Hidden Treasure

Tucked away in a small valley amidst a residential area stands the City of Peterborough's largest example of Beaux Arts architecture.  
The first time I came upon it, I turned the corner and was struck by the sheer size and magnificence of this imposing structure; totally unexpected to be found among this quiet neighbourhood of largely Edwardian houses.
The Peterborough Normal School opened on September 15, 1907 as one of four schools opened at the time in Ontario for the purpose of training teachers.  The building was later renamed Teachers College, a name that is now used for the neighbourhood where it is now an apartment complex.




Comments

  1. Carolina Hill10 December 2018 at 07:53

    Love your blog! And the title! Can you tell me why they used to call Teachers' colleges "Normal School"s? I am stumped.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Carriage Estate

Image
William Metheral owned a substantial portion of land at the southeast corner of Aylmer and Murray Streets. Over several decades, the Metheral family expanded along with their business, and the four buildings they erected have all survived into the 21st century. In my research, I have often come across this type of progressive Victorian family land holding. I know of several other examples in Peterborough; it’s a common North American model. The patriarch purchased or received a grant of a generous parcel of land. On it they established their homestead and business. The family grew, and the sons helped build the business, which prospered along with the growing community. They built a slightly larger home. The adult sons, in turn, built prestige property; larger, more luxurious, status type dwellings on the land of the family compound. In this case, two of William Metheral’s sons each lived in one of the units, and the two other homes were rented out, generating additional income.
Read more

Walking Weller - Part 3

Image
This lovely gothic style home was built c. 1887, about twenty years older than I thought.  It was originally a caretakers lodge for the George A. Cox estate, and was sold to William Morrow after Cox's death.  The gorgeous barge board trim is original.
Read more

A Cautionary Tale

Image
The former Montreal House at the northeast corner of King and Aylmer The building is at least 150 years old. It appears in historic photos and is depicted on historic maps. The structure itself, however, has now been declared simply, “Old” and will be removed from Peterborough’s Heritage Register. The plan is to demolish it and build affordable housing. Personally, this building has never been one of my favorites. It seemed a seedy, scary place in my childhood. And yet, it’s fate is particularly worrisome now that the Toronto real estate boom has thoroughly engulfed Peterborough. When I first heard about the plans, I felt pain at the usual short-sighted cries of progress. I’m the first to agree that Peterborough, like many cities, is in dire need of affordable housing. But that doesn’t mean you have to demolish historic buildings to create the space. Peterborough has several weedy vacant downtown lots, and plenty of space farther afield. The plans here are to integra
Read more