Brian Marshall, Author at Niagara Now

Arch-i-text: Sympathetic design

During a recent conversation concerning the design details of the new entry stairway being constructed at 240 Centre St., the masonry folks questioned why the brick bond (pattern) specified was not an exact

Arch-i-text: Construction costs have escalated

Thinking of a home renovation, an addition, or a build? Be prepared, because the cost of your project under current market conditions is going to be significantly more than you think. And allow

Arch-i-text: The dig before you dig

Several times in the past year I have found myself in the position of having to wave a yellow caution flag in front of clients around a requirement introduced in the town’s new

Arch-i-text: A simply elegant design

As many regular readers are aware, for the past few months I’ve been consulting on the restoration of a house built for John Breakenridge in 1823 at the corner of Mississagua and Centre

Arch-i-text: It’s about integration

Architecture is a reflection of the prevailing socio-political-economic attitudes of society. As society changes, so too should architecture if it wishes to have relevance and be supportive of contemporary lifestyles. Bluntly, there are

Arch-i-text: Rise of developers

Prior to 1945, there were no “residential housing developers” as we know them today. Certainly there had been successful builders who would purchase a piece of land, divide it into lots, sell a

Arch-i-text: Changing taste

It’s the first decade of the 20th Century and you are Dr. David Duggan of St. Davids. You are planning to build a new house and have engaged with an architect to develop the drawings.

Arch-i-text: Home grown …

Out of the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in France came an architectural style that attempted to combine functionalism liberally sprinkled with ornamental elements borrowed from the Greek, Roman and Renaissance traditions to establish a

Arch-i-text: State of affairs

As all my regular readers know, I believe the Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake requires a comprehensive set of architectural guidelines that is both descriptive and proscriptive, in which a Heritage Conservation Plan (for the entire

Arch-i-text: Different by design

A few days ago I was lucky enough to be a participant in a Zoom call with three folks who represent a wealth of personal experience in both historical and current Niagara architecture.

Arch-i-text: Not so long ago

Sometimes I think it’s easy for us to forget that, not so long ago, Niagara-on-the-Lake was a quiet little town surrounded by farms and orchards. Vineyards were a rarity and grapes were associated

Arch-i-text: We walk on it

Like many things, as taste, style and availability changed, flooring has undergone many iterations in form and type over the last couple of hundred years. These days I am continually reminded of that

Arch-i-text: Correctly … the Ontario Cottage

There is a lot of sloppy terminology employed in the heritage field when describing architecture. While accuracy is one of my hobby-horses, it’s something I believe is central to establishing a common understanding

Arch-i-text: A masterwork

I regret never having the opportunity to meet the renowned Niagara architect Don Chapman. We had some tentative plans to do so in the spring, but the COVID lockdown denied that opportunity. Now,

Arch-i-text: Let there be light

At the risk of making an understatement, I’ve got to say that it has been quite a year. Despite all the COVID crazy, it’s actually been a landmark for NOTL heritage. As many

Arch-i-text: The details matter

To achieve a seamless presentation when renovating any type of house involves equal measures of art and discipline. Unfortunately, far too often art trumps discipline, or discipline rules, or both are forgotten. In

Arch-i-text: A saltbox?

As many who know me can attest, I have a tendency to be irked by the casual misuse of architectural terminology. It’s not that I’d stop a conversation to correct the individual speaking,

Arch-i-text: Locks and lock-rails

I requested quotations recently on the construction of a historic reproduction front door for a heritage house. Foolishly thinking to save myself some time, rather than do a drawing of the six-panel door itself,

Arch-i-text: Panel and wainscot

I love wood. Whether it’s left natural or painted, there’s something about it that resonates in me on a very basic level. Perhaps it’s the fact that no matter how finely finished, there

Arch-i-text: One of the few

For many years, one of the prevalent housing trends in Europe, particularly in the U.K. has been the conversion of old agricultural buildings into homes. Of course, over there, the barns, stables, piggeries

Arch-i-text: The gentle heating solution

Most of us have been in an old building that sported cast iron radiators. Whether the plain cast utilitarian version or ornately decorated upscale models, these rads were the Victorian answer to creating

Arch-i-text: The other choice

Love it or hate it, wallpaper has been the principal alternative to paint since its introduction in the 16th century. The earliest wallpaper involved scenes and motifs copied from tapestries, embroidery and other

Arch-i-text: Historic paint and colour

Paint of the 18th and 19th centuries was a different critter than its modern equivalent. And paint colours were not the muted conservative tones that many folks associate with historic homes. To begin at the

Arch-i-Text: A happy home?

Liveability is a word I use a great deal when speaking to residential design. In fact, I am fairly confident that the clients who enlist my consulting services may grow tired of

Arch-i-text: Evolution of shutters

If you were able to walk down many streets of an 18th- or early 19th-century English town or city, one of the things which could strike your 21st-century sensibilities as odd might be

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