Ridout Street Complex National Historic Site of Canada, London, Ontario
Posted by: 
colincan
N 42° 59.031 W 081° 15.281
17T E 479236 N 4759052
In the mid-19th century Ridout Street was a respectable financial and residential district. Banks and stately homes were in close proximity. Starting in the 1960s Labatt’s the brewers invested in the restoration of several buildings for offices.
Waymark Code: WMEG17
Location: Ontario, Canada
Date Posted: 05/24/2012
Views: 13
London’s Ridout Street Complex is a modest three building streetscape of buildings that comprise a banker’s row. A fourth building, the Bank of Montreal, was demolished in the 1960s before a preservation movement could save it. Nonetheless John Labatt Limited intervened with funding to save then restore the Gore Bank of Canada (1842), the Anderson Residence (1841) and the Bank of Upper Canada (1835). The classically inspired buildings have a continuity of form and appearance in part owing to the yellow brick used in their construction. Ridout Street then and now is a desirable neighbourhood in the city. The confluence of the North and South Thames is nearby as is the Middlesex County Court House, a focal point in the downtown. The streetscape gives a glimpse into the appearance of a 19th century town’s financial district. Five banks were to set up branch offices here and stretching north for some blocks were the stately homes of lawyers, doctors and the upper crust of the community. Ridout Street Complex was designated of national importance in 1966. It received a federal plaque in 1986 which is located at the entrance to the Nancy Campbell Collegiate Institute.
Classification: National Historic Site
Province or Territory: Ontario
Location - City name/Town name: London
Link to Parks Canada entry (must be on www.pc.gc.ca): [Web Link]
Link to HistoricPlaces.ca: [Web Link]
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