322 Emily St., 1980s

Description

Media Type

Image

Item Type

Photographs

Description

This two-storey brick villa was built in 1860 for John Robinson. Robinson worked as a civil engineer who was responsible for the construction of the Sarnia Bridge for the Grand Trunk Railway. In 1863 the house was sold to Milner and Catharine Harrison. The couple had turned over their successful grocery business to a young merchant, Timothy Eaton, and Milner Harrison continued on as a prominent businessman.

This photograph gives a view of the house in the early 1980s. This Italianate style house was one of the earliest large houses to be built in St. Marys. It is set on a property overlooking the Thames River. There are two entrances to the house. One leads onto Emily Street with a large bay window next to the entrance. The second faces out over the Thames River valley and opens with five French doors. The design of the house suggests it was built by London architect William Robinson. Note the grand porch with its thick columns and the curved ornate pediment sitting on the porch roof. This house is a historically designated structure.

Several other notable St. Marys residents lived in this house including William Gilpin and J.O. Mitchell who ran a fox and mink farm on the property in the 1920s.

In the winter and early spring of 1982-1983, Randall Speller, a colleague of Larry Pfaff from the Art Gallery of Ontario, took a series of black and white photographs of houses of architectural significance in St. Marys. Larry Pfaff and several local friends who shared this interest in architecture took some additional photographs in a subsequent summer. This photograph is one of this series.

*To see additional photographs related to this image click on the "detail" link under the image.

Notes

Condition: Excellent - Image is very clear. No signs of damage to the negative.

Dimensions

Width: 3.6 cm
Height: 2.3 cm

Image Dimensions

Image Width: 3.6cm
Image Height: 2.3cm

Subject(s)

Architecture
Dwellings
Historical Houses

Personal Name(s)

Robinson, John ; Harrison, Milner ; Harrison, Catharine ; Gilpin, William ; Mitchell, J.O.

Local identifier

LP322Emily_a

Collection

St. Marys Museum Photo Collection

Language of Item

English

Geographic Coverage

St. Marys

Ontario, Canada

Latitude: 43.25009 Longitude: -81.13304

Donor

Larry Pfaff - on behalf of LACAC.

Copyright Statement

Copyright status unknown. Responsibility for determining the copyright status and any use rests exclusively with the user.

Recommended Citation

"322 Emily St., 1980s" St. Marys Museum, LP322Emily_a.

Location of Original

R. Lorne Eedy Archives

Terms of Use

Reproduction of digital objects is restricted to fair use for personal research or study; any other use must be done with permission of copyright holder.

Reproduction Notes