16. KINNEAR HOUSE • 232 CLARENCE STREET

Built by lawyer Louis Kinnear in 1904, this was the home of Judge Helen Kinnear from 1904 - 1943, the year she became the first federally appointed woman judge in Canada. Helen Kinnear was the first woman in the Commonwealth to be created Kings Council in 1934 and also the first woman lawyer to appear before the Supreme Court of Canada. A postage stamp honouring Judge Kinnear was issued by the Government of Canada in 1993. The house exhibits a combination of Edwardian and Victorian architectural styles.


17. ROSELAWN • 296 FIELDEN AVENUE

This magnificent stone and brick Victorian building was erected about 1860 for Levi Cornwall. Lewis Carter had it redone into its present Italianate/Second Empire form in about 1879. Features added at that time include the ornately bracketed eaves, multiple bays, mansard roofs, impressive three story tower (with four double-hung “ Port Colborne” windows) and round headed or elliptical shaped windows, some paired or tripled.
In 1902, Charles Steele inherited the house from his uncle. In 1927, when Steele became mayor, he added the two story sunroom with its pictorial stained glass. In the '30s Harold Moseby designed the front gardens in the “ gardenesque” style. The building has housed “ B” Company of the Lincoln & Welland Regiment and the former Port Colborne Club. It now houses the Roselawn Complex and Showboat Festival Theatre. It was designated in 1993.


18. OLD MENNONITE MEETING HOUSE • 269 KILLALY ST. W.

This was the site of the first church built in Humberstone Township by Mennonite settlers in 1825. The present building was erected for the Reformed Mennonite congregation in 1872 and is the oldest existing church building in Port Colborne. This brick building exhibits an almost classical simplicity. Traces of Italianate style can be found in the original multi-paned windows with segmentally arched tops. The Mennonites ceased worshipping here during the 1970's and it has since become a private residence. Designated in 1995.


19. OTT HOUSE • 518 KING STREET

This house was constructed sometime in the 1880's for Frederick J. Quinn and was later owned for about 30 years by Herman Ott, a member of Humberstone Village Council. An eclectic mix of late Victorian styles, it displays the lacy verge board (gingerbread) of the Gothic revival along its gables, the round headed windows of the Italianate and a doorcase of Georgian character. The building was designated in 1983.


20. THOMAS EUPHRONIUS REEB HOUSE • 380 KING STREET

he only example of Romanesque Revival in Port Colborne, this home was built circa 1907 for Thomas Euphronius Reeb. The Romanesque is epitomized in its dark red brick and heavy cut stone window sills and lintels. The Queen Anne influence is evident in the octagonal tower with large “ band shell” verandah, wide round-arched first floor window with etched leaded glass and a line of terra cotta tiles with egg and dart motif under the eaves. The building was designated in 1994.


21. THE RECTORY • 346 CATHARINE STREET

The former St. James Anglican Church Rectory (until 1957) was built in two stages. The eastern portion was constructed for Lewis Carter about 1873 and the western (rear) portion was added about the time the house was purchased by the Anglican Congregation for use as a rectory in 1897. Note the two story bay window (west wing) and round headed windows capped with brick voussoirs indicative of the Italianate style. “ Boston Gutters” are still found in some sections of the roof. The building was designated in 1988.


22. HARVIE HOUSE • 326 CATHARINE STREET

Built about 1907 for a engineer named Sam Norcross. His son Joe, who became a Great Lakes captain, was born here. This is a typical Queen Anne Revival style home. It features a wrap around verandah with offset circular tower, two types of siding, and a pyramidal roof. Notice the Palladian window in the front and the stained glass window on the south side. The interior boasts solid oak woodwork.


23. INGLESIDE • 322 KING STREET

Built in 1867 for Charles H. Carter, and occupied by the Carter family for 118 years, including Port Colborne's first mayor, Dewitt Carter. This two story structure displays the projecting eaves supported by paired brackets and corner quoins in contrasting brick characteristic of Italianate architecture. Its rectangular plan with projecting frontispiece and hipped roof indicate that it is a version of a house plan popularized by the magazine “ The Canada Farmer” in 1865. Still standing in the side yard are the original ice house and smoke house. The attached garage was originally the stable, with the carriage house connecting it to the main structure. At one time a third story was added, but was removed in 1965, as was a one story verandah. The gardens are laid out in an early style, and feature heritage roses. The grounds are surrounded by a locally produced cast iron fence, one of the last remaining in Ontario. The site was designated in 1987.


24. ROBIN HOOD FLOUR MILL • 2 SHERWOOD FOREST LANE

One of two flour mills in Port Colborne, the other being the Maple Leaf Mill located north of the lighthouse at the entrance to the harbour. Until recently, Port Colborne was the largest flour milling site in Canada. Now we are second to Montreal. The large steel structure to the left of the building was a guide for the fifteen story ship unloader, called the “marine tower” (no longer used), which rolled back and forth on railway tracks. The elevator itself has a capacity of 2.25 million bushels of wheat.



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