For a list of books about Ontario Architecture
Annotated Bibliography
Angu, Margaret.The
Old Stones of Kingston. Toronto: University of Toronto
Press, 1966.
Ashenburg, Katherine. Going
to Town: Architectural Walking Tours in Southern Ontario.
Toronto: Macfarlane, Walter and Ross, 1996.
Atkinson, Dan. ed.A
Decade of Sundays, Quinte Walking Tours. Belleville:
volume 1, Architectural Conservancy of Ontario, 1994.
Blake, Verschoyle, and Ralph
Greenhill. Rural Ontario. Toronto:
University of Toronto Press,1969.
Blumenson, John. Ontario
Architecture A Guide to Styles and Terms. 1978
Those who are interested in Styles
and Terms of Ontario Architecture should definitely avail themselves
of this book. It is the most comprehensive overall guide to
Ontario Architecture, but is sadly out of print. The book can
be found in most Ontario libraries and in some good remainder
stores. Many of the buildings on the "styles" pages
of this website can be found in this book, and it is interesting
to note the changes that 30 years have seen on the upkeep, colours
and landscaping of the buildings.
Cathcart, Ruth. How
Firm a Foundation: Historic Houses of Grey County. Wiarton:
Red House Press, 1996.
Cathcart, Ruth. Seeking
permanence in a New Land: Historic Houses of Grey and Bruce
Counties. Owen Sound: Ampersand Printing, 2009.
Clerk, Nathanial. Palladian
Style in Canadian Architecture, Ottawa: Parks Canada,
1984.
Cruickshank, Tom, and John de
Visser. Old Ontario Houses.
Toronto: Firefly Books, 2000.
Residents of Ontario are not taught
an appreciation of local architecture in school, and thus, while
many people are interested, they don't always know where to
start to look. This beautifully produced picture book offers
a look at Ontario architecture by region, with stunning photography
and insightful prose to introduce the various regions and architectural
styles. For those who have not discovered the beauty of Ontario
and its architecture, this is a very good place to start.
Cruickshank, Tom, and John de
Visser. Old Toronto Houses.
Toronto: Firefly Books, 2003.
Like the above, this coffee table
sized book is deceptive in that it is so handsome it is easy
to overlook the quality of the prose. Like any master of his
craft, Cruikshank's style makes writing and researching seem
a lot easier than it is. There is a wealth of information presented
in a most accessible and agreeable way. De Visser's photographs,
taken in all seasons and at all times of day, bring out the
beauty of the subjects, many of which will be seen, no doubt,
"for the first time" by people who pass them every
day.
Cruickshank, Tom, and John de
Visser. Port Hope: A Treasury of Early
Homes. Port Hope: Bluestone House, 1987.
Cruickshank, Tom, Peter John
Stokes and John de Visser. The Settler's
Dream: A Pictorial History of the Older Buildings of Prince
Edward County. Picton: County of Prince Edward, 1984.
Fox, William Sherwood. The
Bruce Beckons: The Story of Lake Huron's Great Peninsula.
Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1952.
Greenhill, Ralph, Ken Macpherson
and Douglas Richardson. Ontario Towns.
Ottawa: Oberon, 1972.
Ingolfsrund, Elizabeth. Triumph
in Design, Toronto Regional Architectural Conservancy. Toronto:
Kingsway Park, 1994.
LACAC. Cobourg:
A Guide to the History and Architectural Heritage of the Town
of Cobourg. December 2002.
This is a terrifically useful little
guide to introduce visitors to the architecture of Cobourg by
means of walking tours. The prose is easy to read, the streets
are easy to follow, and the buildings are wonderful. This pamphlet
is an excellent idea very well produced.
Leaning, John, and Lyette Fortin.
Our Architectural Ancestry.
Ottawa:Haig and Haig Publishing, 1981.
Lownsborough, John. The
Privileged Few: The Grange and Its People in Nineteenth-Century
Toronto. Toronto: Art Gallery of Ontario, 1980.
MacRae,
Marion, and Anthony Adamson. The
Ancestral Roof: Domestic Architecture of Upper Canada.
Toronto: Clarke, Irwin, 1963.
This is the standard book on Ontario
architecture; it is the one that all others are measured by.
The photography and production are 30 years old, and the results
are not in the same league as the much later books, but the
in depth research, the witty prose style, and the humourous
but caring attitude of authors makes it a book that can be read
many times. Sadly, this is now out of print, but second hand
books shops often have a copy, and it can also be obtained "on-line".
Maitland, Leslie. Neoclassical
Architecture in Canada. Ottawa: Parks Canada, 1984.
Maitland, Leslie. The
Queen Anne Revival Style in Canadian Architecture. Ottawa:
National Historic Parks and Sites, 1990.
For an introduction to the Queen
Anne Revival style, and a wide look at the various manifestations
of the style found in England and across Canada, this paperback-sized
book can't be beat. There are examples of all types of buildings
in all different sizes, repesenting a thorough yet readable
and interesting overview.
Marshall, John E.
Fifty Years of Rural Life in Dufferin County. printed
by Maurice Cline, 1977.
For a small book with no pretensions,
this is a book ( or booklet) that you simply can't put down.
After reading it, you wish more people would take the time to
write some memoirs of their county for future generations. Mr.
Marshall describes a time when my own grandfather and uncle
lived in the same county. We all remember bits of the stories
that they used to tell, but none of us were bright enough to
write them down.
McBurney, Margaret, and Mary
Byers. The Governor's Road: Early Buildings
and Families from Mississauga to London. Toronto: University
of Toronto Press, 1982.
McBurney, Margaret, and Mary
Byers. Homesteads: Early Buildings
and Families from Kingston to Toronto. Toronto: University
of Toronto Press, 1979.
McIlwraith, Thomas F.
Looking for Old Ontario. Toronto: University of Toronto
Press, 1997.
Mikel, Robert.
Ontario House Styles. Toronto: Lorimer, 2004.
Otto, Stephen A., and Richard
M. Dumbrille. Maitland: A Very Neat
Village Indeed. Erin: Boston Mills Press, 1985.
Powell, Jane.
Bungalow Kitchens, New York: Gibbs Smith, 1920.
Raftery, Anna-Marie. Passport
to the Past Heritage Tours. City of Mississauga, On.
1996.
Another rather small pamphlet type
of book that does an excellent job introducing the reader to
the various towns that became Mississauga, and the builders
and buildings that made the towns what they were. If you think
you can drive around and visit all of the buildings in one or
two days, you are mistaken. But once you have started visiting
them, you can't stop; there are some real gems.
Rempel, John I. Building
with Wood. Toronto, University of Toronto Press, 1967
This is a book written by a teacher
who has an obvious love of his subject, not to mention an impressive
knowledge of it. For primary building techniques it is thorough
and enlightening, giving an insight into both the building methods
and the reasons for them. Rempels chapters on polygonal houses
are unequaled in anything else I have seen and focus attention
onto a very distinct and yet rare Ontario building phenomena.
Shiels, Judy, and Mary Appleby.
Sidelights of History: A Guide to Etobicoke's
Century Buildings. Etobicoke: Etobicoke Historical Board,
1975.
Stokes, Peter. Old
Niagara-on-the-Lake, Toronto: University of Toronto Press,
1971.
Stokes, Peter, Tom Cruickshank
and Robert Heaslip. Rogue's Hollow:
The Story of the Village of Newburgh. Ontario, Through Its Buildings.
Toronto: Architectural Conservancy of Ontario, 1983.
Tausky, Nancy Z., and Lynne D.
DiStefano. Victorian Architecture in
London and Southwestern Ontario. Toronto, University
of Toronto Press, 1986.
Wilson, L.W., and L.R. Pfaff.
Early St. Mary's: A History in Old
Photographs from Its Founding to 1914. Erin: Boston Mills
Press, 1981.
Wright, Janet.
Architecture of the Picturesque in Canada. Parks Canada,
Ottawa: 1984.
Articles about Ontario Architecture
can be found in Arabella Magazine back issues:
Kyles, Shannon - Italianate Architecture - Arabella
issue 1 - Fall/Winter 2008
Kyles, Shannon - International Architecture -
Arabella issue 1 - Fall/Winter 2008
Kyles, Shannon - Arts and Crafts Architecture
- Arabella issue 2 - Spring 2009
Kyles, Shannon - Gothic Revival Commercial and
Churches - Arabella issue 3 - Summer 2009
Kyles, Shannon - Gothic Revival - Residential
- Arabella issue 4 - Autumn 2009
Kyles, Shannon - Victorian Architecture - Arabella
issue 5 - Winter 2009
Kyles, Shannon - Loyalist Architecture - Arabella
issue 6 - Spring 2009
Kyles, Shannon - Regency Architecture - Arabella
issue 7 - Summer 2010
Kyles, Shannon - Second Empire Architecture -
Arabella issue 8 - Autumn 2010
Kyles, Shannon - Georgian Architecture - Arabella
issue 9 - Winter 2010
Kyles, Shannon - Art Deco Architecture - Arabella
issue 10 - Spring 2011
Kyles, Shannon - Romanesque Architecture - Arabella
issue 1 - Spring 2012
Kyles, Shannon - Queen Anne Architecture - Arabella
issue 1 - Summer 2012