This post is about two blocks of Cooper Street between the years 1880-1900 when the street was an enclave for senior officials and the well-to-do.
The house at 251 Cooper Street is a standard Gothic Revival, with pointy gables and a heavy bargeboard, was probably built in the late 1870s.
It's the only building in this archival series still extant. Today it is the Embassy of the Czech Republic.
It was the home of Justice Robert Sedgewick, who came to Ottawa in 1885 to serve as Deputy-Minister of Justice. He was subsequently appointed as a Puisne Judge for the Supreme Court of Canada.
Judging by the size of the street trees (elms), the pictures were likely taken when the Sedgewick's house was about 20 years old. Although Cooper Street was serviced by fire hydrants, there were still board sidewalks.
The house was modernized around 1910. All of the dated Gothic ornamentation was removed, and a Doric porch added. 251 Cooper later became the National Headquarters of the Liberal Party of Canada, and then the University Club.
As in many of these house portraits by Topley, the family was gathered on the front porch for the picture-taking.
The building was enlarged many times, and the front yard has been a parking lot for decades. The location of the fire hydrant hasn't changed.
The Miss Jessie B. Brown house was next door at 245 Cooper Street. The little steps at the curb are for alighting from a carriage, and there is a hitching post nearby.
Across the street at 250 Cooper Street was a much more substantial house, from about 1890. This is the late nineteenth house at its peak, with all of the fencing, iron cresting, planters, awnings, and architectural bric-a-brac in place.
Today it is the site of the twin James and Balfour Court apartments.
The Fraser house, on the north side of this block was built towards 1900, putting its best elevation sideways with a double gambrel-gabled roofline.
The A.Z. Palmer house at 180 Cooper (just east of Elgin) was a typical pale brick Second Empire/Italianate house of the early 1880s.
180 Cooper Street is now the Cartier Place apartment hotel.
Dr. Henry Ami's house was at 111 Cooper Street, where they managed to get the large family dog into the picture.
This is the last house left in this block, otherwise much altered. Although many were built on spec by contractors, to fairly standard designs, there are always subtle variations like these bell-cast eaves.
The best representative survivor of this area is the Bytown Officers' Mess at Lisgar and Cartier, a melange of Queen Anne style, and other oddments.
The John George Bourinot house was at 141 Cooper Street. It was a moderately sized foursquare building, with chunky spoolwork on the porches, batwing motifs in the eaves, and a porte cochere.
Today we are used to seeing these houses as plain brick carcasses, stripped of their Victorian furbelow's. This house is on Lisgar, behind where the Bourinot's would have been.
The relative simple brick body of their house was capped with a complex roof, and a further attic storey.
If you get the chance, look inside the mess for a taste of this high-style excess. Their top floor snug is called 'The Crow's Nest'.
Sir John George Bourinot was a prominent civil servant and expert on parliamentary procedure, who became Clerk of the House of Commons.
Occasionally these Topley house picture are augmented with interior shots, no doubt artfully staged, but an interesting sampling of taste and decor. This is the entrance hall at 141 Cooper Street.
And a less formal parlour with a piano, and afternoon tea laid out.
Sir John's study? Looks a little overstuffed, but comfy. Portieres, heavy draperies hung over room openings, were used in the Victorian home for privacy and controlling draughts.
Local brick and tile works, artglass manufactories, steam powered turning and lathing mills, the jigsaw, and new department stores offering rugs and statuary made all of this mass-produced luxury attainable.
This post is about two blocks of Cooper Street between the years 1880-1900 when the street was an enclave for senior officials and the well-to-do.
The house at 251 Cooper Street is a standard Gothic Revival, with pointy gables and a heavy bargeboard, was probably built in the late 1870s.
It's the only building in this archival series still extant. Today it is the Embassy of the Czech Republic.
It was the home of Justice Robert Sedgewick, who came to Ottawa in 1885 to serve as Deputy-Minister of Justice. He was subsequently appointed as a Puisne Judge for the Supreme Court of Canada.
Judging by the size of the street trees (elms), the pictures were likely taken when the Sedgewick's house was about 20 years old. Although Cooper Street was serviced by fire hydrants, there were still board sidewalks.
The house was modernized around 1910. All of the dated Gothic ornamentation was removed, and a Doric porch added. 251 Cooper later became the National Headquarters of the Liberal Party of Canada, and then the University Club.
As in many of these house portraits by Topley, the family was gathered on the front porch for the picture-taking.
The building was enlarged many times, and the front yard has been a parking lot for decades. The location of the fire hydrant hasn't changed.
The Miss Jessie B. Brown house was next door at 245 Cooper Street. The little steps at the curb are for alighting from a carriage, and there is a hitching post nearby.
Across the street at 250 Cooper Street was a much more substantial house, from about 1890. This is the late nineteenth house at its peak, with all of the fencing, iron cresting, planters, awnings, and architectural bric-a-brac in place.
Today it is the site of the twin James and Balfour Court apartments.
The Fraser house, on the north side of this block was built towards 1900, putting its best elevation sideways with a double gambrel-gabled roofline.
The A.Z. Palmer house at 180 Cooper (just east of Elgin) was a typical pale brick Second Empire/Italianate house of the early 1880s.
180 Cooper Street is now the Cartier Place apartment hotel.
Dr. Henry Ami's house was at 111 Cooper Street, where they managed to get the large family dog into the picture.
This is the last house left in this block, otherwise much altered. Although many were built on spec by contractors, to fairly standard designs, there are always subtle variations like these bell-cast eaves.
The best representative survivor of this area is the Bytown Officers' Mess at Lisgar and Cartier, a melange of Queen Anne style, and other oddments.
The John George Bourinot house was at 141 Cooper Street. It was a moderately sized foursquare building, with chunky spoolwork on the porches, batwing motifs in the eaves, and a porte cochere.
Today we are used to seeing these houses as plain brick carcasses, stripped of their Victorian furbelow's. This house is on Lisgar, behind where the Bourinot's would have been.
The relative simple brick body of their house was capped with a complex roof, and a further attic storey.
If you get the chance, look inside the mess for a taste of this high-style excess. Their top floor snug is called 'The Crow's Nest'.
Sir John George Bourinot was a prominent civil servant and expert on parliamentary procedure, who became Clerk of the House of Commons.
Occasionally these Topley house picture are augmented with interior shots, no doubt artfully staged, but an interesting sampling of taste and decor. This is the entrance hall at 141 Cooper Street.
And a less formal parlour with a piano, and afternoon tea laid out.
Sir John's study? Looks a little overstuffed, but comfy. Portieres, heavy draperies hung over room openings, were used in the Victorian home for privacy and controlling draughts.
Local brick and tile works, artglass manufactories, steam powered turning and lathing mills, the jigsaw, and new department stores offering rugs and statuary made all of this mass-produced luxury attainable. 
Thank-you for putting this all together! As with the last posting, I lived for a time in the Balfour Court side of the apartment pointed out and it was nice to see what was there before the apartment was put up. Since the area has changed so much over the years, I am happy to get a glimpse of what it was like before more recent times.
ReplyDeleteI lost my virginity in the James.
ReplyDelete