Description of Historic Place

The Joseph Clarke House at 13 King Street is a 3 bay house set at the sidewalk, but its main entrance, is hidden from the street by mature trees, fencing, and gardens. This two-and-a-half storey Classical Revival house is located at the northern end of historic King Street.

The Joseph Clarke House is recognized for its heritage value, by the Town of Port Hope By-law 31/83 Schedule B-6, passed on May 16, 1983.

Heritage Value

In the mid to late 1840's, Joseph Clarke is thought to have built this two-and-a-half storey house, which was originally a flat roofed townhouse, similar to Port Hope's Smith House, at 92 King Street (also designated under the Ontario Heritage Act). Very little is known of Joseph, except that he had a daughter, Sarah Jane, who had inherited the house, by 1876. She and her husband, Thomas Long, lived in the house for several decades, until his death, in 1913. Tom was an insurance agent, who had a side business dealing in musical instruments. Interestingly, Tom's office, on Walton Street, also operated the first telephone switchboard, in Port Hope, which was established by the Bell Telephone Company, in 1882.

When built, the house originally had parapet walls around a flat roof. However, the roof was replaced with a steeply-pitched hip roof, with wide overhanging eaves, broken by shed dormer windows (now removed). The front three bay facade is divided by three pilasters. It has 6 over 6 sash windows with heavy lintels. The original entrance, in the left bay, was moved to the north facade, under an open verandah, and the original opening was made into a large window, with a semi-elliptical transom. This picture window has subsequently been replaced with a 6 over 6 sash window. The south facade of the building has a one storey bay and a two storey frontispiece, topped with a pedimented gable.

Sources: Heritage Designation By-law 31/83 Schedule B-6, Municipality of Port Hope, Heritage Port Hope Files, Port Hope Town Hall, 56 Queen Street; Port Hope Ganaraska Archives, Mill Street, Port Hope.

Character-Defining Elements

Character defining elements that reflect the heritage value of the Joseph Clarke House include its:
- rectangular two storey form, with three bays across the street facade, one storey bay and two storey projecting frontispiece on the south facade
- altered gable roofline with wide, overhanging eaves, and shed dormers
- fenestration, including 6 over 6, and 2 over 2 sash windows with heavy lintels
- main entrance, under a hip roofed verandah, with open brackets and bevelled posts
- brick dentils under at the cornice