Description of Historic Place

The Anglican Diocesan Centre is a two-storey limestone building constructed in 1851. It is located at 90 Johnson Street, in the City of Kingston.

The property was designated, for its heritage value, under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act, by the City of Kingston on March 1, 1984 (By-law 84-65).

Heritage Value

The Anglican Diocesan Centre is associated with the nearby St. George's Cathedral. The building is currently the Anglican Synod Office. The Anglican Diocesan Centre was erected in 1851, according to plans by Kingston architect William Coverdale, for James A. Henderson, a barrister and later a judge.

This three bay, two-storey stone building is faced with ashlar and has hammer-dressed side walls. The flanking bays are wide shallow projections, leaving the central bay and façade ends in recession. The central doorway has a semi-elliptical fanlight with ornate glazing bars. The double doors are flanked by pilasters. The second storey central bay has a triple window with Italianate details. All windows are camber arched and have louvered shutters. The second storey windows, of the flanking bays, have small ornamental iron balconies. A stone string course extends across the façade and the west side of the building, between the first and second floor levels.

The cornice has brackets and the hip roof has pairs of stone end chimneys. Each chimney stack has a small string course around a moulded lip and a decorative chimney pot. There is another chimney towards the rear of the east slope.

The east wall of the building is regularly fenestrated, with round-headed windows on the first storey. It has a central chimney breast. At the west end of the rear wall is a two bay, two-storey stone wing with a cornice and flat roof. There is a smaller two-storey stone wing towards the east and a modern, one-storey concrete addition on the west wing.

Sources: Buildings of Architectural and Historical Significance Kingston, Ontario Volume 5 p71-71, PLA-P18-150-2004; City of Kingston By-law 84-65.

Character-Defining Elements

Character defining elements that support the heritage value of the Anglican Diocesan Centre include the:
- stone construction
- limestone exterior faced with ashlar and hammer-dressed side walls
- the main entrance with semi-elliptical transom, double doors and flanking pilasters
- wood trim
- flanking bays in wide shallow projections, leaving the central bay and façade ends in recession
- second storey tripartite window above the main entrance
- five segmented arched windows on the front façade with louvered shutters
- two flanking windows on the second storey with small iron balconies
- bracketed cornice
- hip roof
- pair of stone chimneys with small string courses around a moulded lip and decorative chimney pots
- two-storey stone wing with cornice and flat roof extending the west wall
- proximity to St. George's Cathedral