BACKGROUNDER - NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE HISTORIC DISTRICT NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE OF CANADA

May 26, 2006

Niagara-on-the-Lake was established as a Loyalist settlement in 1779, and quickly became the military and cultural hub of Upper Canada. Because of its proximity to the United States and its importance as a commercial centre, it was a strategic location during the War of 1812. During their retreat in 1813, American troops set fire to the town, destroying most of its buildings. The reconstruction of these buildings, from 1815 to 1859, created the historically significant 25-block district that was commemorated today.

After the war, the residents of the period rebuilt their charming town in the British Classical tradition, with symmetrical one and two-storey buildings dominating the architectural landscape. Today, houses placed close to the street define four-acre block grids, a feature of the original colonial street plan. The homes of tradespeople and professionals continue to be located side by side, reflecting the social attitudes of the mid-19th century period.

The Niagara-on-the-Lake historic district conveys a remarkable sense of time and place through a combination of well-preserved historic buildings of compatible scale and design, an original colonial street plan and alignment of buildings to the streets, and landscape features that include views of the Niagara River and Lake Ontario. In fact, Niagara-on-the-Lake possesses the best collection of buildings in Canada from the period following the War of 1812 (1815 to 1859), especially houses, designed in the British Classical tradition as well as vernacular buildings with features derived from this tradition.

The British Classical tradition of architecture, with its direct links to Georgian England, became symbolic in Canada of British power and authority. Nowhere was this more evident than in Niagara-on-the-Lake, which had been settled by United Empire Loyalists after the American Revolution, and later became a strategic military site during the War of 1812. After the town's destruction by retreating American forces in 1813, its citizens chose to rebuild in the British Classical tradition, reasserting their commitment to the British Crown and British values. The ensuing construction phase established an enduring architectural character dominated by symmetrical one and two-storey buildings with rectangular plans and anchored by landmarks such as the Anglican and Presbyterian churches and cemeteries. As a whole, the buildings and landscape components, including the placement of houses close to the streets, that define the four-acre-block grid of the historic district, speak to the era when Niagara-on-the-Lake was a prominent and prosperous Loyalist colonial town.

Niagara-on-the-Lake's decline as an economic and administrative centre in the early 1860s spared its colonial buildings from redevelopment pressures and eventually enabled them to become one of its greatest resources. The buildings within the historic district speak to the conservation movement in Canada, as many citizens have taken the initiative to have these buildings rehabilitated, renovated and/or restored to highlight their heritage character, expressing an exceptional commitment to the preservation of their town's heritage.