Romanesque Revival, 1880-1910 – This style hearkens back to medieval architecture of the 11th and 12th centuries with a heavy appearance, blocky towers and rounded arches.
Richardsonian Romanesque Revival, 1870-1910 – is a style of Romanesque Revival architecture which incorporates 11th and 12th century southern French, Spanish and Italian Romanesque characteristics. It emphasizes clear, strong picturesque massing, round-headed Romanesque arches which often spring from clusters of short squat columns, recessed entrances, richly varied rustication, blank stretches of walls contrasting with bands of windows, and cylindrical towers with conical caps embedded in the walls.
Toronto – Queen’s Park – In 1859 the city leased land from King’s College and in 1860 a park named after Queen Victoria was opened by the Prince of Wales. The main block of the massive Romanesque Revival Parliament Buildings with its towering legislative block was completed in 1892.Woodstock Book 3 – 415 Hunter Street – 1892 – County Court House – Richardsonian Romanesque style -2½ story, rose sandstone with white sandstone lintels and drip molding, steep pitch irregular slate roof, wall dormers with parapet walls topped with finial, semi-circular windows above double hung windows, recessed double doors, framed with Roman arch, supported by pillars, two pillars have carved monkey heads, 2,2 story semi-circular bay windows, large stone newel posts flank stairs, towers, turrets and elaborate chimneys, Centenary stone mounted in the central buttressParis Book 1 – The Arlington Hotel, 106 Grand River Street North – c. 1850s, 1888 – 4-story stucco and yellow brick reminiscent of the Chateau style, Romanesque style arcades supported by red-brown marble columns at the street level, octagonal tower, arched and rectangular windowKingston Book 1 – 212 Barrie Street – In 1890, Chalmers Free Presbyterian Church was planned at the triangle of land formed by Barrie, Clergy and Earl Streets. The Union of the Congregational Church, Methodist Church and Presbyterian Church took place in 1925, electing to join Chalmers. Romanesque Revival style – rounded windows, rose window and quatrefoil windows, towerMidland Book 1 – 320 King Street – The impressive Romanesque style limestone structure which now houses the library was built in 1913 as Midland’s first post office, with customs and excise offices on the second floor. – mansard roof, high central gable, imposing corner porch, and tower; 2½ story building composed of even course cut stone, with a belt course that goes around the entire building; metal roof has a decorative stone fascia; some semi-elliptical windows, and a corner entrance. In 1963 the post office, needing more space, moved to its new home on Dominion Avenue and the beautiful limestone building sat empty for three years. In 1967, the library moved to the old post office. Setting your watch by the clock tower would be inadvisable as the four faces do not always agree.Alton – 1401 Queen Street West – Romanesque Style – circa 1899 – This house, built for members of the Algie family, is clad in the same imported red brick as that used at #1414 across the street. The house has a double arched entry with intricate brickwork detailing and terracotta hood (or drip) molds above the entry and windows; three symmetrical and identical roof gables face north, east and west. Dr. James Algie lived here and kept a horse and buggy in the carriage house to the rear for visiting patients.Aylmer Book 2 – 46 Talbot Street West – Aylmer Town Hall and Municipal Offices – clock tower, dormers, cupola, arched window voussoirs – built in 1913 in Romanesque styleBelleville Book 1 – 201 Church Street – St. Thomas Anglican Church – 1870s – Traditional Norman-style (Romanesque) church, joined to a modern glass-enveloped Parish Centre – rounded windows with muntins, quoining, buttresses, finials, beveled dentil moldingBrockville – 144 King Street East – Armouries – stone – 1900 – Romanesque style – battlement parapet, stone string coursesFort Erie – 575 Central Avenue – This former church, now called The Bell Tower has been repurposed to provide a place for meetings. In the Main Event Room is the venue for comedy shows, live bands and Karaoke for kids and adults.Brockville -165 King Street East – Romanesque style, tower, Palladian window in gable with cornice return, large decorative chimney, round window arch, circular window, open pediment, enclosed verandaGoderich – 52 Montreal Street – Goderich Public Library was opened in 1903 as a Carnegie library. It is in the Romanesque Revival style with the large round tower, the round-headed windows, and the irregular roof.Cornwall – 28 Second Street East – St. John’s Presbyterian Church – 1888 – Romanesque style – dentil molding, trefoil decoration on towerHamilton Book 1 – Centenary United Church, 24 Main Street West – 1868 – In the Victorian Romanesque style; buttresses, corbelled dentilsKingston Book 3 – 212 Barrie Street – Intersection of Barrie, Clergy and Earl Streets – Chalmers United Church – 1890 – Romanesque style, rose windows, quatrefoils, rounded tower, columns with Corinthian capitalsKingston Book 4 – 110 Sydenham Street (corner of Johnson) – First Baptist Church – Romanesque style, voussoirs with keystones, columns surrounding doorwaysKingston Book 4 – Queen’s Theological Hall – Romanesque style – limestone – four-story tower, Corinthian pillars surrounding entranceKingston Book 6 – Ordnance Street – Institute of the Sisters of Charity – House of Providence – 1838 – Romanesque style, Jacobean gable, crenelated roof line, finials, Buttresses, quatrefoils – Its heritage is rooted in the creativity and spirituality of Vincent de Paul and Louise de Marillac, in the willingness of Emilie Gamelin to risk and trust in Providence, in the responsiveness of the Montreal Sisters of Providence to the call of Bishop E.J. Horan, the ecclesiastical founder, and in the courage and pioneer spirit of Catherine McKinley, the first general superior and proclaimed Kingston foundress, and the original members of the Kingston communityMerrickville – 206 Main Street East – Percival House (Ardcaven) – c. 1890 – Richardsonian-Romanesque style – home of foundry-man Roger Percival – heavy stone arch around door, decorative chimney, two-story bay window topped with open pediment, dormer, tower, stone coursesNorth Bay – 1265 Wyld Street – St. Vincent de Paul Roman Catholic Church – It is in the Romanesque style with the heavy massing achieved through the use of local cut stone, round headed arches over most openings, and the twin towers. This is the first French Roman Catholic church constructed in North Bay. It was built in 1914 by Henri Marceau with the help of local parishioners. The original building was a simple basement with a low tin embossed ceiling. In 1932, a new superstructure was designed by B. A. Jones Architects from Kitchener, Ontario, which was built over the existing structure. The commanding hilltop on which the church is built establishes this building as a visual landmark in the immediate community.Orangeville Book 2 – 283 Broadway – Romanesque – massive shape, tower on side and front, large arches over windowsOttawa Book 2 – 95 Somerset Street West at corner of Cartier Street – St. Theresa’s Roman Catholic Church – 1933 – Romanesque RevivalParis Book 2 – 164 Grand River Street North – Paris Presbyterian Church – Romanesque Revival design built in 1893 – turrets, conical towers, round stained glass rose window, terracotta detailingPenetanguishene – 28 Robert Street West – St. Ann’s Catholic Church – positioned to overlook the town and the bay – constructed with limestone between 1886 and 1902; it serves a bilingual Catholic community with services held in French and English – Romanesque styleSault Ste. Marie – 690 Queen Street East/107 East Street – Sault Ste. Marie Museum – The Old Post Office is an imposing three story red brick and stone building featuring a clock tower. It is prominently located in downtown Sault Ste. Marie at the intersection of Queen Street East and East Street. Built between 1902 and 1906 as a federal building, it was purchased in 1982 by the City for use as the Sault Ste. Marie Museum. It is a fine example of turn of the century Federal architecture in Ontario, combining Victorian classicism with excellent workmanship. Exterior elements include classical pediments, pilasters and cornices, Romanesque stone arches with Italianate detailing and decorative features. Inside there is an oak staircase, an exquisite three-story light well and skylight, and a plated glass floor.Peterborough Book 3 – 220 Murray Street – Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment Peterborough Garrison – Central Park was an ideal site for a military training area with its expansive grounds and location – accessible by foot, horse and wagon. A drill shed was built in 1867 and used for bank practices, dances and military activities. Drill sheds were built in many communities across Canada after the Fenian Raids of 1866. The shed was destroyed by fire in 1909, just before the Peterborough Armoury was opened on May 24. The Armoury was built during a nation-wide spending program for the militia in response to the Boer War. The Armoury included a parade hall, living quarters for infantry, cavalry, and artillery, a firing range, and a bowling alley. The Peterborough Armouries were built in the Romanesque style with turrets, arched troop doors, and crenelated roof line.Peterborough Book 3 -Peterborough Collegiate circa 1917 – McDonnel Street – Romanesque Revival architecturePetrolia – Petrolia Line – Romanesque, three-story turret, decorative iron railing on second floor balconyPort Colborne Book 1 – 380 King Street – The only example of Romanesque Revival in Port Colborne, this home was built about 1907 for Thomas Euphronius Reeb. The Romanesque is shown in its dark red brick and heavy cut stone window sills and lintels. The Queen Anne influence is evident in the octagonal tower with large “band shell” verandah, wide round-arched first floor window with etched leaded glass and a line of terracotta tiles with egg and dart motif under the eaves.Port Colborne Book 2 – 1001 Firelane No. 1 – The William Brown House – Established in 1898 by Frank Fulton Brown and the Dann brothers, the Lorraine Summer resort was located on almost one kilometer of fine sandy beach and named for the Brown’s daughter. The structure is a timber frame construction with large, pillar-like stone protrusions on both the front and rear of the building. The cut limestone used is the same as that used to construct the entrance gate pillars on Lorraine Road. The peaked gable ends and the arches above the windows indicate the work of a master stonemason. The architecture is reminiscent of the Richardsonian Romanesque style of architecture.Port Hope Book 1 – 28 Bedford Street – This large 2½ story four bay brick house is built in the Romanesque Revival style with a large irregular plan, heavy masonry, steeply pitched roof, tall chimneys, recessed porch, and oriel windows. The imposing entrance way is composed of a shingled pediment and round arches of corbelled and stepped brick with decorative panels on either side of corbelled brick.Port Hope Book 1 – 131 Walton Street – St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church – c. 1906 – This is brick over a cast stone base and, essentially, of the Romanesque Revival style. Massive towers frame the front with an arcaded porch between sheltering the tower entrances and above, the gabled front to the sanctuary and its rear gallery. Windows to towers display simple stained glass in Art Nouveau designs, the taller west tower with louvered openings to the bell stage and with a short spire above. The shorter east tower has a hipped roof. The chimney is a massive shaft very much contributing to the architectural silhouette. A fine rose window, also exhibiting Art Nouveau designs, dominates the front gable but lights only the loft space above the sanctuary. Brickwork has ornamentation in hood molds over windows, a corbelled frieze and pilasters.Sault Ste. Marie – 75 Huron Street – Consolidated Lake Superior Company General Office Building (now St. Marys Paper Inc.) – built at the turn of the century in Richardsonian Romanesque industrial architecture with round arched openings and massive rough faced masonrySeaforth – 52 Main Street – Post Office – Romanesque Revival architecture with square center clock tower and round-headed windows. It was built from 1911-1913. There are dormers in the rooftop.Smiths Falls – 30 Russell Street East – old Post Office – Romanesque style – designed by Thomas Fuller, Dominion Architect, in 1894; clock was added in 1915 – local red sandstone on a foundation of Beckwith limestone with stone trim from Nova Scotia St. Catharines Book 4 – 95 Church Street – First United Church was constructed in 1877 in the Lombard Romanesque style of architecture which is characterized by a gable roof across the front of the church and a projecting entrance. It has rounded arches for doors and window openings. Four detailed buttresses rise up as towers, each supporting a small metal spire. The twelve-petal stained glass rose window is a prominent feature on the front facade. It is now known as Royal House Redeemed Christian Church of God.St. Catharines Book 4 -99 Ontario Street – St. Thomas Church – 1879 – Richardson Romanesque style with four story tower and a two-story tower, rose windowSt. George Book 1 – 13 Main Street South – Sunnyside – c. 1888 – was constructed by Dr. E.E. Kitchen. It was the heartbeat of Main Street. It was the home of the inaugural meeting of the St. George Women’s Institute, January 13, 1903. This Romanesque Revival mansion was built as a residence and doctor’s office. On the third floor there was a ballroom.St. Marys Book 2 – 175 Queen Street East – St. Mary’s Town Hall – This Romanesque Revival building was built in 1901 of local limestone with red sandstone as the contrasting elements for window arches and checkerboard effects in the facade. The massive entrances on the south and west facades of the building and the two towers on the south add to its lasting beauty. Due to its prominent location on the north side of the main street, and dominating as it does the sky-line of the Town, it plays an important role in the character of the downtown area.Stratford – Perth County Court House, St. Andrew Street – opened May 9, 1887 – High Victorian architecture with terracotta details – It combines bi-chromal (multi-colored) masonry and a variety of building materials with features from different architectural styles. Italianate brackets adorn the cornice, while several Queen Anne features include the medieval tower, molded brick chimneys, and small multi-paned windows. Several features of the Romanesque Revival style include the round arch windows stretching over two stories, the heavy doors, the contrasting masonry surfaces, the rusticated basement foundation, the wall dormers which peak with a gable at the top, the pinnacle placed off center, Romanesque motifs adorning the soffits, and miniature columns complete with capitals which embellish the arched windows on the front and side facades. The soffits of the cornice immediately above the terracotta panel are adorned with an intricate rose and maple leaf pattern.Thunder Bay – Port Arthur Book 1 – 294 Red River Road – St. Andrew’s Roman Catholic Church, A.D. 1924, is traditional with its longitudinal plan and Romanesque style details. The windows and doors have round arches with stone label surrounds. Stepped buttresses in pairs project from the corners of the building and from the four-story central projecting tower with ornamental crenelations. The tower has a pyramidal roof and rises 117 feet and is topped with a cross. Along the sides of the church, there are buttresses with a large window between each pair. The large window above the main entrance in the tower is elaborated with many circles above the four rounded-arch windows included within the same framework. The stain glass repeats the circular motif with crosses.Waterloo Book 1 – 35 King Street North – Post Office built 1911-1913 – Romanesque style – rusticated sandstone on ground floor and around upper floor windows; red brick for upper floors; semicircular arches for windows and entrance ways (lowest level); on the top story, a steeply sloped copper-clad face over two corbelled courses of stone, and tall, stone dormers below a flat roof; corner clock tower with pedimentWindsor Book 3 – 2879 Riverside Drive East – Our Lady of the Rosary Church – built 1907-1913 – Romanesque-style brick and stone building could hold about 1,000 people, features two domed bell towersWoodstock Book 1 – 285 Dundas Street – 1889 – Dundas Street United Church – Ornate Romanesque style – In the front of the church is an immense arch resting on brown buttresses flanked on either side by a massive tower. The arch encloses a spacious porch which is approached by a set of steps the full width of the opening. There is artistic detail in the red brick and credit valley brown stone design in the cornices and molding.Woodstock Book 1 – Finkle Street – The Oxford Hotel, located across from Market Square and the Town Hall in Woodstock was built in 1880 as “The O’Neill House” in Romanesque style. It saw guests such as Oscar Wilde and Reginald Birchall.Woodstock Book 3 – 210 Vansittart Avenue – built in 1895 by Thomas Leopold “Carbide” Wilson, inventor of the first commercial calcium-carbide process for the manufacturer of acetylene gas. It was the residence of the Sisters of St. Joseph’s until 1975. It is a voluptuous two-story house with finished attic of irregular shape in Richardsonian Romanesque style using contrasting brick, cut stone and hanging tiles – stone main floor, red brick second floor; steep red slate roof, red tiles in gable end and small casement windows, several balconies, large shed roof verandah, brick posts, turned balusters, lattice skirt, a porte-cochere for people to be protected from weather when leaving buggy or cars, off-set towerCurries – Wesley Memorial Church erected A.D. 1891 – Romanesque style – beveled dentil molding
