Dominant local (urban) architectural styles

[someone123]

(This is a shameless example of creating a new general thread that's tailored to one particular post, but many other cities have similar local architectural features).

Here's a blog post on Scottish five-sided dormers. They are rare in the rest of North America, but common in NS: http://halifaxbloggers.ca/noticedinn...ttish-dormers/

Here are a few selected photos from that post (and a couple of other places) showing Scottish dormers in NS.













Halifax circa 1890. Scottish dormers all over the place.


History hasn't been very kind to dormers in general. There's been a tendency to replace five-sided dormers with simple flat dormers over time, or even strip off dormers or pitched roofs altogether. Buildings like this one in downtown Halifax originally would have had pitched roofs and dormers (sometimes Scottish dormers, sometimes flat). Only a few of them still have any kind of dormer today and I'm not sure that any have survived with five-sided dormers.


Source

Glasgow in the 1970's. This style may have first become popular in this area during the 18th century. The buildings also look similar because sandstone is a commonly-used construction material in NS and Scotland (whereas many other places have more brick and limestone).


Scottish dormers are called oriel dormers in many other areas, and they're closely related to oriel (bay) windows. Multi-story sets of bay windows are also ubiquitous in Halifax, and they're more common in other cities:


Source

Hollis and Morris is ground-zero for these styles I guess

(Google streetview)

If I were to pick another style for Halifax specifically it would be about Palladian architecture, mostly in public buildings that went up during the late Georgian period from about 1790-1830. Government House (1800) is a prime example, but I will leave details for a future post.


Source

[rousseau]

Thanks for this. I'd always known the Scottish cultural influence was prominent in Nova Scotia, but wasn't aware of these architectural details.

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by rousseau

Thanks for this. I'd always known the Scottish cultural influence was prominent in Nova Scotia, but wasn't aware of these architectural details.

I wonder if one would see this in places in Ontario like Guelph or Fergus or Cambridge (Galt) that also had a strong Scottish component?

[someone123]

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

I wonder if one would see this in places in Ontario like Guelph or Fergus or Cambridge (Galt) that also had a strong Scottish component?

I was going to mention this: https://www.google.ca/maps/@43.70548...V0sw!2e0?hl=en

Another interesting thing, the Wikipedia page for George Lang, a Scottish stonemason who moved to Halifax and built lots of stuff during the 19th century: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Lang_(builder)

I particularly like the Welsford-Parker monument. It was built in 1860 to commemorate Nova Scotia's participation in the Crimean War (Sevastopol, Alma, and Redan were the locations of major battles). Memorials like this in Canada are exceedingly rare; only Quebec City has an older war monument and it commemorates the battle of the Plains of Abraham. Halifax may be the only place in Canada that has monuments commemorating the conquering other places. It's kind of ironic that we hear about Halifax less because it was on the winning side of conflicts; the attacks on places like Louisbourg, Quebec, Washington/Baltimore, and New Orleans were all launched from there. The naval presence in Halifax is a huge part of why British North America survived the American Revolution; it was a strategic harbour between the Northeastern US and the St. Lawrence.

[Nathan]

The only thing I can think of that would be somewhat unique to my area (at least in terms of volume in Canada) would be a style of building that's common across the prairies, especially on the Yellowhead from Winnipeg through to Edmonton... Ukrainian Churches (Ukrainian Orthodox and Ukrainian Catholic) dot the prairies. Some have fallen into disrepair as the small towns/farming communities for which they were built dwindle down with the enlarging of farms, and the emptying of rural Canada. Basically every village/farm grouping along this whole line would have had a church (or two - Orthodox and Catholic).

Here are a couple examples:


Blog Site

According to the source for this photo, there are well over 1000 Ukrainian churches across the prairies (in various states of repair).

Blog Site


Church information site


Church Information Site

And falling into disrepair...

Dave Ostapovich on Trek Earth


The detailing of the interior is much more intricate in the larger churches, but for example, the cathedral in Saskatoon that I used to go to sometimes:


Wikimapia

[SignalHillHiker]

Gorgeous pics, Someone and Nathan.

The big one here is, obviously, colourful clapboard rowhouses. Some are very simple with flat fronts and roofs, others are very ornate with bay windows and Mansard roofs, and most are in between with flat fronts and Mansard roofs.

In commercial areas, red (often painted) brick is the norm. Other types of stone account for at least 1/3 of the commercial area, however. The old commercial area with dedicated, heritage commercial buildings is not extensive. Includes most of Water Street, some of Duckwork, most of the streets connecting them, and a few pockets further out.

March 9, 2015 by Rabbittownie, on Flickr

March 9, 2015 by Rabbittownie, on Flickr

March 9, 2015 by Rabbittownie, on Flickr

March 8, 2015 by Rabbittownie, on Flickr

[Echoes]

Originally Posted by Nathan

The only thing I can think of that would be somewhat unique to my area (at least in terms of volume in Canada) would be a style of building that's common across the prairies, especially on the Yellowhead from Winnipeg through to Edmonton... Ukrainian Churches (Ukrainian Orthodox and Ukrainian Catholic) dot the prairies. Some have fallen into disrepair as the small towns/farming communities for which they were built dwindle down with the enlarging of farms, and the emptying of rural Canada. Basically every village/farm grouping along this whole line would have had a church (or two - Orthodox and Catholic).

That's a good one for the prairies, Nathan. Here are some of my own pictures of the two prominent ones in Saskatoon:



IMG_8144 by echoes320, on Flickr





IMG_8146 by echoes320, on Flickr

[kwoldtimer]

I've seen somewhere that K-W is distinctive for its "German-influenced brick vernacular" houses, but I don't really see much German influence in the local stock of 19th century/early 20th houses. There are a number of older (pre - 1850) "Mennonite bay front" houses, but these to me are just a local version of the Georgian style of the time and not "dominant". So I guess that would leave me with "brick vernacular" as the dominant local architectural style.

[The_Architect]

Among Old Toronto's residential neighbourhoods we have a ton of the Toronto-style Bay-and-Gable Victorian housing.

Examples taken from Wikipedia:





They're everywhere in areas like Cabbagetown in the east and Little Italy in the West.


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[ssiguy]

London is famous for its yellow brick Victorians.

[speedog]

Along the lines of Nathan, Mormon temples - very few in Canada but all very similar in appearance and structure. Of note, the ones I've personally seen from the outside (I am not Mormon so have never seen the inside) are very impressive in their surroundings and can be seen from a fair distance.

Langley, BC (completed 2010)...


Edmonton, AB (completed 1999)...


Calgary, AB (completed 2012)...


Cardston, AB (completed 1923)...


Regina, SK (completed 1999)...


Brampton, ON (completed 1990 - Toronto temple)...


Longueuil, QB (completed 2000 - Montreal temple)...


Dartmouth, NS (completed 1999 - Halifax temple)...

[SkahHigh]

Originally Posted by The_Architect

Among Old Toronto's residential neighbourhoods we have a ton of the Toronto-style Bay-and-Gable Victorian housing.

Examples taken from Wikipedia:





They're everywhere in areas like Cabbagetown in the east and Little Italy in the West.


.


.

Love these.

[SkahHigh]

Montreal has these which are found mostly in Le Plateau and Rosemont:


http://www.macleweb.com/immobilier/photo/90215101.jpg

[Martin Mtl]

...and Villeray, Hochelagua-Maisonneuve, the entire south-west including Verdun, St-Michel, Parc Ex, etc. It´s pretty much everywhere for miles and miles in the pre-war fabric of Montreal. The other traditionnal, dominant style, is, of course, the victorian greystones.

[PhilippeMtl]

Originally Posted by Martin Mtl

...and Villeray, Hochelagua-Maisonneuve, the entire south-west including Verdun, St-Michel, Parc Ex, etc. It´s pretty much everywhere for miles and miles in the pre-war fabric of Montreal. The other traditionnal, dominant style, is, of course, the victorian greystones.

And the infamouswhite duplex in 50's to 70's suburbs.

[Martin Mtl]

Originally Posted by PhilippeMtl

And the infamouswhite duplex in 50's to 70's suburbs.

I prefer to ignore the suburbs in any circumstances.

[O-tacular]

Another one for the Prairies would be Grain Elevators. Sadly most of them have been replaced by more modern grain silos or just knocked down altogether.

Here's one from the ghost town of Dorothy near Drumheller:

[SpongeG]

Originally Posted by Nathan

The only thing I can think of that would be somewhat unique to my area (at least in terms of volume in Canada) would be a style of building that's common across the prairies, especially on the Yellowhead from Winnipeg through to Edmonton... Ukrainian Churches (Ukrainian Orthodox and Ukrainian Catholic) dot the prairies. Some have fallen into disrepair as the small towns/farming communities for which they were built dwindle down with the enlarging of farms, and the emptying of rural Canada. Basically every village/farm grouping along this whole line would have had a church (or two - Orthodox and Catholic).

i love seeing those, seen them randomally in northern alberta

this is a small one in east vancouver


pic by me

there is one in surrey in whalley, easy to miss amongst the strip malls and derelict lots


http://penelopepuddle.blogspot.ca/

[someone123]

The Ukrainian churches are interesting. I didn't realize that they were that common, large, or ornate.

[someone123]

This is not really an architectural style per se, but another interesting phenomenon in local Halifax architecture is the transition of building materials from the 1700's into the 1800's and then the modern period. Masonry buildings started to become common toward the end of the 1700's. Local brick was relatively scarce so local stones were used instead: ironstone (pyritic slate) and granite. The old ironstone buildings from the 1750-1830 period have a distinctive look and I find them really interesting. You can also look for ironstone to try to identify buildings from the 1830's and earlier.


One classic building is the Prince of Wales Tower, a fortification from the 1790's:


https://www.flickr.com/photos/rexton/50362692

Another classic, the Cavalier building, from circa 1830:


https://www.flickr.com/photos/rwkphotos/2629700410

Morse's Teas, a.k.a. Jerusalem Warehouse, 1840

https://www.flickr.com/photos/mr_joh...-6Yy83A-6WaCpv

Actually this is a common theme in the Upper Water Street area. These buildings are from the ~1790-1830 period as well (sadly, there used to be a lot more of them).


http://www.tripomatic.com/Canada/Nov...ic-Properties/

Keith Brewery, circa 1820


https://www.flickr.com/photos/georgian_bay_dreamer/

St. Mary's Basilica. Construction began in 1820; more ironstone on the side, granite in front, and sparing use of sandstone.


https://www.flickr.com/photos/gakino...92/6607023775/

Look at the side wall of the Henry House (1834)


http://www.thecoast.ca/halifax/halif...nt?oid=2708503

Ironstone was popular for walls too. It was also used to build the foundations of some of the five-sided dormer houses shown in the first post in the thread.


(Photo mine)

It was also used to build prisons. This is a remnant of the Melville Island prison, built for the War of 1812:


Source

Mitchell House (1823)


https://www.flickr.com/photos/musesp...165474/sizes/l

Admiralty House (1815)


http://robertwmackay.blogspot.ca/201...rt-2-of-2.html

Starting in the 1850's or so, sandstone quarried elsewhere in the province became much more common in Halifax, and by the 1870's and later brick became common. At that point, ironstone ceased to be an economic form of masonry construction, but it was still used in some public buildings, perhaps in a deliberate attempt to make them look old.

Memorial tower, Fleming Park (1910).

https://www.flickr.com/photos/toddstevenson/12703187825

Dalhousie Chemistry Building (circa 1900)


https://www.flickr.com/photos/tomflem/2942912801

More Dalhousie buildings


https://www.flickr.com/photos/paige_eliz/2551774540/

Dunn Building, Dalhousie

https://www.flickr.com/photos/phillacombe/2192972835