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Prescott Railway Station (Grand Trunk) National Historic Site of Canada

820 St. Lawrence Street, Prescott, Ontario, K0E, Canada

Formally Recognized: 1973/06/11

Corner view of the Prescott Railway Station (Grand Trunk) National Historic Site of Canada, 1990.; Agence Parcs Canada/Parks Canada Agency, 1990.
General view
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Other Name(s)

Prescott Railway Station (Grand Trunk)
Gare du Grand Tronc à Prescott
Prescott Railway Station (Grand Trunk) National Historic Site of Canada
Prescott CNR Station
Gare du CN de Prescott
Prescott VIA Station
Gare VIA de Prescott

Links and documents

Construction Date(s)

1855/01/01

Listed on the Canadian Register: 2007/06/27

Statement of Significance

Description of Historic Place

Prescott Railway Station (Grand Trunk) National Historic Site is a small, stone station building situated beside CNR tracks at the base of a small ridge at the end of St. Lawrence St. in Prescott.

Heritage Value

Prescott Railway Station (Grand Trunk) was designated a national historic site in 1973 because:
- it is a typical example of the smaller stations erected for the Grand Trunk Railway,
- influenced by English designs, the station is an enduring monument to early Canadian railway enterprise.

The heritage value of this site resides in its physical illustration of a 'First Class A Type' standard station design for the Grand Trunk Railway on the Montreal-Brockville line in the mid 19th-century.

Prescott's Grand Trunk Railway (GTR) station was built in 1855 during the first construction period of the GTR line between Montreal and Brockville (1852-1855). It was a standard design for small stations prepared for the new line by English architect Francis Thompson.

Sources: HSMBC Minutes, June 1973, November 1974, May 1979, February 1992, November 1992.

Character-Defining Elements

Key features contributing to the heritage value of this site include:

- the rectangular massing,
- the end-gabled pitched roof with balanced pairs of chimneys at each end,
- the regular articulation of its seven-bay main facades, and identical two-bay end facades,
- the Italianate features of its design including simple arched openings, prominent voussoirs and edge quoining, and heavy eave returns,
- the rock-faced grey ashlar limestone exterior walls,
- the station's siting beside train tracks at the end of an urban street.

Recognition

Jurisdiction

Federal

Recognition Authority

Government of Canada

Recognition Statute

Historic Sites and Monuments Act

Recognition Type

National Historic Site of Canada

Recognition Date

1973/06/11

Historical Information

Significant Date(s)

1852/01/01 to 1855/01/01

Theme - Category and Type

Developing Economies
Trade and Commerce
Developing Economies
Technology and Engineering
Expressing Intellectual and Cultural Life
Architecture and Design

Function - Category and Type

Current

Historic

Transport-Rail
Station or Other Rail Facility

Architect / Designer

Francis Thompson

Builder

n/a

Additional Information

Location of Supporting Documentation

National Historic Sites Directorate, Documentation Centre, 5th Floor, Room 89, 25 Eddy Street, Gatineau, Quebec

Cross-Reference to Collection

Fed/Prov/Terr Identifier

498

Status

Published

Related Places

n/a

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