(Photo: Hartin House in 2012, when it was still being used as a home.)
The Built Heritage Committee will meet on September 15 to consider designating the historic Hartin farmstead buildings in Stittsville’s Fairwinds community under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act. The two buildings—the Patrick Hartin House and a smaller “stone cottage”—are within the recently completed Mattamy development at 1837 Maple Grove Road.
The Patrick Hartin House dates back to the late nineteenth century. It’s described by the City’s Heritage Planning Branch as a Gothic revival style farmhouse with rustic stone construction, cross-gable roofline, and decorative masonry and woodwork.
The stone cottage is a more modest building constructed 40 years earlier, around 1840. Located around the corner (now at the address of 756 Kinstead Private), the building is similarly considered typical of its style, location, and era due to its simple form, pitched gable, and construction method. It’s also notable for being one of the few buildings in the area that survived the Great Fire of 1870.
Both buildings remained in the Hartin family for 170 years. They are considered “stone cousins” to other local heritage buildings constructed in the 1800s—though only few survive today, such as the David Hartin house at 10 Cedarow Court.
City staff recommend designating these buildings due to their design value, historic value, and contextual value to the community. Both the Patrick Hartin House and the stone cottage were previously listed on the City’s Heritage Register. Designation would protect these generations-old buildings for future residents of Stittsville.
Here are Councillor Glen’s comments to the staff report:
I’m glad to see staff’s recommendation to designate the Hartin house and cottage under
Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act. This is one of only a few stone buildings remaining
in Stittsville from the late 19th century, including nearby Boyd House, Patrick Hartin
House (JASK Salon + Day Spa), and Kemp Tavern (Cabotto’s Restaurant). The cottage
is notable as one of the very few west end buildings that pre-date the Great Fire of
1870.
I also want to recognize the care and diligence that the new owners have put into
renovations of the main building over the past year, as they are preparing to open the
Stonehouse Café & Lounge. The restored building will be a special and unique part of
the Fairwinds community for decades to come, and a lasting link to the rural and
agricultural heritage of Huntley and Goulbourn townships.
Photos taken in 2012 by Glen Gower.
