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Inverarden House National Historic Site of Canada

Montréal Road, Cornwall, Ontario, Canada

Formally Recognized: 1968/11/28

General view showing the building’s prominent site high on a natural rise above the St. Lawrence River in a picturesque wooded setting.; Parks Canada Agency / Agence Parcs Canada
General view
Corner view of the façade with the main entrance to the Inverarden house, 1988.; Parks Canada Agency/ Agence Parcs Canada, 1988.
Façade
General view showing the rectangular massing of the single storey main block with balanced subsidiary wings set high on a foundation.; Parks Canada Agency / Agence Parcs Canada
General view

Other Name(s)

Inverarden House National Historic Site of Canada
Inverarden House
Maison Inverarden

Links and documents

Construction Date(s)

1816/01/01 to 1823/01/01

Listed on the Canadian Register: 2007/05/30

Statement of Significance

Description of Historic Place

Inverarden House National Historic Site of Canada is a gracious early nineteenth century house set on a 1 hectare fragment of the original estate of John McDonald of Garth on the north side of County Road 2 (formerly Highway 2) along the St. Lawrence River on the outskirts of Cornwall.

Heritage Value

Inverarden House was declared a National Historic Site in 1968 in recognition of its historic and architectural significance as defined in its 1977 plaque inscription:
- it is a fine early example of Regency architecture,
- a fitting home for a country squire, it was built for retired Northwest Company fur trader John McDonald of Garth.

The heritage value of this site resides in its physical illustration of domestic Regency architecture and in its association with Northwest Company fur trader John McDonald of Garth.

Inverarden House epitomizes the taste and social standing of retired Northwest Company fur traders who settled in this part of Ontario in the 19th century. John McDonald of Garth built the central portion of Inverarden House in 1816 and added its wings (1821-1823), completing a substantial Regency residence.

Source: HSMBC Minutes, 1968.

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements that contribute to the heritage character of the site include its:
- the rectangular massing of the single storey main block with balanced subsidiary wings set high on a foundation
- the truncated hipped roof with balanced chimneys,
- the symmetrical, five-bay organization of the facade organized central entry
- the wooden entry door with sidelights and elliptical fanlight
- the regular placement of casement windows and wing apertures (vertically in bays, horizontally in openings of a similar size),
- Georgian-era exterior detailing, including casement windows, chimney pots, shutters, and classically inspired window and door surrounds,
- stone and stucco exterior walls,
- the spacious, symmetrical volumes of the interior with its central hall design, large rooms, high ceilings,
- the surviving original features of the interior including decorative plasterwork, staircase, fireplaces, hardware, woodwork, recessed elliptical arch with flanking doors in the dining room, the original hearth, smoke cupboard and bake oven in the kitchen,
- the building's prominent site high on a natural rise above the St. Lawrence River in a picturesque wooded setting,
- the house's inter-relationship with long term elements of its picturesque setting (its views from the house to the river, and its relationship to the original approach road).

Recognition

Jurisdiction

Federal

Recognition Authority

Government of Canada

Recognition Statute

Historic Sites and Monuments Act

Recognition Type

National Historic Site of Canada

Recognition Date

1968/11/28

Historical Information

Significant Date(s)

1816/01/01 to 1823/01/01

Theme - Category and Type

Developing Economies
Trade and Commerce
Expressing Intellectual and Cultural Life
Architecture and Design
Peopling the Land
Settlement

Function - Category and Type

Current

Historic

Residence
Single Dwelling

Architect / Designer

n/a

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

364

Status

Published

Related Places

General View

Inverarden House

Situated on a rise of land, looking down a narrow curving drive surrounded by trees, Inverarden House is a simple, one-and-a-half storey, rough stone structure, set on a high…

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