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Alberta.
- Alberta. Octagon house. Nothing else known.
Source: from a real estate ad.
Entered June, 2001.
City of Pocologan.
- Pocologan. Octagon house and shop. House is 32 feet in
diameter, shop is 24 feet in diameter.
Source: David Baird.
Entered: June, 2001.
City of Sackville.
- Sackville. Octagon house. Built in 1855, by Captain George
Anderson, shipbuilder and marner. Later sold to Captain Titus Anerson,
his father. Single story. No cupola.
Now houses the Sackville Information Center and Craft Gallery.
Photograph.
Source: Robert Kline
Entered: November, 2003.
City of Halifax.
- Halifax. Octagon house. Built 1871. Three story, wood.
The home was designed by Henry Elliot, and built by Dartmouth contractor
John Keating.
Now gone, it once stood at the corner of Dahlia Avenue and Crichton Street.
Its original terraces overlooked Sullivan's Pond, facing Halifax Harbor.
Original owner was Gavin Holiday, native of New England, and production manager of Starr Manufacturing.
The estate of the last owner, Charles Herman, was sold to a developer, who
razed the home in 1969 and erected an apartment building on the site, Octagon Towers.
Source: Brief article and photo..
Entered: June, 2001.
- Tatamagouche. Octagon house. Built 1857. One and a half story.
Source: Ron Langille, the current owner.
Entered: October, 2004.
City of Bowmanville.
- Bowmanville. Octagon house. Appears to have been built
around 1860. Located at ht corner of Wellington and Division Streets.
Sqaure cupola. Possibly a stucco exterior. Porch on two side.
Photograph.
Source: James Godsmark
Entered: September, 2006.
City of Bracebridge.
- Bracebridge. Octagon house.
Woodchester Villa, built 1882 by Hentry J. Bird. The house was completely
restored in 1979 in the sytle of the year 1914, by the Bracebridge Rotary
Club, and is now a museum.
Photograph
Sources: Article, photos, restoration information, Dale Travis.
Entered: June, 2001.
Updated: June, 2007.
City of Granton.
- Granton. Octagon house. Built in 1872 by Albert Beatson, a local pioneer. Single story.
Grout walls on the main structure. The first floor contains three bedrooms and a living room.
The basement contains the kitchen, and more bedrooms. Only one room is square.
Photograph
Entered: January, 2009.
Brant County
- Southwest of Brantford. Octagon house. Built in about 1870.
Eight gabled roof. Cupola. Single story. Stucco.
Photograph
Large version -168 Kbytes
Source: Dale J. Travis.
Entered: July, 2007.
Essex County
- Kingsville. Octagon house. Built in 1859 by Col. James King.
Two wings added later. Now a bed and breakfast.
Photograph
Source: R. Kline
Entered: June, 2001.
- Windsor. Octagon house. The LaFontain house. Built in 1875.
Now gone. Three story. Mansard roof. Red brick.
Located at 395 Pitt Street, at the corner of Mercer. Had an
elliptical hall and stair. During a restoration effort it burned, and
was then demolished.
Photograph - front right,
Photograph - front,
Source: Scott Weir
Entered: December, 2003.
Halton Region
- Burlington. Built in 1860 for John Pickett. Single story. Large cupola.
Below is a "Halton Images Send Postcard of the Thomas Pickett Octagonal house,
6103 Guelph Line, 1988."
Photograph.
Source: Alana Mullaly
Entered: March, 2008.
Leeds County
- Morton.Northeast of Kingston. Octagon brick schoolhouse. Built
in 1855-1857 by George Morton, owner of the local mill. Presenty in a state
of neglect. Each wall about 25 feet. Has been used as a residence, but the
school blackboard is still in place.
Photograph.
Source: owner Keith Sly.
Entered: June, 2001.
Updated: July, 2007.
Norfolk county
- Port Rowen. Octagon school. Cherry Valley School. Built in 1866.
Single story. Brick. Now a museum. Admission.
Photograph
Large version
Source: Dale J. Travis.
Entered: July, 2007.
Northumberland county
- Port Hope. Hexagon house. No other details available at present.
Source: Paul Wilson.
Entered July, 2003.
- Port Hope. Octagon house. Paul Wilson, the current owner,
relates the following information about the house:
"Port Hope is in the Province of Ontario in Canada. Port Hope is 65 miles
east of Toronto and is situated on Lake Ontario. The town was first
established in 1793. The Ganaraska river flows through the town and
contributed to many businesses being established in the early years. The
town had quite a number of distilleries and produced substantial quintiles
of whiskey. Molson Breweries - one of our national breweries started out in
Port Hope. Ontario contains the great lakes which border on a number of
states - Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania. It's proximity to New York
state which is where Fowler was based probably contributed to the building
of a number of homes in the province. Our house was built by William Barrett
in 1856. Mr. Barrett owned one or two mills on the river which was located
adjacent to the property he owned. In addition to the mills and octagonal
home, he also constructed a number of row houses for his employees. The
house passed from the Barrett family to two generations of the Passy family
who owned the house until 1970 when Mr. Passy died. In 1970, the house was
acquired by a Harry McLeod who owned it for about a year an a half and sold
it as it required substantial cleanup and restoration. We acquired the
property in 1972, as a result of relocating to the area with a company who
moved from Toronto. We have spent considerable time and money in
re-establishing the property and house. The only modification to the house I
am aware of was to the roof in the early 1900's. The original roof was flat
and was used as a deck or patio by the owners. Access was by way of a
circular staircase to the cupola and through a door to the roof. As a result
of weather conditions, the flat roof began to leak and a pitched roof was
added. The addition certainly did not take away from the look of the house
and in fact may have improved it. The use of the rooms has changed over the
years but the attributes have not been modified."
Source: Paul Wilson, the current owner.
Entered July, 2003.
Oxford County.
- Clark's Corners. Octagon house. Build by Rev. William C.
Beardsall. According to Judy Crane, this is the only other octagon house
in in Oxford County. There is a smaller octagon structure on top of the house.
Rev. Beardsall was a member of the Regular Baptist Church and the first Clerk
of the Grand River Association South.
Sources: Edgar Wright, Judy Crane, and "The Axe and the Wheel - A History
of West Oxford Township," by West Oxford Women's Institute Committee.
- Otterville. Octagon house. Woodlawn. Built in 1861. Single
story. Moved from Milldale and restored. Tours available.
History and rennovation efforts.
Photograph - front view.
Floor plan.
Photograph
Large version.
There is also a
gazebo
on the property. Whether it is the same age as the house is unclear.
Source: Edgar Wright.
Entered June, 2001.
Updated April, 2006.
Updated July, 2007.
Peel County
- Near Huttonville. Octagon house. Southwest of Huttonville
at 8280 Heritage Road, a short distance north of Steeles Avenue West.
Brick, one story. Sources: L. Kestenbaum; The Octagon Fad, p. 127.
Prince Edward County
- Picton. Octagon house. Appears to have been built
around 1860. No cupola. Stucco exterior. Porch on three sides.
Photograph.
Source: James Godsmark
Entered: September, 2006.
Prince Edward County
- Ameliasburg. Octagon house. Two story. CUpola. Porch on
at least three sides.
Photograph, probably taken in the 1950s.
Source: "More About Octagons," Carl F. Schmidt.
Entered: March, 2003.
City of Westport.
- Westport. Octagon house. Contemporary. On the Upper
Rideau Lake, with a spectacular view.
Source: Wayne Maddick
Entered: May, 2002.
Regional Municipality of Niagra
- Niagara Falls. Octagon house. Age unknown. Located at 1783 Summer Street.
Two story. Cupola. Porch on one side.
Photograph
Source: Dennis Gannon.
Entered: July, 2008.
- St. Catharines. Octagon house. St. Catharines is about 15 miles
northwest of Niagara Falls. Built about 1852, perhaps earlier.
One story, topped with a belvedere. Stone construction.
It is shown on Marcus Smith's map of St. Catharines, published in 1852.
St. Catharines was formerly in Lincoln County, now part of the Regional Muncipality
of Niagra. The home was long owned by Charles B. Thompson, a stock broker and
dealer in sewing machines.
1875 birds eye map showing house.
1904 postcard showing house at center, right.
A newspaper account of the demise of the house has been found:
St. Catharines Standard, March 20, 1913, p.1 "Old Landmark is being removed"
"Another landmark being removed to make room for the march of improvement is the old
octagonal house of Chestnut street, recently purchased by Mr. Harry Cavers, who is
having it pulled down in order to build modern houses. The octagon had a verandah
all around it so that people could sit in the shade at all hours of the day. It was
built about seventy years ago by a character known as "Long" Thompson, the first
sewing machine agent in this district who afterwards went into the note discounting
business. Notwithstanding his grasp of the material, he was prominent as a
spiritualist and seances were held regularly in the bedroom, which became so notorious
as a spook house that the children trembled as they passed it or avoided it altogether.
The octagon was recently occupied by Mrs. Ella Boles. The lot on which it stood
No. 41 Chestnut street, has a frontage of 50 feet, and is 110 feet deep. The last
assessment was $750 on the lot and $800 on the house."
But it appears that not everything said in the newspaper piece about was completely
correct. The following is a correction:
St. Catharines Standard, March 24, 1913, p. 2
"The item in Thursday’s paper regarding the old landmark on Chestnut street, which is
being removed to make room for a new house, was incorrect in some respects. It was
not built by Mr. C. B. Thompson, though he lived in it for many years prior to his
death, which took place 25 years ago. The Standard is informed that no spiritualistic
seances were ever held there. Mr. Thompson had his peculiarities, but nevertheless
was highly esteemed by the citizens of that day."
Note that Chestnut Street is Carlisle Street as of 1961.
Source: Dennis Gannon.
Entered: June, 2008.
Renfrew County
- Calabogie. Octagon house. Built about 1907. Located at 15 Octagon Lane.
Single story. No cupola.
Photograph
Source: R. Kline
Entered: August, 2007.
York County
- Richmon Hill. Octagon cemetery vault. Built in 1863. Recently used
during a funeral home renovation.
Design by local architect Thomas Harris, and built for $368, the vault is
constructed of white brick, on a granite floor. While generally in
good condition, the structure has probably been altered somewhat since it
was built. The orignal door, and the tin roof mentioned in an old letter,
have both been replaced.
A
web site
provides detailed information about the history of the structure.
Front view.
Closer view of the front.
Closeup of front.
Side view.
Source: Eric Gault
Entered: June, 2002.
- Toronto, Octagon house. Leaside. Built in 1841, by William Lea.
Located near the present site of Leaside Memorial Gardens.
Source: R. Kline
Entered: November, 2003.
- Vaughan, north of Toronto. Octagon house. Major MacKenzie Drive,
in the village of Maple. Photo pending.
Source: Rich Corbett
Entered: June, 2001.
Temiscamingue County.
- Village of Guerin. Octagon house. Built in 1910 by carpenter
Merhuld De la Chevrotiere for his own residence. One of the
first buildings in the village. Wood, two stories, with the original French
casement windows.
Source: Paul Trepanier
Entered: June, 2001.
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