Historical Homes
DESCRIPTION OF HISTORIC PLACE
The George-Knight-Nesbitt residence, listed as a historic monument, is a bourgeois house with Second Empire influence built in 1881. The brick building, square in plan with three floors, has a mansard roof and has an annex back. The facade includes a central avant-corps composed of an open porch surmounted by a balcony and topped with an octagonal roof with a ridge terrace. The George-Knight-Nesbitt residence is located in the heart of the village core of the town of Cowansville and near the ruins of the Nesbitt grain mill.
HERITAGE VALUE
The heritage value of the George-Knight-Nesbitt residence is based on its architectural interest. Built in 1881, this residence is inspired by the Second Empire style. Developed in France, this style became popular during the reign of Emperor Napoleon III (1808-1873), notably with the construction of the New Louvre (1852-1857). First introduced in England and the United States, where it enjoyed great popularity, it then appeared in Canadian architecture at the end of the 1860s. First used in institutional and public architecture, the style then gained popularity. the favors of architects and the general public; it greatly influences domestic architecture. The bourgeoisie indeed wishes to identify with the values of stability, prosperity and power that the State and its institutions express through this style. The George-Knight-Nesbitt residence illustrates the Second Empire influence in particular through the symmetry of its facade, its central avant-corps topped with an octagonal roof with a ridge terrace, its hipped mansard roof and its low-arched openings. The abundance of cut stone, wood and iron ornaments also contributes to the prestige associated with this style.
The heritage value of the George-Knight-Nesbitt residence also rests on its exemplary and rare character. The residence is among the most representative examples of Second Empire style domestic architecture built in Estrie during the 1870s and 1880s. Residences of this style built in Quebec usually retain only the most characteristic element, namely the attic roof. The George Knight Nesbitt residence, in contrast, includes many fine details and a massive appearance that give it a character of dignity and permanence. The house also represents the only Second Empire style building built for residential purposes remaining in Cowansville. The other surviving building in this style is the Eastern Townships Bank branch (1875), today known as the Bruck House.
The heritage value of the residence also rests on its association with George Knight-Nesbitt (1836-1909). A politician, Nesbitt was a member of the first municipal council in 1876 before becoming the second mayor of Cowansville on February 13, 1877; he held this position for two years. A businessman, he bought a grain mill in 1869 and equipped it with generators in 1891 and 1892. These power the brand new electric street lighting system in Cowansville made up of 18 street lights. The house built for George Knight-Nesbitt recalls the presence in Cowansville of one of the first citizens to have contributed to the development of the municipality.
Source: City of Cowansville, 2008.
CHARACTER-DEFINING ELEMENTS
The key elements of the George-Knight-Nesbitt residence linked to its location include, in particular:
– its location in the heart of the old village core, near the George-K.-Nesbitt bridge which spans the Yamaska River, and close to the Nesbitt grist mill ruins;
– the century-old oaks adorning the land.
The key elements of the George-Knight-Nesbitt residence linked to its architectural interest include, in particular:
– its volume, including the square plan, the three-story elevation as well as the hipped mansard roof;
– the two-storey rectangular rear annex;
– the central avant-corps, composed of an open porch with Ionic columns surmounted by a balcony and topped with an octagonal roof with a ridge terrace;
– two-level bay windows;
– the protected side gallery, including the ornate pillars and guardrails;
– the materials, including the brick masonry, the dressed stone of the base and the ornaments, the sheet metal roofing;
– the openings, including those with low arches, rectangular windows, dormer windows with rounded pediments and gables, double glazed doors with openwork tympanums, as well as the doorframes;
– the ornamentation, including the cornice with brackets and modillions, the vintage stone bearing the inscription “1881”, the inlay of the letter “N” in the tympanum of the main door as well as the false keystones;
– the brick chimney stacks.
