Canadian Architecture 101

In the last segment, we discussed what architectural historians do.  But what do we study?  Well, basically, we look at buildings... but not just any buildings.  Most often, they are architect designed... although sometimes they aren’t.  Confusing?  Yes, but this is where things can get interesting.

Sometimes buildings are credited to no one or to a certain architect, so we try to figure out the mystery.  Sometimes we have to look at the vernacular tradition (where there aren’t architects) to see where inspiration for other buildings is coming from.  And sometimes we have to look at books, journals and correspondences to see where the ideas for buildings may have come from.  For an example of a non-architect-built house, see this week’s Building of the Week.

In terms of the types of buildings we examine, it is wide open.  We look at churches, houses, town halls, post offices, railway stations, department stores... you name it! Canadian architectural history dates back a long way, so there is lots to see!

Last week, we took a trip to Port Hope, Ontario to look at some of their nineteenth-century churches, but there are lots of other great buildings too.  This is a great place to go if you want to do a drive-by churching or a building hop of your own.  There are lots of great sites like this all over Canada and most towns have at least one or two buildings of interest, so it is always a good idea to go out and explore.

In honour of this recent visit (and to whet your appetite) our Building of the Week is from Port Hope.  This week, we are featuring a Port Hope house, Penryn Park, built in 1859 and which now serves as the club house for the Port Hope Golf and Country Club.  Next week we will be featuring the Top 5 Port Hope churches, so be sure to check back in!