Heritage House (Building 54)
Recognized Federal Heritage Building
Ottawa, Ontario
Façade
(© Agence Parcs Canada / Parks Canada Agency, Janet Wright and Monique Trepanier, 1982.)
Address :
Central Experimental Farm National Historic Site, Ottawa, Ontario
Recognition Statute:
Treasury Board Policy on Management of Real Property
Designation Date:
1995-12-22
Dates:
-
1887 to 1888
(Construction)
Event, Person, Organization:
-
Department of Public Works
(Architect)
Custodian:
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
FHBRO Report Reference:
95-073
DFRP Number:
08625 00
Description of Historic Place
The Heritage House (Building 54) faces the Central Lawn at the Central Experimental Farm (CEF) in Ottawa. Designed as a residence it is a two-and-a-half storey structure with a prominent roof and chimneys. Its picturesque appearance is reinforced by clapboard siding and by a decorative verandah that wraps around two sides. A one-storey dining hall is attached at the back. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.
Heritage Value
The Heritage House (Building 54) is a Recognized Federal Heritage Building because of its historical associations, and its architectural and environmental value.
Historical Value
The Heritage House (Building 54) is associated with the 19th-century agricultural reform practices promoted by the federal Department of Agriculture through the experimental farm system, and the contributions of the CEF to Canadian agricultural science. The building was constructed as a residence for the CEF’s agriculturalist, one of the most senior positions in the Canadian experimental farm system. From the 1880s until the 1950s, the agriculturalist and other senior staff lived on the CEF to tend to round-the-clock research and other professional responsibilities. The building is also associated with the CEF’s role as a model farm, and with the creation of a distinctive cultural landscape at the CEF in fulfillment of that role. The picturesque aesthetic dominated the core area of the Farm during the formative period from 1886-1892 and Heritage House (Building 54) is one of few extant CEF buildings dating from this period.
Architectural Value
The Heritage House (Building 54) is valued for its very good aesthetic design, executed in the Queen Anne Revival/ Shingle Style, used on all major CEF residences, and in a more restrained fashion on barns and outbuildings during the 19th century. The large scale of the building with its attached dining hall for labourers reflects a good functional design for the home of a senior staff member and as a model home for a well-to-do farmer. Very good craftsmanship is demonstrated in the exterior handling of the wood materials.
Environmental Value
The Heritage House (Building 54) reinforces the picturesque character of its landscaped estate-like setting at the Central Experimental Farm and is a familiar building within the immediate area.
Sources: Central Experimental Farm, Ottawa, Ontario, Federal Heritage Buildings Review Office, Building Report, NOTES 95-073; Heritage House, Building #54, Central Experimental Farm. Ottawa, Ontario, Heritage Character Statement, 95-073.
Character-Defining Elements
The following character-defining elements of Heritage House (Building 54) should be respected.
Its very good Shingle Style design, good functional design and very good materials and
craftsmanship, for example: the large scale and massing of the house, which consists of a two-and-a-half storey structure with a verandah around two sides and a hipped and gable roof; the attached one-storey dining hall; the Queen Anne Revival/Shingle Style details and materials such as the asymmetrical roof line, clapboard siding, multi-lite windows, flared shingled skirt on the second storey, alternating bands of clipped and straight-edged shingles on the top half of the second storey, banding courses at the window levels, and sunburst and half-timber detailing of the dormers.
The manner in which Heritage House (Building 54) reinforces the picturesque character of its estate-like setting at the experimental farm and is a neighbourhood landmark, as evidenced by: its large scale, residential appearance, and materials, which harmonizes with its immediate surroundings including the Central Lawn, the main barn and Maple Avenue; its familiarity and visual presence, given its location facing the Central Lawn, which makes it a familiar building to those who work at or who visit the farm.
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.
Building #54 was constructed in 1887-8 as the residence of the Central Experimental Farm's (CEF) Agriculturalist. The plans were prepared by the Federal Department of Public Works. The building has been altered by the replacement of cedar roof shingles with asphalt shingles, the removal of edge mouldings on the gable eaves, and the removal of a small balustrade at one end of the verandah. Interior changes include the removal, repair and replacement of plaster on the ceilings and walls in the 1980s to accommodate new mechanical and electrical services. The interior layout is unchanged and the original wood trim is intact. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada is the custodian. The building is currently leased to a national agricultural association. The structure is a Level 1 cultural resource located within the core of the Central Experimental Farm National Historic Site.
Reasons for Designation
Building #54 has been designated 'Recognized' because of its historical, architectural and environmental significance.
Historical Significance
Building #54 is associated with the 19th-century agricultural reform practices promoted by the federal Department of Agriculture through the experimental farm system, and the contributions of the CEF to Canadian agricultural science. Building #54 was constructed as a residence for the CEF's Agriculturalist, one of the most senior positions in the Canadian experimental farm system. From the 1880s until the 1950s, the Agriculturalist and other senior staff lived on the CEF to tend round-the-clock research and professional responsibilities. From the 1920s to the 1950s, Building #54 was used as the CEF Director's Residence.
Building #54 is also associated with CEF's role as a model farm, and the creation of a distinctive cultural landscape at the CEF in fulfilment of that role. The building's design, immediate surroundings and physical relationship with major landscape elements, especially the Central Lawn and the main barn, demonstrate the Picturesque aesthetic that dominated the core area of the Farm during the formative period from 1886-1892. It is one of three extant CEF buildings dating from this period.
Architectural Significance
The exterior treatment of Building #54 conforms to the Shingle Style used on all major CEF residences, and in a more restrained fashion on barns and outbuildings, during the 19th century. The large scale of the building and the attached one-storey dining hall for labourers, reflects its original function as the home of senior staff member and a model for the home of a well-to-do farmer.
Environmental Significance
The enduring proximity of Building #54 to the CEF's main barn (originally the dairy barn, now replaced by the Cattle Barn) reinforces its role as a model for the residence of a well-to-do farmer, and the connection between the house and the professional responsibilities of its occupants. The building's location facing the Central Lawn reinforces the planners' intentions to recreate the atmosphere of a country estate. The relationship between the house and its front landscape, including the semi-circular drive, is largely intact. The rear of the property was reduced by the construction of the Horticulture Building in the 1910s, and is now used for parking.
Character-defining elements
The heritage character of Building #54 resides in the following character-defining elements:
- The large scale of building and the attached one-storey dining hall for farm labourers, which reveal its original function as the home of senior staff member and as a model for the home of a well-to-do farmer.
- The building's conformity to the Shingle Style, as expressed in its silhouette, form and decorative details, all beautifully and competently created in wood. Significant elements include an asymmetrical roof line, clapboard siding, multi-lite windows, flared shingled skirt on the second storey, alternating bands of clipped and straight-edged shingles on the top half of the second storey, banding courses at the window levels, and sunburst and half-timber detailing on the dormers.
- The building's residential appearance, the continuing presence of the semi-circular drive, and the retention of the building's relationship with Maple Avenue, the Central Lawn and the main barn.