Description of Historic Place

The Burritts Rapids Lockstation, Bridgehouse is located in the village of Burritts Rapids, which occupies an island beween the Rideau River, and the Rideau Canal. The house is a two-storey, gable roofed structure clad with cove woodsiding. An open, gable-fronted porch protects the front door. The main road through the village crosses the canal adjacent to the Bridgehouse on a steel swing bridge. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.

Heritage Value

The Burritts Rapids Lockstation, Bridgehouse is a Recognized Federal Heritage Building because of its historical associations, and its architectural and environmental values.

Historical Value:
The Burritts Rapids Lockstation, Bridgehouse, which provided accommodation for those operating the swing bridge, is associated with the post-Confederation use of the Rideau Canal for transportation purposes. The Bridgehouse was built as a residence for the bridgemaster, and replaced an earlier one from the 1850s. The bridge continues to be used as a means of crossing the canal to the town of Burritts Rapids, a Loyalist settlement of the 1790s. The house is now used as a library.

Architectural Value:
The Burritts Rapids Lockstation, Bridgehouse is valued for its good aesthetic design and is a good example of vernacular frame construction from the period. The functional residential design of the building reflects the early twentieth-century commercial and recreational use of the canal system, and is evidenced in the interior’s side hall plan. Good craftsmanship can be seen in the woodwork; overall this exhibits the competent craftsmanship of the period.

Environmental Value:
The Burritts Rapids Lockstation, Bridgehouse maintains an unchanged relationship to its site and is compatible the historic character of its streetscape setting in Burritts Rapids. It is a familiar landmark to local residents and visitors.

Source:
James De Jonge, Twenty Nine Buildings, Central Area, Rideau Canal, Ontario, Federal Heritage Buildings Review Office, Building Report 91-072 to 91-081.

Character-Defining Elements

The following character-defining elements of the Burritts Rapids Lockstation, Bridgehouse should be respected:

Its good aesthetic, functional design and quality materials and craftsmanship, for example: the two-storey massing; the cedar-shingled gable roof, and the chimney; the frame construction and the exterior clad with cove woodsiding; the regular placement of the windows and doors; the small front entrance porch and the single-storey frame addition; the interior configuration, including the painted wood-plank floors.

The manner in which the Burritts Rapids Lockstation, Bridgehouse maintains an unchanged relationship to its site, and is compatible with the historic character of its streetscape setting in Burritts Rapids. It is a familiar landmark, as evidenced by: its ongoing relationship to its grassed site and to the adjacent swing bridge; its overall scale, design and materials that are compatible with its village streetscape surroundings; its familiarity within the area due to its role as a community library; its visibility due to its prominent location on the town’s streetscape adjacent to the water and swing bridge.

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.

The Bridgehouse at Burritts Rapids was built in 1925-26 by the Government of Canada, as a residence for the bridgemaster, replacing an earlier one from the 1850s. A rear shed addition, surviving from the earlier residence, dates from 1898. The house is now leased by the town to serve as a library. The Canadian Parks Service is the custodial department. See FHBRO Building Report 91-81.

Reasons for Designation

The Bridgehouse was designated Recognized as a result of its historical associations, its architectural qualities and its unchanged historic character.

The house, which provided accommodation for those operating the swing bridge, is associated with the Post-Confederation use of the Rideau Canal for transportation purposes. The current swing bridge, combining Fink and Pratt truss design and dating from 1897, is associated with the bridgemasters who lived in the house. The bridge continues to be used as a means of crossing the canal to the town of Burritts Rapids, a Loyalist settlement of the 1790s. Although the house is now used as a library, knowledge of its original function makes it a local landmark to residents of the area.

Character Defining Elements

The heritage character of this structure is defined by its vernacular architectural design and its contribution to the environment.

The house is a good example of vernacular frame construction from the period -- a rectangular side-hall plan, two storeys in height clad with cove siding, with a cedar-shingled gable roof. The house retains its small front entrance porch, while the single-storey frame addition at the rear, dating from 1898, is clad in cove siding like that of the main structure. The house retains its interior layout, much of the woodwork and, apparently, the original windows. The functional residential design of the building reflects the early twentieth-century commercial and recreational use of the canal system and exhibits the competent craftsmanship of the period. Inspection and maintenance of the building fabric should be carried out routinely.

The Bridgemaster's House and its setting remain essentially unchanged since the 1920s. The house forms part of the streetscape of the town, while the lawn extends down to the water and bridge as it did historically. This relationship should be preserved.