Old Ontario Houses: Traditions in Local Architecture

Book info: Old Ontario Houses: Traditions in Local Architecture (Hardcover, 224 pages) – Firefly Books, 2000. Language: English.

It may be the industrial heartland of Canada and it may be under phenomenal pressure to keep on growing, but if you look beyond the suburbs and the skyscrapers, the province of Ontario is still rich in the past. Here and there -- in rural townships, small towns and the older parts of cities -- many of its original houses are still standing, a surprising number lovingly restored and maintained with historical authenticity in mind. Old Ontario Houses: Traditions in Local Architecture, a collaborative tribute to the past by writer Tom Cruickshank and renowned photographer John de Visser, offers a glimpse into a selection of these homes dating from the late 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries, more than 150 in all. Filled with de Visser's exceptional full color photographs, the book features well-known landmarks as well as vintage houses. Their stories, told in Cruickshank's lively, appreciative voice, remind us of a bygone era and speak volumes about the values and aspirations of the province that built them.

Editorial Reviews Review [One of "Style at Home"'s Top Ten Coffee Table Books] A testament to [the authors'] devotion to the subject. (Kat Tancock Style at Home)

[A] must have volume. The text by Tom Cruikshank affectionately and concisely brings quirks of both owners and architecture to life while John De Visser's photographs, in potent hues and assertive shadows, makes for a thoroughly breathtaking examination of Canadian history. (James Strecker Hamilton ArtsBeat 2000-10-01)

A delicious book ... that shows some of the finest gems from every corner of our landscape. (National Post 2000-10-14)

The book is as fascinating for its beautiful illustrative pictures as its anecdotal writing. (K. Jill Rigby Toronto Sun 2000-10-15)

Lovingly photographed... Cruickshank's prose is personable and simply put. (Annette McLeod Toronto Sun 2003-11-27)

Stunning pictorial books, such as [these], inspire and encourage us to keep looking for that beautiful old house. [Featured with Old Toronto Houses] (Gillian Hobbs Antifque and Collectibles Showcase magazine)

Anyone who doubts that Ontario has its own unique architectural style will be persuaded otherwise after perusing this collection of photographs of more than 150 homes dating from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. Addresses are varied -- from downtown Toronto to the shores of Lake Erie -- but what they share is the connection they give us to Ontario's past. The author, the editor of Harrowsmith Country Life magazine, found many of the featured houses through his travels along the province's back roads, and a number of them have never before been seen in print -- a testament to his devotion to the subject. (Style at Home) About the Author

Tom Cruickshank is a history and architecture enthusiast. The former editor of Century Home magazine and the current editor of Harrowsmith Country Life magazine, he is also the author of Rogues' Hollow, The Settler's Dream and Port Hope: A Treasure of Early Homes.

John de Visser enjoys a reputation as one of the most-respected and most-published photographers in Canada.