3. The Italian Villa

The Italian Villa was another attempt to get away from the formality of some of the earlier styles. Think of it as a large, rambling, Tuscan, country house. Sometimes the style becomes operatic or overblown, grandiose and ‘noisy’, but never plain or dull. This was the first style in Ontario not to have direct connections to our colonial past.

What to look for (clues)

• Usually asymmetrical. Think of it as an ‘L’-shape with a tall, squared tower where the 2 arms of the ‘L’ meet.
• Heavy, often paired brackets under the large eaves.
• Frequently has 2 or more balconies.
• Variety of window shapes and sizes.
• Overly elaborate decorations; shutters, eyebrows over windows, large eaves, paint colours, etc.

The 'tea caddy'

The house above was called the 'tea caddy' by its illustrious owner, Sir John A. MacDonald.

Where to find it

This is quite a common style for both the city and country. Countless Canadian homes have used many of the style's ornamentations. Notice how many older houses have arched or curved windows at the top and large brackets for the eaves. The dramatic home at the top is in Woodstock and appears in several Architectural books.

Sir John A.'s home is in Kingston.

The home on the left is now an inn in Kingston.

The large red brick hose is in Gananoque.

Woodstock, Ontario has numerous wonderful architectural areas. The best is Vansittart Street with over 12 different styles in about three blocks.

2. The Gothic Revival

The popular Gothic Revival style existed mainly from 1830 to 1900 and was based on popular Gothic periods in England and France or upon medieval architecture. There are quite a variety of house shapes. The most common are ‘L’, ‘H’ or ‘+’. Verandahs, while not mandatory, appear on most Gothic Revivals. Homes are usually wooden or brick, with the latter often having two colours of brick for ornamentation.

What to look for (clues)

• Houses may be asymmetrical or symmetrical.

• Usually very steep roof or roofs.

• May possess front gables as well as side gables.

• Roofs may have very fancy trim (gingerbread) on the eaves.

• One or more pointed windows (lancet) on the 2nd floor.

Where to find it

The house appears in both urban and rural settings. The Gothic Revival has a very long list of ornamental decorations, some of which appear on the first beautiful home in Coaticook, Quebec. The other buildings are located in Stratford, Kingston and Guelph. I will be featuring other types of Gothic Revival structures as well, which will reveal more decorative features. Unfortunately, many other later styles ‘borrowed’from the Gothic Revival making identification tougher.

Refer to # 50 ''L'-Shaped Gothic Revival for a list of the other Gothic Revivals that have been presented.