The Beautiful Town: Belleville's Architecture

After a summer of exploring Belleville's heritage, I have found architecture to be a large component of Belleville's heritage. There’s a wide selection of architectural styles including Victorian, Gothic, and various versions of the Victorian and Italianate style. While these buildings are excellent examples of architectural style they also include local stories and glimpses into the past.


The most obvious examples of Gothic architecture in Belleville are City Hall (Late Victorian Gothic) and Church of St. Michael the Archangel.


These buildings are architecturally important. Their styles are well known to those who do not study architecture but they are also important to Belleville as a whole.

City Hall
Late Victorian Gothic
Photo Credit: Anne Duffy

Belleville's City Hall was built first as an extension of the farmer's market. The first floor was used as a market and there were multiple entrances which have been made into fake windows. The offices were on the second floor. The building was made so large, despite initially only needing the first two because Belleville was in need of a town clock and a fire bell. City Hall met these needs.


In 1837 a stone church replaced the small wooden church originally placed on the lot to meet the needs of an expanding congregation. By 1886 the stone church was now inadequate for a rapidly growing Belleville. Construction began in August of that year; however after a devastating fire in December of 1904 the church was burnt to the ground. There was little to no insurance on the building and there was doubt that the church could be rebuilt.

Church of St. Michael the Archangel
Gothic
Photo Credit: Anne Duffy

The church, as pictured above, was opened on October 15, 1905. Its large steeple and its location at the top of East Hill allowed it to be easily seen by residents of Belleville from any point.


The best example of the Victorian style is Glanmore House, located at 257 Bridge Street East. Glanmore House is a national historic site. It includes a museum that allows visitors to not just see the house but also various artefacts and historical information about the time period and previous owners of the house. City Hall has files on exactly how they needed to restore the mansion. The architecture of the house is quite impressive and its mansard style roof is a defining feature of the house.

Glanmore House, A National Historical Site
Victorian
Photo Credit: Anne Duffy

Inside the house has been decorated and filled with various Victorian age artefacts and show visitors how people lived at this time. The house has a bathroom that includes a wooden toilet and wooden bathtub (as pictured below).

Glanmore House, Bathroom
Victorian
Photo Credit: Anne Duffy

Sites like Glanmore House in Belleville’s heritage serve in two different ways. Glanmore House provides the city with an early example of architecture. Its roof and styling provide an excellent example of Victorian style and the museum inside provides historical information to the residents of Belleville. It teaches visitors how houses were set up and used. It provides a personal look to history – it allows visitors to Glanmore to see how people lived during the Victorian era, they can see how houses have changed and technology have changed. These physical ways of learning can teach visitors things that can’t be taught as effectively through reading.




Various versions of the Victorian architectural style are present in Belleville. One of the most fascinating is 10 Patterson Street. Its style is called Eclectic High Victorian. It is a long row of townhouses with blue doors that sit above the downtown core of Belleville. They were built in 1876 by a famous local clothier by the name of Isaac Graham whose ancestors are still present in Belleville. These houses are quite unique and while the story behind them is not as dramatic as that of the Church of St. Michael of the Archangel, it is still an interesting building belonging to the city of Belleville.

10 Patterson Street
Eclectic High Victorian
Photo Credit: Anne Duffy

In Belleville there are many sites that are the combined architectural style of Victorian-Italianate. However, the Bohemian Penguin is an Italianate building but is instead combined with the Second Empire styling from the 1860s and 1870s. Its main floor is the only remaining cast iron floor left in the city. It was previously the Knights of Columbus Hall. It then became a restaurant and the top floors were used as a lounge/bar. Presently the main floor is a bridal store with the top floors still being the Bohemian Penguin’s lounge and catering company.

The Bohemian Penguin
Italianate, Second Empire
Photo Credit: Anne Duffy

Despite being part of the city’s history through its use as a Hall and local business, it was first designated in January of 1980, de-designated in July 1980, and re-designated in 2004. The site remains designated today.

The Bohemian Penguin
Belleville Heritage Plaque
Photo Credit: Anne Duffy