Historical Building sights in Canada
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Casa Loma
The mock medieval Casa Loma lords over The Annex on a cliff that was once the shoreline of the glacial Lake Iroquois, from which Lake Ontario derived. Climb the 27m Baldwin Steps up the slope from Spadina Ave, north of Davenport Rd.
The 98-room mansion – a crass architectural orgasm of castellations, chimneys, flagpoles, turrets and Rapunzel balconies – was built between 1911 and 1914 for Sir Henry Pellat, a wealthy financier who made bags of cash from his contract to provide Toronto with electricity. He later lost everything in land speculation, the resultant foreclosure forcing Hank and his wife to move out. Parking costs $3/9 per hour/day.
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Parliament Hill
Vast yawning archways dominate this stunning complex of copper-topped towers. The city's most picture-perfect attraction by far, Parliament is Canada's nexus of political activity. The primary building, Centre Block, supports the iconic Peace Tower, the highest structure in the city. Venture inside to peruse the hand-carved limestone and make a stop at the gorgeous library with its wood and wrought iron. Visitors are allowed to see the Commons and Senate while they're in session. Question Period in the House of Commons is particularly popular, occurring every afternoon and at 11am on Fridays. Admission is on a first-come first-served basis.
Free 45-minute tours run…
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Old Government House
This magnificent sandstone palace was erected for the British governor in 1826. The representative of the queen moved out in 1893 after the province refused to continue paying his expenses, and during most of the 20th century the complex was a Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) headquarters. It now evocatively captures a moment in time with tours led by staff in period costume. New Brunswick's current lieutenant governor (Graydon Nicholas, a member of the Maliseet Nation and the first aboriginal lawyer in Atlantic Canada) lives on the 3rd floor.
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Provincial Legislature
The seat of Ontario's Provincial Legislature resides in a fabulously ornate 1893 sandstone building, north of College St in Queen's Park. For some homegrown entertainment, head for the visitors' gallery when the adversarial legislative assembly is in session (Monday to Thursday March to June and September to December). Viewing is free, but security regulations are in full force. You can't write, read or applaud as the honorable members heatedly debate such pressing issues as skidoo safety. Free 30-minute tours depart from the information desk.
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City Hall
Much-maligned City Hall was Toronto's bold leap of faith into architectural modernity. Its twin clamshell towers, flying-saucer central structure, sexy ramps and funky mosaics were completed in 1965 to Finnish architect Viljo Revell's award-winning design. An irritable Frank Lloyd Wright called it a 'headmarker for a grave'; in a macabre twist, Revell died before construction was finished. Collect a self-guided tour pamphlet at the info desk; don't miss the geeky 1:1250 Toronto scale model in the lobby. Parking is $13.
Out the front is Nathan Phillips Square, a meeting place for skaters, demonstrators and office workers on their lunch breaks. In summer, look for the Fresh…
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Soldiers' Barracks
See how the common soldier lived in the 1820s (lousy food, too much drink) at this grim stone barracks in the Garrison District. The adjacent 1828 Guard House was also unpleasant (plank beds, thin straw mattresses), but the conditions for those held in cells were truly nasty. Threaten your kids! The lower section of the barracks is now used as artisan studios.
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Steam Whistle Brewing
'Do one thing and do it well,' is the motto of Steam Whistle Brewing, a microbrewery that makes only a crisp European-style pilsner.Bubbling away in a 1929 train depot, Steam Whistle continually works on being environmentally friendly, in part by using renewable energy, steam heating, all-natural (and often local) ingredients, and using super-cool ginger ale bottles that can be reused up to 40 times. During snappy tours of the premises, guides explain the brewing process in great detail. Tours depart half-hourly from 1 to 5pm and include tastings.
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Copper Cliff Museum
The Copper Cliff Museum occupies a pioneer log cabin roughly 6km west of the city center. It's filled with relics from the bygone era when settlers first entered the region to survey the land. Note the odd juxtaposition of quaint pioneer life and grumbling industry as you stare at the nearby smoke-spewing shaft affectionately known as the 'Superstack.'
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Parliament Buildings
Across from the museum, this surprisingly handsome (despite its glorious confection of turrets, domes and stained glass) building is the province's working legislature but it's also open to history-loving visitors. Peek behind the facade on a colorful 30-minute tour led by costumed Victorians, then stop for lunch at the 'secret' politicians' restaurant. Come back in the evening when the building's handsome exterior is lit up like a Christmas tree.
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Bastion
Undergoing a renovation at the time of our visit, this waterfront wooden tower was built as a fortification by the Hudson's Bay Company in 1853 and moved to this spot in 1974. A brief but charming ceremony sees one of its cannons fired for tourists at noon – the polystyrene 'cannonball' can still shake a few ribs. Nearby is the site of the weekly Nanaimo Downtown Farmers Market.
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Old Log Church
The only log-cabin-style cathedral in the world is a 1900 downtown gem. Displays include the compelling story of Rev Isaac Stringer, who boiled and ate his boots while lost in the wilderness for 51 days. Fittingly, all that's left is his sole.
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Flour Mill Heritage Museum
Similar in style to the Copper Cliff Museum, this exhibit is sited in a 1903 clapboard house with period implements, artifacts and furnishings. It tells the story of the three flour silos on Notre Dame Ave.
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The Wild Cat Café
An original town structure dating from 1937, this tiny log cabin has been preserved and turned into one of the city's most well-known restaurants, the Wild Cat. Debate raged recently when the new French-Canadian vendor tried to change its name to Le Wild Cat. The moral: don't mess with tradition.
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St Andrews Blockhouse
The restored wooden Blockhouse Historic Site is the only one left of several that were built here for protection in the war of 1812. If the tide is out, there's a path that extends from the blockhouse out across the tidal flats.
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Sheriff Andrew House
This 1820 neoclassical home has been restored to look like a middle-class home in the 1800s, attended by costumed guides.
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Ross House
The small log cabin where William Ross ran the west's first post office is in a pretty setting and documents pioneer life in the 1850s.
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Minister's Island
This picturesque tidal island was once used as a summer retreat by William Cornelius Van Horne, builder of the Canadian Pacific Railway and one of Canada's wealthiest men. Covenhoven, his splendid 50-room Edwardian cottage, is now open to visitors – check out the towerlike stone bathhouse, the tidal swimming pool and the chateau-like barn. The island can be visited at low tide, when you can drive (or walk, or bike) on the hard-packed sea floor. A few hours later it's 3m under water. Be careful! During high tide, a ferry departs from Bar Rd. To get to Minister's Island from downtown St Andrews, follow 127 north for about 1km and then turn right on Bar Rd.
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Grenfell Historic Properties
A number of local sites pertaining to Wilfred Grenfell are subsumed under Grenfell Historic Properties. The Grenfell Interpretation Centre, opposite the hospital, is a modern exhibit recounting the historic and sometimes dramatic life of Grenfell. Its handicraft shop has some high-quality carvings and artwork, as well as embroidered parkas made by locals – proceeds go to maintenance of the historic properties.
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Elgin & Winter Garden Theatre
A restored masterpiece, the Elgin & Winter Garden Theatre is the world's last operating double-decker theater. Constructed in 1913, the stunning Winter Garden was built as the flagship for a vaudeville chain that never really took off, while the downstairs Elgin theater was converted into a movie house in the 1920s.
Saved from demolition in 1981, the theaters then received a $29 million facelift: bread dough was used to uncover original rose-garden frescoes, the Belgian company that made the original carpet was contacted for fresh rugs, and the floral Winter Garden ceiling was replaced, leaf by painstaking leaf. Public tours are worth every cent.
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