Oldest Stone Building - Ottawa, Ontario
Posted by: Weathervane
N 45° 25.550 W 075° 41.850
18T E 445435 N 5030493
The Commissariat (Bytown Museum) is the oldest stone structure in Ottawa, Ontario.
Waymark Code: WMDAN0
Location: Ontario, Canada
Date Posted: 12/15/2011
Views: 47
The Commissariat Building, also known as the Bytown Museum, is an imposing three-storey, rough-coursed masonry structure that features three bays, a gable roof, supply doors on all three levels of the building, and a regular fenestration pattern. The Commissariat Building is located on the west side of the locks at the Ottawa Lockstation, at the lower end of Colonel By Valley, in the heart of Ottawa. As part of the Rideau Canal National Historic Site of Canada, it is the northernmost station along the Rideau Canal and is the oldest remaining stone building in Ottawa.
Wording on an Ontario Historical Plaque located in the lobby of the Bytown Museum.
"This structure, the oldest existing stone building in Ottawa, was used as a storehouse, office and treasury during the construction of the Rideau Canal (1826-32) under the direction of Lieutenant-Colonel John By, R.E. Its superb masonry and solid construction are typical of the stonework done by Scottish masons along the Rideau Canal and, at a later date, on private homes in eastern Ontario. In 1854, the building was turned over to the Canadian government and, until 1951, was used successively by various departments concerned with the maintenance of the canal."
Reference: (
visit link)