Hamilton Place, Paris, Ontario, Canada

🌟 By Billy Wilson Photography 🔎 " Built 1839-44 at no. 165 Grand River Street.

"Hamilton Place, located at 165 Grand River Street North, is situated on the northeast corner of Grand River Street North and Emily Street, in the former Town of Paris, now the County of Brant. The property consists of a three-storey cobblestone building that was designed in the Greek Revival style and was constructed between 1839 and 1844.

The property was designated, in 2001, by the County of Brant for its historic or architectural value or interest, under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act (By-law 163-01).

Hamilton Place is one of the most historically important residences in the former Town of Paris. It was built and occupied by Norman Hamilton, a wealthy local industrialist, miller and brewer. Norman Hamilton’s son-in-law, Paul Giovanni Wickson, is also associated with the house. Wickson lived at Hamilton Place and was an artist, who specialized in painting animals and rural scenes. He is considered to be the best known artist to have lived in the former Town of Paris.

Hamilton Place is one of the most architecturally important residences in Paris. Norman Hamilton commissioned the American architect Andrew J. Minny to design Hamilton Place. It is a fine example of Greek Revival architecture, as it embodies all the features of the style at the height of its expression, in North America. Hamilton Place is a three-storey house, but it appears to be only one-and-a-half stories in height. The deep cornice above the square pillars of the porch, the simulated cornices and the triple hung windows are typical of the best buildings, of the period. The second storey windows are set in light-wells, in the verandah roof, and are concealed from view by the deep architrave, of the verandah.

Hamilton Place was built between 1839 and 1844 by Levi Boughton, a local builder, who emigrated from Albany County in Upper New York State. This date of completion is marked by a date stone over the door. Boughton brought with him the cobblestone building technique used in Hamilton Place and is responsible for building the unique cluster of cobblestone buildings, in the Paris area. Hamilton Place is unusual because the entire house is built of cobblestone, rather than only the walls facing the street, which was the more usual practice." – info from Historic Places.

"Paris (2021 population, 14,956) is a community located in the County of Brant, Ontario, Canada. It lies just northwest from the city of Brantford at the spot where the Nith River empties into the Grand River. Paris was voted "the Prettiest Little Town in Canada" by Harrowsmith Magazine. The town was established in 1850. In 1999, its town government was amalgamated into that of the County of Brant, ending 149 years as a separate incorporated municipality, with Paris as the largest population centre in the county.

Paris was named for the nearby deposits of gypsum, used to make plaster of Paris. This material was discovered in 1793 while the area was being surveyed for the British Home Department. By late 1794 a road had been built from what is now Dundas, Ontario, to the east bank of the Grand River in what became Paris, called The Governor’s Road (now Dundas St. in Paris). The town has been referred to as "the cobblestone capital of Canada" (in reference to a number of aged cobblestone houses).

The use of cobblestones to construct buildings had been introduced to the area by Levi Boughton when he erected St. James Church in 1839; this was the first cobblestone structure in Paris. Two churches and ten homes, all in current use, are made of numerous such stones taken from the rivers. Other architectural styles that are visible in the downtown area include Edwardian, Gothic, and Post Modern." – info from Wikipedia.

Late June to early July, 2024 I did my 4th major cycling tour. I cycled from Ottawa to London, Ontario on a convoluted route that passed by Niagara Falls. During this journey I cycled 1,876.26 km and took 21,413 photos. As with my other tours a major focus was old architecture.

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