Lynne D. DiStefano

The history, aesthetics, and significance of Ontario’s iconic small house. In the evolution of Ontario’s domestic architecture, the Ontario Cottage is one of a small number of distinctive imported—and then modified—houseforms that today is among the most recognizable in the province. A single storey, hipped-roof building with a door placed squarely in the centre with windows on either side, the charm of the Ontario Cottage lies in its symmetry, simplicity, and proportions. From stately cottages made of dressed masonry to humbler cottages clad in board and batten, it is adaptable in form, and found in different settings from Southwestern Ontario to the Ottawa Valley, including cities, small towns, and rural areas. This is the first full-length exploration of this enduring houseform and its ubiquity in the province. Through detailed prose, architectural illustrations, and stunning photographs, this book traces the origins of the cottage, its design lineage, construction, and distinctive parts, and shares the perspectives of its inhabitants. While explaining its ongoing appeal, The Ontario Cottage makes the case for the recognition and conservation of the Ontario Cottage as a defining attribute of the province’s cultural landscape.

In an era of steel and glass towers, the graceful and distinctive structures of Victorian Ontario which survive are a pleasing and a valuable link with the past. Some of the finest examples of these buildings can still be found in London, Ontario, and the surrounding towns and villages. Beginning with a discussion of the area's history, Nancy Tausky and Lynne DiStefano explore the work of the most prominent architectural firm in Victorian London -- Robinson, Tracy, Durand and Moore -- and its role in the development of southwestern Ontario. From their focus on specific architects emerges a broader picture of the factors that typically shaped Victorian towns. They consider the various theories and movements that were given expression in Victorian building design, the social influences on the period's architecture, the evolution of building technology, and the state of the architectural profession in general during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. At the heart of the book, of course, are the buildings. Churches, banks, schools, courthouses, stores, and all manner of public buildings, as well as private homes are represented. Extensively illustrated, the book includes old photographs, reproductions of drawings and plans, and contemporary photographs of buildings which still stand, taken specially for this volume by Ian MacEachern. Published in conjunction with a 1986 exhibition which was presented at the London Regional Art Gallery and then toured Canada, this volume records an elegant chapter in our architectural history, an irreplaceable part of our heritage.