03. Italian Villa

3a. Vansittart Avenue, Woodstock, Ontario

The Italian Villa was another attempt to get away from the formality of some of the earlier styles. Think of it as a large, rambling, Tuscan, country house. (Over in Italy, the top 'floor' was used so that the land owner could spy on his workers in the field, or more importantly, spot any approaching enemies!) Sometimes the style becomes operatic or overblown, grandiose and ‘noisy’, but never plain or dull. This was the first style in Ontario not to have direct connections to our colonial past.

The house shown above is a marvelous example of the style and has appeared in several architectural books. (Vansittart Avenue is a must visit with over 12 different styles within about 3 blocks!)

3b. Centre Street, Kingston, Ontario 'Bellevue House'' (abt. 1838)

The house has become an historical site because Sir John A. MacDonald, Canada's first Prime Minister lived here in the 1840's. It is well worth a visit to view the interior. MacDonald affectionately referred to the home as as 'Tea Caddy Castle' or 'Pekoe Pagoda' due to his landlord's business.The house is actually built of limestone and has been stuccoed.

3c. Sydenham Street, Kingston, Ontario, abt. 1847 'Rosemount'

1. This large, attractive, stone house is presently used as an inn.

What to look for (clues)

Usually asymmetrical. (I know of only one symmetrical example and that's in Guelph.) Think of it as an ‘L’-shape with a tall, squared tower where the 2 arms of the ‘L’ meet. It's not unusual to find that the top portion of the squared tower has been removed.
Heavy, often paired brackets under the large eaves.
Frequently has 2 or more balconies.
Variety of window shapes and sizes.
Unusually large, decorated chimneys sometimes poke into the sky.
Overly elaborate decorations; shutters, eyebrows over windows, large eaves, paint colours, etc.

3d. Gananoque

A very large Italian Villa on the main street in Gananoque. Notice the dramatic polychrome affect created by the red brick and gray stone.

3e. Italian Villa (Guelph)

Symmetrical Italian Villas are rare. This one resides in Guelph.

Where to find it

This is quite a common style for both the city and country. Countless Canadian homes across the country have used many of the style's ornamentations. Notice how many older houses have arched or curved windows at the top and large brackets for the eaves.

The style is sometimes referred to as Victorian but that is only because it was built during the reign of Queen Victoria in England. This is also true of other dramatic styles created in this time period.