernity. For the outside world the New Louvre became a symbol of this new progressive age. (Library of Congress.)

3 Re-creation of a typical Paris apartment Architects: Sanford E. Loring and William Le Baron Jenning Published: 1869 This re-creation of a typical Paris apartment of the Second Empire period illustrates the type of buildings which lined the broad boulevards created by Baron Haussmann. They were usually six or seven storeys high with a shop and living quarters for the concierge on the ground floor and a porte cochère wide enough to admit a carriage into the narrow court leading to stables and carriage house at the rear. The first floor contained a graciously appointed apartment for a well-to-do tenant; each subsequent floor housed a series of progressively smaller and less elegant apartments ending with cramped garrets under the mansard roof. Individually the designs did not have the richness or plasticity of detail associated with the Second Empire style, but, when seen in conjunction with other similar buildings, an imposing streetscape was created. Haussmann's grand approach to urban planning provided a model for growing urban centres around the world. (Sanford E. Loring, Principles and Practices of Architecture [Chicago, Cleveland: Cobb, Pritchard and Company, 1869], ex. U. Pl. I.)

4 Paddington Station and Hotel London, England Constructed: 1852-53 Architects: Philip Hardwick and Philip Charles Hardwick Material: Stone with cement sheathing With the consolidation of the British railway system, the inferiority of London terminal facilities became painfully evident and the Great Western Railway Company's new hotel at Paddington, the first of its scale, was intended to meet this need. Hailed as a credit to the achievements of the age, it boasted 150 rooms and aimed at providing every modern luxury and comfort for the up-to-date tastes of prosperous travellers. (Royal Institute of British Architects.)

5 Design for the War Office Whitehall, London, England Date: 1856-57 Architect: Henry B. Garling Arranged around an interior courtyard, this building presented four monumental façades, each swarming with classical orders of great plasticity. Although never executed, the widely publicized plan provided a model for public building in the Second Empire style. (Royal Institute of British Architects.)

6 City Hall Boston, Massachusetts Constructed: 1862-65 Architects: G.J.F. Bryant and Arthur D. Gilman Material: Stone By 1862 Boston had replaced Philadelphia as the artistic and intellectual centre of the United States; therefore, it is not surprising that the country's first monumental example of the Second Empire style should appear in that city. Boston City Hall's compact, rectangular plan and tightly knit façade may seem conservative when compared to the sprawling, complex layout of later Second Empire buildings such as Philadelphia City Hall and the State, War and Navy Department Building in Washington (Fig. 7). (Historic American Buildings Survey.)

7 State, War and Navy Department Building Washington, D.C. Constructed: 1871-87 Architect: Alfred B. Mullett Material: Stone Alfred B. Mullett's term as supervising architect to the Treasury Department (1866-74) covered a period of rapid government expansion. Of the many federal buildings designed by Mullett all but a few are in the Second Empire style; for this reason he has been justly regarded as the leading American exponent of this style. The largest of these structures, the vast and imposing State, War and Navy Department Building, consists of a rusticated ground storey forming the base for the richly columned and pilastered tiers which are surmounted by a massive mansard roof. The exclusive use of the heavier, more powerful doric order was perhaps intended to reflect the military associations of the building. It was constructed of granite which had to be imported by rail from Richmond, Virginia. This extravagance partially explains an enormous construction cost of 12 million dollars. This was an era when government spared no expense to give its structures a suitable air of governmental authority and dignity. (Historic American Buildings Survey.)

8 Sketches of curved roofs Designed: 1857 Architect: Calvert Vaux Calvert Vaux's pattern book contains one of the earliest references to the potential picturesque effect inherent in the mansard or broken roof. These sketches of curved roofs, some of them mansards, may seem simple in comparison with later more bombastic examples, but they reveal Vaux's precocious awareness of the growing taste for the picturesque. In commenting on the sketches, he advised his readers that "some degree of picturesqueness can always be obtained by the treatment of the roof-lines, or by the use of verandahs, porches, or baywindows; and these features, if well arranged, are very valuable in any case, for they help to supply the variety of light and shade which is so much needed. The introduction of circular-headed windows, circular projections or verandahs, and of curved lines in the design of the roof, and in the details generally, will always have an easy, agreeable effect, if well managed." (Calvert Vaux, Villas and Cottages [New York: Harper & Brothers, 1857], p. 54.)

9 French roof suburban villa for L.C. Thompson Pottsville, Pennsylvania Designed: 1877 Architect: Isaac H. Hobbs This elevation for a Second Empire villa is one of many pattern book designs created by Philadelphia architect Isaac Hobbs and published in Godey's Lady's Book. Reacting to much modern building that he considered "outrageous trash", Hobbs insisted that good design must follow "a law of architectural proportion discovered by us ten years ago, which I have found unfailing in designing and executing work.... With it, the Mansard-roof ceases to be boxlike in appearance, and houses have the appearance of being worth twice or three times their cost." But Hobbs was not interested solely in aesthetics. He devoted his attention to practical details like ventilation, providing "in our drawings for air to pass between the rafters from apertures made in the planciers, which render French roofs very comfortable, they always having false ceilings, which leave space for ventilation above", and chimneys which "must be carried up above the house in order that no eddies of air blowing from any direction shall destroy their efficiency." Commenting on the success of his pattern book designs from both an aesthetic and practical point of view, Hobbs notes that "the intent ... is not only to assist those who may be about to build, but like the many works of the same character which have been published, to aid its readers in the cultivation of taste and the love of the beautiful, that they, too, may read 'sermons in stones'." (Godey's Lady's Book, Vol. 44, No. 561 [March 1877], p. 291.)

10 Toronto General Hospital Gerrard Street, Toronto, Ontario Constructed: 1854-78 Demolished Architect: William Hay Material: Brick At first glance, the design for the Toronto General Hospital has little about it that is Second Empire. The wall surfaces are exceedingly restrained, lacking the plasticity of the Second Empire style, and the sparse decorative features such as the pointed doorway with labels above are drawn from the Gothic Revival tradition. Nevertheless, the appearance of mansarded towers with their flurry of iron cresting and flags anticipates the development of full-blown Second Empire designs. The Scottish architect William Hay (1818-88) had ample opportunity to be aware of current European fashion for he had trained in the London office of G.G. Scott, acted as Scott's Clerk of Works for the Anglican cathedral in Saint John's, Newfoundland in the late 1840s, and returned briefly to Britain before setting up practice in Toronto in 1852. His innovative mansarded pavilions would have reached a wide public, for the proposal was published in the Anglo-American Magazine. (Anglo-American Magazine, Vol. 4 [Jan.-June 1854], n.p.)

11, 12, 13 Parliament Building and Departmental Buildings Wellington Street, Ottawa, Ontario Constructed: 1859-65 Parliament Building demolished: 1916 Architects: Thomas Fuller and Chilion Jones (Parliament Building); Thomas Stent and Augustus Laver (Departmental Buildings) Material: Stone Three imposing buildings were arranged in stately U formation on the spectacular site known as Barrack Hill. The measured, balanced arrangement of pavilions on the Wellington Street façade of the Parliament Building, and the individual mansarded towers are early manifestations of Second Empire design. The boldly picturesque effect of the reef, revealed in the 19th-century photograph from the rooftop of the western Departmental Building (Fig. 13), is created by the maze of ornamental chimneys, iron cresting, towers, and the decorative multi-coloured shingles. (Public Archives Canada.)

14 Government House King and Simcoe Streets, Toronto, Ontario Constructed: 1868-70 Demolished: 1912 Architect: Henry Langley Material: Brick The lieutenant-governor's residence in Toronto is not only one of the grandest examples of the Second Empire style in domestic building but it is also one of the earliest manifestations of this new fashion in Canada. Even at this early stage the Second Empire vocabulary was fully developed. The mansard roof, the broken wall planes, the contrasting colours of stone against brick, and the picturesque roofline accented by the central tower with iron cresting together create a highly animated design reflecting the taste for richness and variety of forms. (Public Archives Canada.)

15 Custom House Prince William Street, Saint John, New Brunswick Constructed: 1877-81 Demolished: 1961 Architects: Department of Public Works; J.T.C. McKean and G.E. Fairweather, supervising architects Material: Stone The Saint John Custom House is one of the largest Public Works' buildings to be designed in the Second Empire style. The fact that two of the three ministries to be housed in this building were at the time headed by New Brunswick representatives — the Honourable Isaac Burpee, Minister of Customs, and Sir Albert J. Smith, Minister of Marine and Fisheries — may have had some influence on the decision to build on such a massive scale. The local press, however, had no objection to this expensive monument and they proudly boasted that "it was probably the finest Custom House in America and second to very few in the world." Designed in what was referred to as a "free rendering of the Classical style," it is characterized by a play of convex and straight roof shapes, a favourite theme for Public Works' designs. Because of the unusual length of the façade two towers were added at each end to add visual strength to the corners. (Public Archives Canada.)

16 Custom House Richmond Street, London, Ontario Constructed: 1872-74 Demolished Architect: Department of Public Works; William Robinson supervising architect Material: Stone Although the use of the mansard roof places this building within the Second Empire idiom, the design reflects a conservative trend toward the established classical styles. The façade composition, with its heavy rusticated basement pierced by simple round-headed windows, surmounted by a high, more elaborately articulated first floor and topped by a lower attic storey, is ultimately derived from the Italian Renaissance palazzo. Each architectural element is isolated against the flat wall surface imparting a sense of restraint and clear definition of parts, unlike the grand sweep of bombastic sculptural detail often found in Second Empire public buildings. Alterations to the Custom House include the removal of a central clock tower and the addition of a rear wing in 1885 by local architect, George F. Durand. William Robinson, the supervising architect of the Custom House, 1872-74, immigrated to Canada from Ireland in 1833, and opened an architect's office in London in the mid-1850s; in 1857 he was appointed city engineer. He held this position for 21 years while maintaining at the same time a successful private practice in surveying, civil engineering and architecture. (Canadian Inventory of Historic Building.)

17, 18 Post Office Adelaide Street, Toronto, Ontario Constructed: 1871-74 Demolished: 1960 Architect: Department of Public Works; Henry Langley, supervising architect Material: Stone façade, brick sides The Toronto Post Office marked the beginning of a ten-year reign of the Second Empire style in federal architecture. Its building history reveals that this change was not caused by the arrival of T.S. Scott in 1871 as chief architect, but by conscious government policy to create a new and more progressive public image through its buildings. Although Scott was responsible for orchestrating this massive programme of Second Empire building, the stylistic transition actually began prior to his appointment. In March of 1870 John Dewe, Post Office Inspector for the Toronto Division, submitted a set of plans to chief architect, F.P. Rubidge, for the new Toronto Post Office which he described as "chaste, elegant and in perfect taste and highly creditable to Mr. Mullett, the architect by whom they have been drawn." Although these plans have disappeared one can be fairly certain that they featured the Second Empire style for their designer, Alfred B. Mullett, chief architect for the Treasury Department in Washington, was well known as the leading American exponent of this new fashion (Fig. 7). Mullett was never called upon to produce any further plans; instead, the commission was given to Henry Langley of Toronto who had already demonstrated his proficiency in this idiom with his design for the lieutenant-governor's residence in Toronto (Fig. 14). The drawing (Fig. 17) probably represents one of Langley's preliminary proposals which could date as early as 1870. In the final version, a pediment and coat of arms were added over the main entrance and the east wing was eliminated. It would appear from this early design that even in these pre-Scott days the taste for Second Empire was fully developed. (Photograph: Public Archives Canada; drawing: Ottawa, Department of Public Works.)

19 Post Office Elgin Street, Ottawa, Ontario Constructed: 1872-76 Demolished: 1938 Architect: Department of Public Works; Walter Chesterton, supervising architect Material: Stone The favoured site for the new Post Office was located in what is today Confederation Square, directly across from the East Block of the Parliament Buildings. The objection was raised that a building in this location would injure the view of the Parliament Buildings; however, Chief Architect T.S. Scott felt "that the façade of the Post Office could be so made as to accord with, and be erected in the same style as 'public buildings'." While Chesterton's design obviously did not borrow any of the gothic detailing of the Parliament Buildings, the use of pavilions, towers, mansard roof and iron cresting is common to both designs, creating a unified skyline of a lively and picturesque nature. The unusual tower-like feature over the central pavilion of the Post Office is unique to the Department of Public Works' Second Empire designs and was probably intended to give a stronger vertical emphasis to further harmonize with the nearby Parliament Buildings. (Public Archives Canada.)

20 Post Office Saint James Street, Montreal, Quebec Constructed: 1872-76 Demolished Architect: Department of Public Works; H.M. Perrault, supervising architect Material: Stone The Montreal Post Office was one of the finest examples of Second Empire to be found in Canada. Not only did it feature all the basic ingredients of high Second Empire style — mansard roof, pavilion massing, robust classical ornamentation and picturesque roofline — but it coordinated this profusion of detail into a tightly organized composition controlled by the massive corinthian columns and pilasters two storeys high. The ground floor was defined by short piers and columns which provided a sturdy base for the grand projecting portico above. This use of freestanding forms and the resulting effects of light and shade gave the façade its strong feeling of three-dimensionality and monumentality. Situated on the prestigious Saint James Street, the heart of Montreal's financial and business community, the Post Office had to compete with nearby impressive buildings like the Bank of Montreal of 1848 by John Wells. The federal government, intent on making its presence felt, chose, for the Post Office, a prominent site and sumptuous manner that would equal or surpass its neighbours. (Public Archives Canada.)

21 Custom House Front and Yonge Streets, Toronto, Ontario Constructed: 1873-76 Demolished: 1919 Architect: Department of Public Works; R.C. Windeyer, supervising architect Material: Stone The Toronto Custom House was one of the most unusual and distinctive buildings to be erected by the federal government under T.S. Scott's reign as chief architect. The full bulbous form of the convex mansard roof, the bevelled corners and the free interpretation of the classical detail together produced its unique architectural character. The façade of the Toronto Custom House was organized in the typical grid system of pilasters and entablatures; however, the intricate stone detail with carved heads, tall ornamental pediment and decorative bands had an unusually organic and baroque character. To modern taste this building would perhaps seem overdone but at the time of its completion this bombastic structure was well suited to Toronto's mood of self assurance. The city was extremely proud of this building and it was described in glowing terms as "a palace not unworthy of the commercial interests of a great and progressive city." (Public Archives Canada.)

22 Post Office Government Street, Victoria, British Columbia Constructed: 1873-74 Demolished Architect: Department of Public Works; Benjamin W. Pearse, resident engineer Material: Brick The Victoria Post Office was the first federal building to be erected in the newly confederated province of British Columbia. Although the Department of Public Works was not generally known for its frugality, in this case it seemed intent on keeping the building costs down. Except for some modest flourishes around the door and the quoining at the corners and windows the design displays none of the refinement of detail usually found on even the smallest of public buildings in the east. The functional nature of the design was described by the architect, Benjamin Pearse. "The building, though not aesthetically beautiful, is of a very substantial character." Benjamin W. Pearse had been employed as the Surveyor General under the colonial government and in 1872 was hired by the Department of Public Works as its resident engineer, a post which he held for many years. (Public Archives Canada.)

23 Custom House 1002 Wharf Street, Victoria, British Columbia Constructed: 1873-75 Architect: Department of Public Works Material: Brick As originally planned all government offices in Victoria were to be housed in the Post Office building (Fig. 22) but it soon became apparent that a separate building would be required to accommodate the Custom House and the offices of the Departments of Inland Revenue and Marine and Fisheries. In appearance the Custom House resembles the Post Office, although the façade has an even greater simplicity. While one cannot pretend that the Custom House and Post Office were among the better achievements of the Department of Public Works, they nevertheless had an important effect on local architecture — witness the group of Second Empire buildings such as the Victoria City Hall (Fig. 33) built in Victoria in the late 1870s. (Canadian Inventory of Historic Building.)

24 MacKenzie Building Royal Military College, Kingston, Ontario Constructed: 1876-78 Architect: Department of Public Works; Robert Gage, supervising architect Material: Stone The MacKenzie Building, named after Prime Minister Alexander MacKenzie, was built to house the administrative and educational functions of Canada's first military college which opened in 1876. The 1877 annual report of the chief architect (T.S. Scott) for the Department of Public Works describes the building as "plain in design and substantial in character. The outer walls are built of local limestone with cut stone quoins, plinth, strings and drawings to windows and doors; the stonework is supplied and cut at the Kingston Penitentiary." Consistent with federal building during Scott's term as chief architect the design is of the Second Empire style although not as grandly elaborate as his other large public buildings. Perhaps it was felt that more sober interpretation would better harmonize with the existing buildings on the square and at the same time give a fittingly military appearance to the structure. (Canadian Inventory of Historic Building.)

25 Post Office, Custom House, Inland Revenue Building Saint George Square, Guelph, Ontario Constructed: 1876-78 Demolished Architect: Department of Public Works Material: Stone As was often the case for smaller urban centres, the plans for this building were prepared by Department of Public Works' staff in Ottawa instead of being contracted to a local designer. Nevertheless, this absentee architect must have had a good understanding of the local architectural character in order to produce a design which harmonized so successfully with its environment. Except for the elaborate brackets under the small tower and the ornate balcony over the main door, which together accent the central entrance, the decoration is quite severe and restrained by Department of Public Works' standards. The emphasis of the design lies with the surface texture of local limestone masonry whose sturdy quality is so characteristic of buildings in Guelph. (Public Archives Canada.)

26 Architectural drawing of the Post Office, Custom House and Inland Revenue Building Richelieu Street, Saint-Jean, Quebec Constructed: 1877-80 Demolished Date of Drawing: 1878 Architect: Department of Public Works Material: Brick The plans for the Saint-Jean Post Office were drawn up by Department of Public Works' staff in Ottawa with on-site supervision provided by the Montreal firm of architects, Alex C. Hutchison and A.D. Steele. Although these central office designs did not follow any standardized formula, the stamp of the Ottawa office can often be identified by several decorative motifs. For example, the near contemporary Guelph Post Office (Fig. 25), despite a difference in material and scale, shows the same central focus with raised tower, ornamental balcony over the main doorway, narrow doubled string courses which define the floor divisions and link the ground storey windows, and similar cornice motif with brackets interspaced by rectangular panels. (Ottawa, Department of Public Works.)

27 Architectural drawing of the Post Office and Custom House Pitt Street, Windsor, Ontario Constructed: 1878-80 Demolished Architect: Department of Public Works; William Scott, supervising architect Material: Stone, two sides; brick, two sides The façade composition of the Windsor Post Office and Custom House, with its central round-headed doorway, second floor balcony and slightly projecting pavilion form in the mansard roof, is very similar to the design of both the Saint-Jean and Guelph federal buildings (Figs. 25, 26). Although the Windsor building was conceived by local architect-builder William Scott, the consistency of these motifs would suggest that the chief architect's office in Ottawa exercised considerable control over the final design. The Windsor Post Office and Custom House, however, is set apart from the typical Department of Public Works' design in its subtle gothicizing note created by the slightly pointed arches of the radiating voussoirs over the ground flor windows. (Ottawa, Department of Public Works.)

28 Parliament Building Kennedy Street, Winnipeg, Manitoba Constructed: 1881-83 Demolished: 1920 Architect: Department of Public Works; J.P.M. Lecourt, supervising architect Material: Brick with stone trim The erection of a permanent legislative assembly for the province of Manitoba became the responsibility of the federal government. The fact that the plans were prepared in Ottawa perhaps explains why the contractors for the building were the Ottawa-based firm of J. & P. Lyons & Company. The Parliament Building bears the standard trademarks of Department of Public Works' design at this time, including organisation of the façade into pavilion units and a variety of mansarded roofs and towers. The sessional papers state that "the style of architecture adopted is Italian, modified to suit the requirements of the climate." Although the Parliament Building does not have as much decoration as other governmental buildings in the Second Empire mode, it has a grace and dignity due in large measure to the rhythmic play of semicircular and segmental openings. In accordance with its primary function, the Parliament Building housed an impressive legislative chamber surrounded by galleries on three sides. It apparently met with local approbation as witnessed by one account which calls it "a handsome structure, and equal, if not superior, to any Provincial building in the Dominion." The designer of the Parliament Building, J.P.M. Lecourt, began his career in Quebec City, moving to Ottawa in the mid-1860s to become staff architect for the Department of Public Works. For over a decade he monopolized Winnipeg's federal architecture after being transferred to this western city during the hectic building boom of the early 1880s. (Public Archives Canada.)

29 Parliament Buildings Dufferin Avenue, Quebec, Quebec Constructed: 1877-87 Architect: Eugène Taché (exterior); Jean-Baptiste Delorme and Pierre Gauvreau (interior planning and supervision) Material: Stone It would be tempting to ascribe the use of the Second Empire style to an expression of French Quebec nationalism were it not for the general popularity of this style in North America and the strong similarities of Quebec's Parliament Building with other public institutions in Canada. In many ways Taché's design is really a classicized version of Fuller and Jones' central block for the Parliament Buildings in Ottawa. This parallel is particularly apparent in the main towers, both characterized by their tall slender form and similar turret-like details called bartizans. Nevertheless, Taché clearly meant to express a cultural link with France. Like the Louvre in Paris, The Quebec Parliament Building is composed of wings that enclose a central courtyard and the practice of dedicating the pavilions to important historical figures like Jacques Cartier, Champlain and Maisonneuve is borrowed from its French counterpart (Public Archives Canada.)

30 Legislative Building 750 Queen Street, Fredericton, New Brunswick Constructed: 1880-82 Architect: James C. Dumaresq Material: Stone The need for a new Legislative Building in New Brunswick was regarded as an opportunity to provide the province and the country with a fittingly grand architectural symbol to the province's spirit of self-confidence. These ambitions were well expressed in an article of 31 March 1880 in the New Brunswick Reporter: "We hope that the House will vote such an amount as will enable the Government to erect a structure that will not only adequately provide for both houses of the Legislature, Law Courts, Library, etc., but one that will be a credit in point of design, elegance and architecture to the province ... handsome as well as substantial, and commensurate with the progressing spirit of the age in which we are living." With these requirements in mind it is not surprising that James Dumaresq's winning design should be in the expensive and prestigious Second Empire style; however, elements such as the cupola and pedimented frontispiece reflect a conservative leaning toward the established classical styles which were so well entrenched in local architectural tradition. (Canadian Inventory of Historic Building.)