Russell Block, Port Hope, Ontario, Canada
Image by Billy Wilson Photography
Built c. 1875 at nos. 114 & 116 Walton Street.
"This block is a three-storey Second Empire brick building, four bays wide with a false mansard roof. The second storey bays have semi-circular structural openings with decorative cast iron lintels. The third storey bays are twin semi-circular bays separated by narrow columns and featuring decorative brick lintels. The facade of the block is pilastered from the second storey to about one and a half feet above the third storey bays. There are two large pilasters on either end, beginning in the upper third quarter of the first storey and topped with decorative brick capitals. The three inside pilasters are located between the bays and are relatively narrow and broken by lines of concrete directly below each set of bays. The facade also features a machicolated brick cornice with recessed panels below the wooden cornice of the roof.
I n 1817, Elias Smith and Jonathan Walton sold four acres of Crown land that was granted to them in 1797 to James Hawkins. Hawkins settled in the area in 1801 originally from Montpelier, Vermont. He was a master of many trades including blacksmith, joiner, carpenter, bricklayer, and stonemason, and respected for his mechanical prowess. During the next decade, Hawkins split up the parcel through a series of land transactions. Three quarters of an acre of land was sold to Dr. Samuel Gilchrist. The Gilchrist property was situated on Walton Street, running westward from Cavan Street to about the centre of the Walton Street block south of Pine Street. The parcel was referred to as the Gilchrist property for many years.
In 1835, Gilchrist sold his land to merchant, Mark Burnham, and over the next two decades the property changed ownership several more times until in 1871, James Smith sold a plot measuring twenty-four feet by one hundred feet to Henry C. Russell (1834-1911), a cabinetmaker and furniture dealer. The Russell family, originally from Ireland, had been in the furniture making business in Port Hope since 1850. W.F. Russell advertised the following prices for household furnishings in 1854: cane seat chairs, 78 cents; extension tables, ; wood seat chairs, 40 cents; mahogany chairs with horse hair seats, per set .40; and a bedstead, .52. Henry, in business directories of the late 1860’s, advertised cabinetmaking, upholstery, and organ and melodeon manufacturing as his specialty.
The Russell Block was constructed circa 1875. Russell claimed insolvency in 1879 and a bankruptcy sale was advertised in the September 25, 1879 issue of the Port Hope Times. Russell then either convinced his creditors that he could make a go of it or he managed to generate some capital from the sale of his other lands, as he advertised in October of that year that he was pleased to announce that he was resuming business in his old stand on Walton Street.
During this period, Henry Russell also purchased two residential properties. In 1870, Russell purchased a house on Augusta Street (72 Augusta Street ). In 1871, he also purchased a cottage on Baldwin Street (31 Baldwin Street) that he later sold in 1879. In 1886, Henry Russell issued a quitclaim deed to the Midland Loan and Savings Company for . Apparently his business had failed once again. The Midland Loan and Savings would later be known as the Canada Permanent Mortgage Corporation. Midland Loan was later located in this block. George M. Furby (61 Bramley Street North) was manager of the Midland Loan and Savings in 1890." – info from Heritage Port Hope.
"The Walton Street Heritage Conservation District is located in the core of downtown Port Hope’s commercial area along Walton Street, between Pine Street to the west and Mill Street to the east. The main thoroughfare is lined with three and four-storey 19th century commercial buildings, broken by historic laneways running north and south. The Ganaraska River intersects with Walton Street at the eastern edge of the Heritage Conservation District.
The Walton Street Heritage Conservation District is one of the best-preserved and most complete 19th century commercial streetscapes in Southern Ontario. Built primarily between 1845 and 1870 alongside the Ganaraska River, the Walton Street Heritage Conservation District developed during a period of significant growth and prosperity that saw the development of the harbour, Grand Trunk Railway and viaduct, and Midland rail lines and roundhouse constructed. The subsequent growth of local industry saw the commercial buildings along Walton Street develop into substantial brick three and four-storey blocks, often replacing the wood frame buildings which had been destroyed by fire or flood. The execution of this formal main street within a third of a century is particularly noteworthy.
The Walton Street Heritage Conservation District also retains a 19th century residential component, with a range of styles that includes modest frame cottages, brick mid-century terrace housing and Queen Anne. Located to the west of the commercial core, these residences complete the picture of 19th century life in an early urban centre, while providing a transitional mixed use for the current neighbourhood. At the west end of the Heritage Conservation District is St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church, a significant landmark built late in the development of the downtown core in 1906.
The architectural value of the Walton Street Heritage Conservation District is illustrated in the various architectural styles of the Walton Street storefronts that have maintained a similar scale, site plan and compatible setbacks. The subtle variations of the Neo-Classical, Italianate and late Victorian styles exist in harmony due to their shared cornice lines, continuous fenestration patterns on the upper storeys, and balanced storefronts. The 19th century residences, with their variations in style and building materials contribute to the overall quality of this well-preserved community.
The Walton Street Heritage Conservation District lies at the mouth of the Ganaraska River on the shores of Lake Ontario. The early community harnessed the power of the river for industry, as the harbour provided a gateway to the shipping lanes of the Great Lakes. The village was situated on the Toronto-Kingston-Montreal land route, and subsequently became a hub for the railways. The substantial brick buildings on the commercial thoroughfare were constructed in co-ordinated block designs within a short period of time. The result was a continuous and harmonious stretch of commercial buildings transitioning into residences at the west. The side streets that emanate from Walton in T-junctions, as roads to the north and south, are staggered along the streetscape to avoid traffic congestions and provide continuity to the streetscape." – info from Historic Places.
"Port Hope is a municipality in Southern Ontario, Canada, approximately 109 km (68 mi) east of Toronto and about 159 km (99 mi) west of Kingston. It is located at the mouth of the Ganaraska River on the north shore of Lake Ontario, in the west end of Northumberland County. The private Trinity College School opened here in 1868.
The Cayuga people, one of the Six Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy, migrated as United Empire Loyalists to the Port Hope area from New York state in 1779. They had been forced from their ancestral homeland in the Finger Lakes region, south of the Great Lakes, after having fought for King George III as Loyalists during the American Revolution. Great Britain had ceded their lands, along with all other territory in the Thirteen Colonies east of the Mississippi River, after the United States won independence.
In 1793, other Loyalists from the northern colonies became the first permanent settlers of European heritage in Port Hope, as the Crown granted them land as compensation for being forced to leave the colonies (much of their property was confiscated by rebel governments) and as payment for military service. The new colonists called the settlement Smith’s Creek after a former fur trader. They developed mills and a town plot by the turn of the century.
After the War of 1812, the Crown tried to recruit more British settlers, and townspeople wanted a new name. After a brief fling with the name Toronto, the village was renamed in 1817 as Port Hope, after the Township of Hope of which it was a part. That was the namesake of Colonel Henry Hope, lieutenant governor of the Province of Quebec. The post office dates from 1820. In 1834 Port Hope was incorporated as a town.
Relatively slow growth from 1881 to 1951 resulted in much of the town’s 19th century architecture surviving. In the early 21st century, Port Hope’s downtown is celebrated as the best-preserved 19th-century streetscape in the province of Ontario. The town’s local chapter of the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario and the Heritage Port Hope Advisory Committee are very active and advise on the restoration and preservation of architecturally or historically significant buildings.
With over 270 heritage-designated buildings throughout the municipality, Port Hope has a higher per capita rate of preservation than any other town or city in Canada. Downtown businesses are regulated by the municipality to maintain the town’s unique character. This special character makes Port Hope a destination for heritage tourism and people interested in architecture." – info from Wikipedia.
Late June to early July, 2024 I did my 4th major cycling tour. I cycled from Ottawa to London, Ontario on a convoluted route that passed by Niagara Falls. during this journey I cycled 1,876.26 km and took 21,413 photos. As with my other tours a major focus was old architecture.
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