The Great Architects of Canada: John and Joseph Power of Kingston, Ontario

McIntosh Castle in Kingston, Ontario

It’s always nice hearing from readers who have questions about my posts or if they are looking for specific information to something….and even when they are setting me straight on something! I got a great email from Judi in Kingston in response to my Casa Loma story telling me there was a castle I didn’t mention. So in this post, I will tell you a little bit about this castle which is also a perfect stepping off point to launch a new series dedicated to Canadian architects who have built some of this country’s most beautiful public and private buildings. The first architects to be profiled are John Power, and his son Joseph, who built many impressive dwellings in nineteenth and early twentieth century Kingston, Ontario.  

For those of you who have never been to Kingston, the city is one of Ontario’s most popular destinations for people who love architectural history. Nicknamed by the locals as the “Limestone City” for its beautiful abundance of quality building limestone, you will see many well cared for buildings from all architectural themes from Loyalist to Gothic to Edwardian and every style in between. Kingston also has one of the richest city histories in all of Ontario. For thousands of years prior to European settlement, the Kingston area had been home to the Mississaugas First Nation who named the region Katarokwi. In 1673, the French settled in the region and named it Fort Cataraqui which would later be changed to Fort Frontenac. During the Seven Years War in 1758, the Fort fell to the British who began to increase the military garrisons in the area. The population of Fort Frontenac began to increase dramatically once the British took possession, but the largest increases in eighteenth century population came when many United Empire Loyalists moved to the area in order to remain British after the end of the American Revolution. It was decided that since the British population was now outnumbering the French, a more anglicised name was needed. The area had been called by the locals “The King’s Town”, referring to British Monarch King George III. The nickname was officially adopted and shortened to Kingston in 1788.

Kingston played a major role in the War of 1812 as a strategic naval base for the Great Lakes fleet based on Lake Ontario. One military landmark known to many outside Kingston is Fort Henry. It was built in 1832 and protected the entrance of the Rideau Canal to Lake Ontario. In 2007, Fort Henry, its associated structures and the Rideau Canal were named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Because of Kingston’s strong military connections, due in part to the presence of the Rideau Canal, the city also developed into a strong economic hub for Upper Canada. Because of this, Kingston was chosen as the capital of the united Upper and Lower provinces of Canada in 1841. The city was also one of several in the running to become the capital of Canada when the two provinces confederated in 1867. But that honour would eventually go to Ottawa by order of Queen Victoria in 1857. The City of Kingston is known to many Canadians now as the home of the Royal Military College of Canada, the official degree granting military academy of the Canadian Forces. Many of the College’s buildings are national historic sites and a number of the city’s older historic mansions are now used as student residences or classroom and laboratory facilities.

Photo Credit: Photos Ontario

Photo Credit: International Network of Traditional Buildings Architecture and Urbanism

The city’s rich architectural history stretches as far back as Rochleau House built in 1808, one of Canada’s oldest surviving buildings from the pre-War of 1812 era. Kingston has seen a number of great architects in its history and two such architects comprised of a father/son team who built a number of impressive buildings for the city’s elite. Those architects were John and Joseph Power, who were active builders in Kingston from 1849 to 1930. British born John Power came to Canada in 1846 at the age of 30. He had trained to become an architect in his native England and decided that the newly united provinces of Canada might provide more opportunities for him to shine and grow as an architect. He eventually made his way to Kingston and found work with another prominent nineteenth century Kingston architect, Edward Horsey, before venturing out on his own in 1849. Power’s first recorded commission was for a small, Gothic style castle home for a successful area shipping mogul. This home is now known affectionately to Kingston residents as McIntosh Castle and is prominently featured on a couple of heritage walks within Kingston’s proposed Sydenham Heritage Conservation District plan.

Photo Credit: Jon Grisby

McIntosh Castle may not have the same grandeur of size and square footage as Casa Loma, Hatley Castle or even Castle Kilbride. Those buildings were testaments to power, wealth and, for some, a display of immense vanity. McIntosh Castle is a more manageable, rustic and even romantic vision of comfortable Victorian living. But it is still a castle, nonetheless as the front entrance tower even has battlements on the roofline. The Castle was commissioned in 1850 by Donald McIntosh, who owned a couple of steamships that traversed Lake Ontario between Kingston, Toronto, Hamilton and St. Catharines. And like another Canadian Castle owner (Robert Dunsmuir), McIntosh had promised his wife a castle if she agreed to leave their native Scotland to find their fortune in Canada. McIntosh did well in his ventures from the 1820s to the 1840s. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to compete with, or adapt to, the rise of the railroads in southern Ontario and he began losing shipping contracts because rail cargo was faster and quite often a cheaper means of transporting goods. By 1852, after stalling Power numerous times on the project, McIntosh ran out of money and had to walk away from his dream home before completion. Power was left with an incomplete project and an unpaid bill. He did find a client willing to complete the project in 1852 and McIntosh Castle has lived a long and happy existence as a privately owned home ever since. The current owners have painstakingly maintained the Castle over the years and keep the grounds well landscaped much in a high Victorian fashion. McIntosh Castle is one of the more popular homes that heritage lovers stop to admire along Kingston’s many heritage walk tours.

The initial failure of McIntosh Castle did not harm or deter Power’s ability to secure other contracts. He would go on to become a well respected architect in Kingston. Power was appointed City Architect in 1866, a position he held until his death in 1882. In 1873, Power’s 25 year-old son, Joseph, joined him to create Power and Son Architects. After John Power’s death in 1882, his second son, Thomas, joined brother Joseph in the family business until 1930. This architectural company still exists, although it has changed its name over the years and it is one of the longest running firms of any kind in Canada. The current name is Mill and Ross and although it is now a global company in scope with contracts as far away as Japan and Dubai, it is still based in Kingston and produces many buildings each year including schools, healthcare wings and governmental facilities.

Photo Credit: Eric Michiels

The list of buildings in Kingston designed and built by the Powers is impressive. They include the beautiful Queen Anne mansion built in 1886 for James Hendry and described as “the handsomest building in the City”, the Second Empire influenced Hotel Belvedere built in 1880 (one of John Power’s last projects before his death), the reconstruction and Dome enhancements to Kingston’s City Hall in 1888, and the iconic Hochelaga Inn, which was built in 1879 and is now a very popular bed and breakfast. Joseph Power went on to an impressive career as an architect after his father’s death. He became an Associate of the Royal Canadian Academy and later became President of the Ontario Association of Architects and a distinguished Fellow of the Architectural Institute of Canada. Capping off this illustrious career was Joseph Power’s appointment as superintending architect for the Department of Public Works and the Department of National Defense in Kingston. This appointment brought him to Ottawa to work on Defense building contracts there from time to time. Thomas Power, Joseph’s brother and junior partner in the firm, died in 1930 and the firm passed on to another partner who had worked with both the Power brothers  for several years, carrying on the great tradition of solid craftsmanship the Power family had left to the city of Kingston.

Photo Credit: bbcanada.com

If you happen to live in Kingston, or if you are planning a visit during the spring and summer months, a great introduction to the city’s vibrant architectural history is to take one of the heritage walking tours. You will pass by some of Kingston’s most famous structures which also hold national significance as many are National Historic Sites.  You will walk away with some great photos and many wonderful memories of what makes Kingston such a pleasure to visit. A special thanks goes out to the City of Kingston’s Heritage Planning Department for the information on the Powers.

Architectural history Architectural Styles, built heritage, Canadian Architects, castles, conservation, heritage planning, Kingston, Ontario