Description of Historic Place

The Fry House is a one-and-a-half storey stone house, located at 4148 Donnelly Drive, in the former Rideau Township. The Fry House was constructed in circa 1867 and is a good example of an early stone house built in the area.

The City of Ottawa designated the Fry House under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act in 1983, through the former Township of Rideau (now the City of Ottawa), By-law 82/83.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of the Fry House lies in its early connection with the Burritt Family. In 1803, the Fry House lands were granted by the British Crown to Calvin Burritt. Clemon Burritt later owned the land in 1835 and Johnston Burritt in 1839. This relationship to the Burritt family is significant as it illustrates a pattern of settlement along the Rideau Canal within the former township of Marlborough and the Village of Burritts Rapids. Although the Burritts were not responsible for the construction of the Fry House, the property on to which it stands reflects upon early settlement in the area and the relationship between settlement in nearby Burritt's Rapids and the larger Marlborough area.

The Fry House is a good example of early stone house architecture in the former Rideau Township. Built in circa 1867, the Fry House is a small one-and-a-half storey rubble stone house with a simple plan. The front entrance is without embellishment and is flanked by eight over eight sash windows. There is a small window directly over the front door at the eave level. The gable ends are decorated with dentil trim, and a simple frieze adorns the eave line of the front façade.

The house is set back from the road, on a large rural property. Set above the banks of the Rideau River to provide easier access to the former major mode of transportation, for rural settlers.

Sources: City of Ottawa By-law 82/83; Rideau Township Archives L.A.C.A.C. Files; Olivia Mills and Renee Smith, Burritt's Rapids 1793-1993: A Scrapbook, (1993); City of Ottawa Files: XD001-XMM3200/0003408.

Character-Defining Elements

Character defining elements that reflect the heritage value of the Fry House include its:
- coursed rubble stone exterior
- one-and-a-half storey simple plan
- wood dentil trim on the gable ends
- central entranceway with simple flush wood door surmounted by radiating voussoirs
- two eight over eight sash windows on the front façade
- window above the front entrance with simple wood trim and sill
- three, double-hung small paned windows on the east façade
- four double-hung small paned windows with radiating voussoirs on the west façade
- location on a large rural lot, set back from the road
- proximity to the River's edge