Canadian Historic Sites: Occasional Papers in Archaeology and History No. 25

Gothic Revival in Canadian Architecture

by Mathilde Brosseau

Illustrations and Legends

63 Hydraulic Power Station, Blair, Ont. Material: wood This tiny power station is a further indication of the enthusiasm for Gothic Revival even in industrial architecture. Its board-and batten siding shows a desire to identify with the Neo-Gothic style, in the same way as the treatment of the small pointed windows. In this particular case, the thoroughly romantic surroundings may have affected the choice of the Gothic Revival style. (Canadian Inventory of Historic Building.)

64 Outhouse, 112 Main Street, Waterford, Ont. Material: wood In the same way as some birdhouses, this small outhouse mimics the style of the nearby family dwelling. It seems to confirm the fact that, once the Gothic Revival was established as a popular fashion, few architectural sectors could resist its influence! (Canadian Inventory of Historic Building.)

65 Trinity College, Queen Street, Toronto, Ont. Constructed: 1851 (demolished: 1956) Architect: Kivas Tully Material: brick Trinity College was one of the first great Gothic Revival architectural complexes in the Canadian institutional sector. Its architect, Kivas Tully, was to spread the style in the sector throughout Ontario. The prestigious design of the college draws its inspiration from the plan and, to some extent, the formal repertoire of the great British colleges of the Middle Ages. In 1916, it was decided to build a second Trinity College, this time on the University of Toronto campus. Impressed by the prestige of the former Trinity College, the architects for the new project designed an imitation of the old one. The first Trinity College survived until 1956, when the city decided to demolish it. (Canadian Illustrated News, "Trinity College, Toronto," Vol. 3, No. 24 [June 24, 1871], p. 388.)

66 Bishop's University, Lennoxville, Que. Constructed: 1846 (later additions) Material: brick Bishop's College was incorporated by a law passed by the provincial legislature in 1843 and it was given the status of a university in 1853. Its beginnings were quite modest. The initial project of 1846 was limited to a three-storey building seen at the right of the engraving. To it were added an auditorium, a primary school, a chapel and a residence for professors, so that the complex already reached the stage shown in the engraving by 1865. Later, there were several fires in the college. The various reconstructions did not succeed in preserving the original character of the complex. (Canadian Illustrated News, "University of Bishop's College, Lennoxville," Vol. 6, No. 10 [April 27, 1872], p. 258.)

67, 68 Angela College or Mount St. Angela, 923 Burdett Street, Victoria, B.C. Constructed 1865 Architect: John Wright Material: brick In a town like Victoria, which had cherished its British mores and tastes since it was founded the construction of a Gothic Revival college, even as early as 1865, is not particularly surprising. The funds required to build the college were generously provided by Lady Angela Burdett Coutts, an extremely wealthy English lady who had also provided the young colony with an Anglican Bishop by supplying the funds for his salary. Architect John Wright's initial project was an ambitious one clearly influenced by the type of Gothic Revival College that was being built at that time in England. But only the main body was built. (F.A. Peake, The Anglican Church in British Columbia [Vancouver, Mitchell Press, 1959], p. 75; Canadian Inventory of Historic Building.)

69 Government House, Wellington Street, Ottawa, Ont. Constructed: 1859-66 Architects: Thomas Fuller and Chilion Jones Material: stone These are the prestigious Parliament Buildings as they were seen by passersby on Wellington Street when they were completed in 1866. The composition shows the architect's desire to highlight two aspects: the dignity inherent in the building's function and the imaginative, vigorous aspect of the Gothic Revival as interpreted at that time. To heighten the eminence of the parliamentary institution, the architects used a traditional articulation: a long rectangular building governed by a plan of corresponding axes, symmetrically articulated and punctuated at regular intervals by mansard-roofed pavilions. But it was the treatment of proportions and materials, as well as the choice of ornamental motifs that gave this elevation the spirit of High Victorian Gothic. (Public Archives Canada.)

70 Government House (rear elevation), Wellington Street, Ottawa, Ont. Constructed: 1859-66 Architects: Thomas Fuller and Chilion Jones Material: stone In the rear elevation of the Parliament Buildings, the architects seem to have devoted themselves to unbridled exploitation of the picturesque visual possibilities of the site along the steep bluffs running down to the Ottawa River. This photo is a good illustration of the vivacity contained in the Fuller and Jones composition through its irregular design, spontaneous projections and numerous towers meant much more to please the eye than meet functional needs. This elevation is dominated by the stout silhouette imitating a medieval chapter house adapted for the occasion to the function of library. Since its appearance in the Oxford Museum in 1855, this design has been included in many Gothic Revival compositions. Only this library survived the devastating fire that destroyed the Parliament Buildings in 1916. (Public Archives Canada.)

71 Right wing of the parliamentary complex, Wellington Street, Ottawa, Ont. Constructed: 1859-66 Architects: Thomas Stent and Augustus Layer Material: stone This right wing of the ministerial building reflects the 1859 central building in both the overall spirit and the use of identical materials. The privacy of a residential building is in keeping with its function as ministerial offices and the architects chose to amplify the theme of picturesqueness and irregularity. Instead of the solemn plan designed by the Fuller and Jones firm for the Parliament Building, the architects for this building used a more flexible L-shaped form along which the civil service offices are arranged in an ordered series. In the exterior treatment, the mansard-roofed pavilion articulation is reproduced, but the solemn aspect is countered by the intrusion of unexpected projections and towers with humourous silhouettes. This is the only building in the parliamentary complex that has remained almost intact to the present day. Only an additional wing built in 1910-11 to house the Department of Finance has altered the original articulation by turning the L-shaped plan into a quadrangle. (Public Archives Canada.)

72 All Saints Church, Margaret Street, Saint Marylebone, London, England Constructed: 1849-53 Architect: William Butterfield Material: brick In this building, the architect revived the use of brick, which had long been decried in London, and goes so far as to include strip of black brick in its red walls, thus adhering to the principle of construction polychromy propounded by the aesthete John Ruskin. But the originality of this composition goes further: stimulated to a great extent by the cramped site, Butterfield gave a vertical expansiveness to each element of the composition and gave preference to interpenetrating forms. These were features of a new freedom of expression that was to influence the design of many Gothic Revival churches during the last decades of the 19th century, both in Europe and in North America. (The Builder [London], No. 57 [Jan. 1853].))

73 University College, University of Toronto campus, Toronto, Ont. Constructed: 1856-59 Architects: Frederick Cumberland and William Storm Material: stone University College stands out as an illustration of the great talent of Cumberland and Storm, who managed to meet all the functional requirements of a university-college while creating a composition in which beats the heart of an architectural era. On February 14, 1890, the building was heavily damaged by a fire. Its prestige dictated a faithful restoration of the original composition, which was carried out by Toronto architect David Dick. (Photo: G. Kapelos.)

74 Oxford University Museum, Oxford, England Constructed: 1855 (demolished) Architects: Deane and Woodward Material: stone and marble This building was an object of fascination in European and American architectural circles. It is the only building directly influenced by Ruskin in the choice and treatment of its decorative repertoire. The building consists of a rectangular block interrupted by a central tower. The laboratory attached to the central building imitates the chapter houses of the English Middle Ages. However, the innovation of this composition is found more in the details than the articulation. The windows on the ground floor imitate those of medieval Venetian palaces; they are paired and divided by a marble mullion and decorated by delicate tracery surrounded by sculpted motifs. In other parts of the outer wall, pieces of marble in varied tones enhance the chromatic effect of the roof covered with green and mauve shingles. (George L. Hersey, High Victorian Gothic: A Study in Associationism [Baltimore, John Hopkins University Press, 1972], p. 194.)

75 Quebec High School, 30, Saint-Denis Street, Quebec, Que. Constructed: 1865 Architect: Edward Staveley Material: stone Without straying far from the architectural conservatism of Quebec, this composition by Staveley does include some innovations. Student facilities are divided into two different structural bodies: the first, housing the main classrooms and dormitories, has a mansard roof which would never have been associated with the Gothic Revival in the 1830s or 1840s. A more picturesque quality is produced by the juxtaposition of a wing with a very steep roof that serves as a chapel. There is even a timid attempt at construction polychromy in the inclusion of voussoirs of contrasting colours on some of the bays in the composition. The brick wing at the left was added toward the end of the 19th century. (Canadian Inventory of Historic Building.)

76 Ontario Institute for the Blind, Brantford, Ont. Constructed: 1871 (demolished) Architect: Kivas Tully Material: brick In its article featuring the opening of the Ontario Institute for the Blind, the Canadian Illustrated News described the style of the building in the following terms: "The building is designed in the 'Tudor style' adapted to modern requirements, a style which now prevails in England, the only innovation being the application of the 'Mansard roof,' by which more convenient rooms will be available in the third storeys, and afford additional height on the centre building and the wings." This description highlights the eclecticism of the composition, which is attributed by the author to the need to adapt the building to modern living requirements, for which the mansard roof was used. In this context, the reference to the Tudor style would appear to be more of an attempt to dignify a building that includes details, such as false buttresses, stepped gables and large pointed windows with drip mouldings, that were very freely interpreted in terms of the different periods of the Gothic era. (Canadian Illustrated News, "Ontario Institute for the Blind, Brantford, Ontario," Vol. 2, No. 11 [March 18, 1871], p. 172.)

77 Knox College, 1 Spadina Crescent, Toronto, Ont. Constructed: 1873 Architects: Smith and Gemmell Material: brick The proud silhouette of Knox College stands at the head of the large Spadina artery, from which it is separated by a lawn interrupted by crescent-shaped driveways. The articulation of the building no longer has the informal aspect of the Gothic Revival institutions built in the middle of the 19th century. The symmetrically arranged masses around the main body of the building show the formal discipline revived by the Second Empire style. However, unlike many contemporary colleges and institutions, Knox College does not adopt the mansard roof, which was also a Second Empire feature. It gives preference to the vertical accent of the gable roof, which is well in keeping with the linear treatment of the decorative gables and fenestration. (Canadian Inventory of Historic Building.)

78 St. John's College, Winnipeg, Man. Constructed: ca. 1883 (right wing only) (demolished) Architects: Charles Arnold Barber and Earl W. Barber Material: brick The project for the construction of a new complex for St. John's Anglican College was to rank among the great architectural creations of this period. Encouraged by the general atmosphere of prosperity, the Barber brothers designed a project of remarkable scope marked by the formal vitality that was so characteristic of High Victorian Gothic. Mansard-roofed towers with highly fanciful profiles alternated with pavilion-like structures decorated with ornamental gables gave the composition a mobile silhouette that was considerably enhanced by the treatment of the walls. In 1883, the building boom declined considerably and the St. John's College project, like so many others, had to be drastically cut back; only the right wing of the structure could be built. (Manitoba Archives.)

79 Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) building, Victoria Square, Montreal, Que. Constructed: 1872 (demolished) Material: stone In the 1870s, prestigious YMCA headquarters were established in various cities across the country. Many of these preserve the Gothic Revival stylistic mantle that the public easily identified with the educational sector. The Montreal YMCA was designed to present a stately façade on Victoria Square and preserved the typical articulation of Second Empire public buildings in the form of tiered orders, its corbelled cornice and mansard roof. On the other hand, almost the entire decorative repertoire belongs to the "Ruskin style" Gothic Revival which is well illustrated by the refined fenestration. (Canadian Illustrated News, "The New Building of the Montreal Young Men's Christian Association, Montreal," Vol. 6, No. 10 [September 14, 1872], p. 163.)

80 Presbyterian College, McTavish Street, Montreal, Que. Constructed: 1876; wings, 1881 Material: stone When the library and student residence were added to the main edifice in 1881, the Presbyterian College of Montreal became a complex of several Gothic Revival buildings laid out around a central chapel. Certain typical features, eclecticism and picturesqueness can be seen in the design of this college. The gable roof is replaced by the typical mansard roof of the Second Empire style and the towers have a pavilion roof flanked by miniature turrets often associated with Castle Gothic. The presence of the library in the form of a chapter house is an element that returned to some colleges at the end of the 19th century. The polygonal shape of this element, as well as the sharp roofs of the other three towers in the complex created a pleasing contrast with the regularity of the main body. Only the 1881 edition remains today; it is now an integral part of the campus of McGill University. (Canadian Illustrated News, "Addition to the Montreal Presbyterian College," Vol. 23, No. 22 [June 18, 1881], p. 396.)

81 Normal School, Queen Street, Fredericton, N.B. Constructed: 1878 (demolished) Material: brick On each side of this building there is a projection that appears to be an attempt to offset the massiveness of the structure. A similar attempt at movement is more freely expressed in the roof, which boldly combines the mansard and the pavilion and is decorated with cast-iron cresting. The variety of forms is also combined with a polychrome wall effect produced by contrasting red brick and grey stone stringcourses and voussoirs. In a building like this, the use of Neo-Gothic features, particularly in the entrance arches, is associated with elements of other styles to produce an overall composition inspired by a desire for variety in both forms and stylistic associations. (New Brunswick Provincial Archives.)

82 Burpee House, 101 Burpee Street, Saint John, N.B. Constructed: ca. 1865 Material: wood When this residence was built, it was a villa in a vast country estate on the outskirts of the city. With its two-and-a-half storeys, Burpee House was on a grander scale than most Gothic Revival houses in the Atlantic provinces. The façade has three bay windows — a feature that was often characteristic of Gothic Revival houses in the Maritimes. From the High Victorian Gothic style, it drew its vertical proportions and a freedom of expression seen in a series of pendants under the eaves — a pleasing substitute for the fretwork fascia boards usually associated with the Gothic Revival house. (Canadian Inventory of Historic Building.)

83 House in Rothesay, N.B. Constructed: ca. 1880 Material: wood This house is a good illustration of how the evolution of forms toward the end of the 19th century affected the expression of the Gothic Revival style in New Brunswick domestic architecture. The proportions clearly indicate a preference for verticality; also, under the influence of a taste for picturesqueness the rectangular block of the house is broken up by the sharply projecting elements of the central frontispiece and the decorative gables on either side of it. However, these differences are not enough to overcome the balance and harmony underlying the vernacular architecture of the Atlantic provinces throughout the 19th century. (Canadian Inventory of Historic Building.)

84 55 William Street, Yarmouth, N.S. Constructed: ca. 1870 Material: wood In Canadian domestic architecture, the High Victorian Gothic fashion generally led to changes in the treatment of traditional prototypes without resulting in the construction of truly innovative houses in terms of plans and proportions and the handling of the decorative repertoire. Nevertheless, some houses like this one stray further from the beaten track. Here, there is a definite taste for multiple projections that break up the traditional compact volume. Unbalanced effects also strike the eye; the very steep roof almost covers two storeys, creating a striking contrast with the modest height of the ground floor. Angular effects are sought out in the handling of details, such as the treatment of the window frames. Only the clapboard siding is reminiscent of the calm balance of earlier prototypes. (Canadian Inventory of Historic Building.)

85 21 Richview Road, Etobicoke, Ont. Constructed: ca. 1875 Material: brick Although the chromatic effects of late 19th century brick houses in Ontario remain relatively conservative, a few examples show some degree of fantasy. This house, for example, is brightened by a border of trefoil patterns in keeping with the Gothic Revival repertoire. Also, its imitation corner piers have a geometric aspect that shows a freedom of interpretation of traditional motifs. The horizontal scar over the ground-floor bay shows that a veranda once ran across the front. (Canadian Inventory of Historic Building.)

86 108 Albion Street, Brantford, Ont. Constructed: ca. 1875 Material: brick A few features in the design of this house show how the High Victorian Gothic style occasionally animated the type of house known as the Ontario Cottage. The building retains an earthbound arrangement. Its association with the Gothic Revival is based primarily on the pointed window design and the finial through the peak of the small decorative gable. However, the contemporary taste for polychrome walls is seen in the yellow bricks around the bays and the border pattern along the eaves. (Canadian Inventory of Historic Building.)

87 House in Milford, Prince Edward County, Ont. Constructed: ca. 1863 Material: brick This house is of particular interest because of its fanciful façade in which red bricks are alternated with yellow bricks to create a checkerboard effect. This interest in polychromy was apparently encouraged in Ontario by a wave of British immigration during the second half of the 19th century. The enclosed porch is also an indication of British influence. Although the Canadian climate would appear to have required this type of entrance, it had never been very popular in this country. On the other hand, Loudon's Encyclopedia contains houses with small entrance porches like this in the form of a compact block against the centre of the building. (Canadian Inventory c/Historic Building.)

88 Earnscliffe, Sussex Drive, Ottawa, Ont. Constructed: ca. 1857 Material: stone This residence was first erected by John Kinnon, who was the son-in-law and partner of Thomas McKay, one of the most active master masons of Ottawa's early days. But the building is associated more with John A. Macdonald, who bought it in 1883 and lived in it until his death in 1891. Since 1930, this house has been the home of the British High Commissioners. Earnscliffe is one of the most refined examples of the L-shaped Gothic Revival house. Its general appearance retains the characteristic reserve of Ottawa domestic architecture. The handling of proportions gives the composition a feeling of great stability which is heightened by the strongly three-dimensional effect of the Gothic Revival motifs: drip mouldings, fretwork roof trim, pendants and bay windows. (Canadian Inventory of Historic Building.)

89 90 Emerald Street, Hamilton, Ont. Constructed: ca. 1875 Material: brick In Ontario, the L-shaped house proved to be as popular in the city as in the country. This example is treated with all the elegance and conservatism of Hamilton middle class houses. Its rather imposing scale is heightened by ample fenestration. The lively motifs on the veranda and the bay window add vitality to the exterior composition. (Canadian Inventory of Historic Building.)

90 413 King Street West, Brockville, Ont. Constructed: ca. 1885 Material: brick A definite taste for polychrome brick spread through Ontario in the last decades of the 19th century. This influence is seen here on an L-shaped house with proportions that create the vertical thrust fashionable at that time. As in most houses of this type in Ontario, the polychrome effect is reduced to a single contrast between details of yellow brick and the surrounding red brick walls. (Canadian Inventory of Historic Building.)

91 76 Main Street East, Ridgetown, Ont. Constructed: ca. 1875 Material: wood The builder of this house definitely had a penchant for the picturesque. The exterior composition has rich, varied effects like those proposed in the 1870s by the drawings in the architectural sections of American periodicals, The L-shaped plan is set off by the entrance and a mansard-roofed tower placed at the point of intersection between the two wings. These two elements are highlighted by a veranda with finely worked columns. Other decorative details are drawn to a great extent from the formal repertoires of the Gothic Revival and Second Empire styles, with a slight preference for sensual Second Empire roundness. Finally, the varied forms and motifs are heightened by the polychrome effects of the roofing shingles. (Canadian Inventory of Historic Building.)

92 The Price houses, 2138-1246 Brunswick Street, Halifax, N.S. Architects: J.A. Mitchell and Edward Elliott Constructed: 1873-74 Material: brick with sandstone detail In 1873, a philanthropist named William P. West offered the parish of the Church of the Redeemer the lands required to build the church of that name and its rectory (2138 Brunswick Street). The following year, West bought two more adjacent lots and had two houses built with the same design as the rectory and donated the proceeds from their rental to the vestry of the Church of the Redeemer. Both of the architects for these houses were from Boston and they seem to have drawn their inspiration from the famous Back Bay area of their home town, which was at about the same time being built up with elegant mansard-roofed town houses. In Halifax, the Neo-Gothic details on these Second Empire houses associates them with the nearby church. (Canadian Inventory of Historic Building.)

93 144 Military Road, St. John's, Nfld Constructed: ca. 1875 Material: wood This house is a good illustration of the noncommittal approach which was characteristic of the way this style was interpreted in this region. This spacious house has the asymmetrical L-shaped plan so popular at that time in other provinces in the country and its proportions indicate an early preference for verticality. Ornamentally, the house uses a contrast between the clapboard sides and the front with its board-and-batten façade combined with the two strips of ornamental boarding of the Stick Style. Only the gable windows retain the pointed Gothic effect. (Canadian Inventory of Historic Building.)