HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1977-09-01, Page 7ata ,4. 77
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Province of Ontario Se'aforth JeWellers Stedmans 'CardWs Block S6aforth Insurance Pauline's Hair Care Good -TImesrravbI Bob andbetty's
Savings Office . . Agency'
47 Main Street South 43 Main Street South —S7eFafbrth Record Stare Variety Store
186.3 1878,. 39 Main Street South Main Street South '1874 1863
M, ''oato 'atten•t..Stre-iat worthyo, ton
(By Bill Riicey, -rapidly„ and as, unifoemly as the northern block. This block too' with later renovations..
student working with Seaforth's Local Architectiiral had its exception to the'standard buildin,g height, this was the Another point of, concern regarding the advantages of, the
Cbnservaijon Advisory committee)' large structure built by Alexander Cardn6. Crowned with'a tower original store fronts was the simplistic yet -be4utif4j'treatment. of
that houses an imported clock from Boston the structure plays an store signs. Old signs on the first store fronts were designed with
Seaforth's Main-Street'hag caught the eye of many visitors"to integral f616 iti'the visual ar 0earance' of the entire street'. It 9
p symbols representing the type of goods., that each store
this part of Huron County. A picture of the street as 4,pppears provides the variety'in roof form and,height to further enhance 1 merclEandised. The use of colour was also an important part'of,
today is found in a text on architecture in Ontario -called Ontario
the 'surroun'ding buildings. not only the signs, but of the store itself. SiIVs Hardware is p. -fine
Towns. The Composite of phot9gMpba__i1Lustrate_s_ the arcfiitectural-� —local eiample-of-a—mod-ern-d—a adaptation of a store front'that
y
-�this attention? on e upper storeys of -those stores 9*n the west of 'does not lose its
What makes Seziforth Main Street -attract all details f6upo t7h u original A
aracter. The colour of the sign is
The main reason is that. it is different from most other Ontario Main .Street.between Market' and Goderich -Sts. ' A look at the compatible with the brown trim which in turn is inleepitig',. -with'
towns. Unlike other towns -which have. undergone many dates of each stoie 'shows that 31 years elapsed betwt!en the the colour of,th6 brick.
alterations to the original' 'appearance of their business districts, completion of.the first, and last br"l'cestructures that exist on this A 'closer. look' reveals that the second' storeys too fell
Sefforth has been most -fdrtuvat6 to have retained a substantial portion of Ma4ft St. The relatively short peri6d*of development victim t6.decay through thepassing yeat9. Although, the changes
portion of the'.6riginal stores in its business district. I'ed to the'close similarity in the architectural style of these late to ther upper storeyi are' txat-,Veyhap�s as noticeable re those
as a
The stores are uniform, they are compatiblevith each other. 19th century commercial buildings. n9b -the ground . I I evel, nevertheless they have occurre&�
to
There steres
open gaps as a result of demolitions that would . I
The, differences th-a"t, do exist on the oq th originally displayed a' great array of
W95t' __w structures
break up, the continuous flow of building that presently exists ... X
..the -second level are -artistic enrich ments that weie creat�d'by the - decofhtive 'brick parapet walls that extended 'a few above.'the-
This'ig:cleaily 'evident individual builder, These took form in the variation in the rhythm Others were proud beaters of
Pt with' dilaince in direction, down .
Karn..Street. of the window openings
enin .. gs and/or the. decorative treatment of the present height of each building.' e
Aided By Fire p deep projecting wooden cornices that have been removed one by,
indigenous white bfick,» all of which gave each structure a one, as lack ofvrhaintenanft -made them a da
The similarity of design of the majority of these'building§.was, character of its own. nger to pedestrian s
walking on the sidewalk below.
aided by tht fire of 1876. The burned out area between John St.
Although the Main Street in Seaforthhas retained much -of its Is this Slow yet constant deterioration of the..buildings that
-dnd Goderich affected nearly -half of the business district that i's �original for
in in compArisqp tq places such as'Stratford,'.it has not
contained by Market St..at the south and God6rich St. to the, totally escaped. the effec t , s,,of time that has brought about the make Pp.�thie . picturesque setting on Main. Street to continue?
.What does the future hold in store for the fate of this unique
north. In that area, owners of the shbps were anxious to rebuild decay ofmaterials, prid the "modernization." of the�'grou'nd level If 3�a_forth's Main Street disappear before our.
streetscape? Wil
as quickly as possible. Most of the ' structures that were part of store fionts. Except for -a few -stores, as illustrated, in the eyes like- 96 m�Any, centres
r6s across the ' Province? There, are
this rebuilding p0airain remained similar in -size with one photographs, many have lost 66 the slightest resemblance to, measures that cap be taken before it, is too lat6!
another., except.for John Kidd's kArdware,.,(.ncLw Hil,deVrand's their original store -fronts.,
Paint 'and Paper) which had a third. stove tower and. a front ''On 6 of the main featur' In a few eo'nimu`nities in Ontario, such, as
es of late,19th Centuty-commercial F6tro id, through the combined concern of store owners and
projecting..,bAR16-ffy". 1 architecture was the'develo pmeni in technology -.that 1e d' have developed guide lines for
The area to the south of the fire 'devastated section from to preservationists ha oped--a-�set,of:-desip.
Th f9eg.erspart in the construction of the building allowing larger the restoration of each store front. The basic format for these
Market -St. to -John Sti-j-although -&o-_iflopied earlier, grew justas windovy openings for'dis guide lines would come from play area. This feature hag been lost photographs of -the drigiiiiiJl stores,,
RON, Of' Al'� t_%i
-MaWO Strid"bt•
Toward J6h-nt--S1reet
NA -A-4-0
P,
Row
. . . . . . . . . . . .
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Keating's Pharmacy. ..Het,h6rington's 136cker's Milk §.tewart. Bros.,
.1869 Shoes 1869 1872--l.
67 MainStreet South 1869-
63 Main Street South .59 Main Stroo
ou
66 Main Street South
Sills HardWarO
The p'hotos� dre of /b -u Id i ng s o n the 'est s1de-of Main Street, from'Market to Goderi�ch Street W.
- I i- . W
1869.
.69 MainStreet South
From Market S4`,r'6e-! to.John Street, continued
j
tioward'Goderic
Joh,n Stree h ��tr_VY.
5
Roth's FoodMarket
Larone's Kigchen Centre
Frank Kling 1.877
1869 1872
23 Main Street South
55 Main Street South 63 Main Street South
Main Street South
. .........
John -Street to.Gooerkh"Stroet W.,
n
Y",
qg,
7-777, 717777-A
.,rS0df6,rth'Meat Market br. Cha&g Moyo,s
David Tremors
ity
wono 6 arill Whitney Furniture Pulafte music, 11001ri _Mbbs CrIth71:6 baker -y Ba'rber She
Of f ied,
il, re 1804
Si qt.$d4jh
0 Milift Street South
i MWIft tduth': 7 MIA S't
d h 8 Malin Sow so
M, I $tmol South'. ain 06COUth
tith Win Me
rri
66t.South. Main Street South,
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