Description of Historic Place

The Baden Hotel, located at 39 Snyder's Road West, is situated on a triangular piece of land bounded by Snyder's Road West, Mill Street and the Railway Tracks, in the Village of Baden, now the Township of Wilmot. The property consists of a two-and-a-half-storey buff brick hotel that was constructed in 1874.

The property was designated by the Township of Wilmot in 2002 for its heritage value under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act (By-law 2003-03).

Heritage Value

The Baden Hotel is one of the oldest operating taverns in Canada. The land on which the Baden Hotel is located was purchased by Christoph Kraus from Jacob Beck, the village planner and founder, in 1858. Kraus originally built a frame hotel, which was replaced by the current hotel, in 1874.

The centrally-located Baden Hotel is located on the main street, in the Village of Baden, and is adjacent to the Grand Trunk Railway Station. As a result of their close proximity, the Baden Hotel provided the public a place to wait for the arrival and departure of the trains. The commercial life of the community was centred around the Baden Hotel. As train travel decreased the hotel served as the first bus depot in the village.

The Baden Hotel's location on the village's main street also served to make the hotel the centre of social activities. Band practices, community dances, weddings and meetings were frequently held at the hotel. Baden's politicians often ate here after their meetings and also treated voters after successes on Nomination Day.

The Baden Hotel is a unique example of the Georgian style of architecture. It is constructed of buff brick, laid in common bond, with a fieldstone foundation. It is two-and-a-half-storeys in height. Its unique features include a cut corner entrance and walls that are oriented to the angles of the streets. Typical of the Georgian style, it features east and west elevations, with three bays and a gable end, with a lancet window in the peak. The west elevation, which faces the Railway Station, acted as the main entrance during the peak of railway transportation. The north elevation, fronting on to Snyder's Road West, now the front façade, is symmetrical, with seven bays. Most of the windows have 6 over 6 double hung sashes. All of the bay windows have lugsills and are surmounted by radiating brick voussoirs.

Sources: Township of Wilmot By-law 2003-03; Baden Hotel, Historical Sketch, Michael D. Longo, 1985.

Character-Defining Elements

Character defining elements that contribute to the heritage value of the Baden Hotel include its:
- carved date stone which reads “Christoph Kraus, July 22 1874” on the northwest elevation
- proximity to the Railway station
- location on the village's main street
- buff brick, common bond, construction including its wall orientation parallel to the angled streets
- fieldstone foundation
- symmetrical elevations
- 6 over 6 double hung windows
- bay windows including lugsills and radiating brick voussoirs
- gable roofline including lancet windows on the east and west elevations
- balcony on second floor of the west elevation
- boxed corner plain frieze soffit and fascia
- cut corner entrance on the west elevation