Maplelawn
Classified Federal Heritage Building
Ottawa, Ontario
General view
© Inventaire des bâtiments historiques du Canada / Canadian Inventory of Historic Buildings, 1980.
Address :
529 Richmond Road, Westboro, Ottawa, Ontario
Recognition Statute:
Treasury Board Policy on Management of Real Property
Designation Date:
1983-12-02
Dates:
-
1831 to 1831
(Construction)
Other Name(s):
-
Keg Manor
(Other Name)
-
Maplelawn and Gardens
(Other Name)
Custodian:
National Capital Commission
FHBRO Report Reference:
83-42
DFRP Number:
01524 00
Description of Historic Place
Constructed in the British Classical style, Maplelawn is a handsome residence set on generous grounds that include a rare walled garden. The house, which constitutes part of Maplelawn and Gardens National Historic Site of Canada, is two-and-a-half storeys high, executed in squared coursed limestone. It has a hipped roof adorned with two end chimneys. Its restrained, five-bay façade has a central doorway framed by sidelights and an elliptical fanlight transom. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.
Heritage Value
Maplelawn is a Classified Federal Heritage Building because of its historical associations, and its architectural and environmental value.
Historical Value
Maplelawn is a visual reminder of the early economic history of the Ottawa valley as an agricultural community. This substantial family residence, which once occupied 200 acres of land, was an early farming estate in the Ottawa-Hull region and quickly became one of the most prosperous in the area. One of the oldest houses in the Ottawa valley, the building has continually functioned as a residence; initially it served as a home for the Thomsons and later for the Coles – both of whom represented leading families in the community, participating in its political, business and agricultural spheres.
Architectural Value
Valued for its excellent aesthetics and functional design, Maplelawn is a fine example of a house designed in the British Classical tradition of the 18th century. It provides an excellent illustration of this phase of domestic design in Canada, and is also one of the best-preserved examples. The symmetrical and ordered appearance of the building’s elevations is characteristic of the classical style. The rectangular main façade is punctuated by five bays with a central doorway surrounded by sidelights and an elliptical fanlight. The austere exterior is enhanced by the refined elegance of the interior, laid out in a centre-hall plan, which features the original trim and a prominent, spiral staircase.
Environmental Value
Maplelawn maintains an unchanged historical relationship with its site. The house sits in a spacious lot, set back from the road, with the original stonewalls that isolates the house from the busy street. A one-acre, walled garden can still be seen at the southeast corner of the property. Maplelawn reinforces the present character of the area as a mixed-use residential and commercial community, and as one of the oldest surviving residences in the area, it provides an important visual landmark for the community.
Sources: Janet Wright, Maplelawn and Gardens National Historic Site, Ottawa, Ontario, Federal Heritage Building Review Office Building Report 83-042; Maplelawn and Gardens National Historic Site, Ottawa, Ontario, Heritage Character Statement, 83-042.
Character-Defining Elements
The character-defining elements of Maplelawn should be respected.
Its excellent aesthetics, excellent functional design and very good craftsmanship, for example: the symmetrical five-bay front façade with a handsome casement sash and a central doorway marked by sidelights and an elliptical fanlight transom; the end façades which repeat the symmetry and restraint of the front; the exterior which is devoid of applied decoration; the inherent classicism which is expressed simply by careful proportioning and a strict adherence to symmetry and regularity; the interior layout which continues the symmetrical disposition of the exterior, with a prominent staircase featuring a gracefully turned nested newel post; the fine door and window trim with boxed corners, and the six-panelled doors with delicate bands of moulding within each panel, illustrating the high quality of carpentry and joinery then available in the Ottawa Valley; the garden which envelops a mature landscape, including a circular drive and a walled garden.
The manner in which Maplelawn reinforces the residential and commercial character of its setting in the Ottawa Valley as evidenced by: its classical style and residential appearance which complement the surrounding residential buildings; its formal character as an early and important 19th century residence; its location on generous grounds in the Ottawa Valley.
Heritage Character Statement
Disclaimer -
The heritage character statement was developed by FHBRO to explain the reasons for the designation of a federal heritage building and what it is about the building that makes it significant (the heritage character). It is a key reference document for anyone involved in planning interventions to federal heritage buildings and is used by FHBRO in their review of interventions.
Maplelawn was built in 1831 for the Thomson family. It has been owned throughout its history by only two families, the Thomsons and the Coles, and is now administered by the National Capital Commission. See FHBRO Building Report 83-42.
Reason for Designation
On November 28, 1983, Maplelawn was designated Classified, primarily because of its architectural significance.
The house is a very fine, if late, example of a substantial country house designed in the British classical tradition of the 18th Century. It provides an excellent illustration of this phase of domestic design in Canada and one of its best preserved examples. It is also one of the oldest surviving residences in the Ottawa area. The austere exterior is enhanced by the surviving period landscape, including a walled garden and by the refined elegance of the interior.
Character Defining Elements
The heritage character of the property is defined by the quality and inter-relationship of the grounds and the house, both its exterior and its interior.
The house is a 21/2 storey design executed in squared coursed limestone with a hip roof and two end chimneys. The front façade is of symmetrical five-bay design with handsome casement sash and a central doorway marked by sidelights and an elliptical fanlight transom. End façades repeat the symmetry and restraint of the front. The exterior is devoid of applied decoration, the inherent classicism being expressed simply by a strict adherence to symmetry and regularity and by careful proportioning. It is important that the exterior therefore be carefully preserved in its present form, without intrusions or deletions.
The interior layout continues the symmetrical disposition of the exterior, with a prominent staircase featuring a gracefully turned nested newel post. The fine door and window trim with boxed corners and the six-panelled doors with delicate bands of moulding within each panel illustrate the high quality of carpentry and joinery then available in the Ottawa Valley. Both the layout and decorative treatment should be protected and conserved. Any intervention in the house or its grounds should be preceded by detailed research to ensure that the present integrity of the site is maintained, and that every opportunity is taken to recover or restore missing elements of value.
The garden envelops a mature landscape including a circular drive, and a walled garden displaying an exquisite selection of plant materials orchestrated in a clear, harmonious arrangement. The seasonal successions of colour in the walled garden signify a clear understanding of intricate horticultural practices. For example, it is possible to enter the garden when the blooms are a riot of purples, as with the lupins and irises, punctuated with brilliant orange-red poppies and white Viburnum cymes, and to return when all is ablaze with orange day-lilies, yellow loosestrifes, and other flowering varieties.
The historic layout, hard materials and the plants, woody and herbaceous, should be maintained with great care. Special attributes such as the sundial also strengthen the landscape style. Finally the orientation of the building, its relationship to the landscape, and views from the house should be enhanced. The name of the property "Maplelawn" is indicative of the strong relationship between the residence and its setting.