Description of Historic Place

Located on a formal landscape, the Visitor Orientation Centre is a single storey, rectangular, stone structure with a steep roof. It has a projecting roofline with dormer windows and projecting stone ends with chimneys. There is a central main entranceway flanked by four multi-paned windows on the front of the building. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.

Heritage Value

The Visitor Orientation Centre is a Classified Federal Heritage Building because of its historical associations, and its architectural and environmental value.

Historical Value
The Visitor Orientation Centre is a very good example associated with the presentation and interpretation of history as practiced in Canada during the 1930’s. It illustrates local enthusiasm and interest in cultural resource conservation and historical interpretation.
It was built as a museum to house historical exhibits related to Fort Malden National Historic Site of Canada. It is associated with the life and career of David P. Botsford, who was appointed the first museum curator/custodian for the museum in 1941 where he worked until 1964. As the senior park administrator he was influential in the development of the site as its boundaries expanded in the 1940’s to include portions of the original fort property.

Architectural Value
The Visitor Orientation Centre is a very good example Colonial Revival Style which was evocative of Québec colonial architecture. The well proportioned, symmetrical building with characteristic steep roof is domestic in scale. Its value resides in its form, overall proportions, details of its Colonial Revival style design, materials and surviving interior layout. The building was one of numerous larger institutional buildings designed in the French Colonial Revival style in various regions of the country.

Environmental Value
The Visitor Orientation Centre, located on a formal landscape reinforces the character of the museum building as a manor house on an estate in its historical setting. Through its attractive detailing and substantial scale, the Visitor Orientation Centre helps to evoke an historical ambience for visitors upon arrival to the site.

Sources: James de Jonge, Fort Malden and Associated National Historic Sites, Amherstberg, Ontario, Federal Heritage Building Report 91-181; Visitor Orientation Centre, Fort Malden National Historic Site, Amhertsburg, Ontario, Heritage Character Statement, 91-181.

Character-Defining Elements

The character defining elements of the Visitor Orientation Centre should be respected.

Its French Colonial Revival Style design, form, overall proportions and materials as manifested in; its simple massing consisting of a single storey, rectangular structure distinguished by a prominent dormered roofline and projecting stone gable ends with chimneys typical of French Colonial Revival style; the symmetry, good proportions and balanced arrangement of dormers and windows, which contribute to the formality of the design; the slate roofing and rough limestone walls with dressed stone window surrounds, which are typical materials of this style; its unique elements including the stone corbelling and decorative ‘S’ bearing plates on the gable ends, the recessed panels below the windows front and rear and the projecting entranceway; the multi-paned wood windows in keeping with the Colonial Revival character; the dormer windows and ground floor side windows.

The manner in which the Visitor Orientation Centre reinforces the present character of Fort Malden National Historic Site of Canada in its historicized setting.

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 Visitor Orientation Centre at Fort Malden was constructed as a museum in 1939. It was designed by James Carlyle Pennington, architect. Since construction, interior alterations to meet functional changes have occurred. Parks Canada is the custodian. See FHBRO Building Report 91-181.

Reasons for Designation

The Visitor Orientation Centre was designated Classified for its architectural importance, its environmental significance, and its historical associations.

The Visitor Orientation Centre was built as a museum to house historical exhibits related to Fort Malden. The historicized exterior of the building reflected the romantic approach to the presentation of Canadian history popular at its construction. The Visitor Orientation Centre is a very good example of a Colonial Revival style which was evocative of Québec colonial architecture. The well proportioned, symmetrical building with characteristic steep roof is domestic in scale.

The original informal site has evolved into a formal landscape which continues to evoke the historical associations intended by the building design.

The Visitor Orientation Centre is associated with the presentation and interpretation of history as practiced in Canada during the 1930s, illustrating local enthusiasm and interest in cultural resource conservation and historical interpretation.

Character Defining Elements

The heritage character of the Visitor Orientation Centre resides in its form, overall proportions, details of its Colonial Revival style design, materials, surviving interior layout, and relationship to the site and setting.

The building is a single storey, rectangular structure with a steep roof. Typical of French Colonial Revival style, details include simple massing distinguished by a prominent dormered roofline and projecting stone gable ends with chimneys. The symmetry, good proportions and balanced arrangement of dormers and windows contribute to the formality of the design. The footprint, massing, and the simple roofline should be maintained.

Textures and materials are integral to the heritage character of the building. The slate roofing and rough limestone walls with dressed stone window surrounds are typical materials of the style. Unique elements include the stone corbelling and decorative "S" bearing plates on the gable ends, the recessed panels below the windows front and rear, and the projecting entranceway. The materials merit conservation expertise and regular maintenance. The stonework should be monitored for damage by the ivy on the walls.

The existing multi-paned wood windows are in keeping with the Colonial Revival character, adding scale and detail. They should be retained. The modern entrance door and sidelight uses inappropriate materials and is overscaled. The door should be replaced at the end of its service life with a door compatible with the original design. The blocked dormer windows and ground floor side windows should be reinstated.

The original single interior volume has been divided, such that half now serves as an auditorium, and modern ceilings have been installed. The original fireplaces are concealed and dormers and windows blocked. Reinstatement of the single volume and the dormers and windows would be encouraged. The extant features and trim should be preserved and incorporated into any rehabilitation project.

The formal landscape around the building appropriately reinforces the image of the museum building as a manor house on an estate.