Description of Historic Place

The Cottage is located at 135 Essex Street, on the east side of Essex Street, north of Cayley Street, in the Town of Goderich, Ontario. The single storey frame residence was constructed in circa 1880.

The property was designated, by the Town of Goderich in 1990, for its heritage value, under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act, By-law 90-59.

Heritage Value

Sited on a spacious lot at 135 Essex Street, The Cottage resides in a neighbourhood of permanent year-round residences, which once was populated by similar seasonal homes. This property is an important visual link to the history, architecture and land use of this once-seasonal, lakefront neighbourhood.

The Cottage at 135 Essex Street is a rare surviving example of a late 19th century building type that formed a pattern of summer lakeside residences in the Town of Goderich. At one time many such cottages lined the bluff in this area. Nearby, at the junction of Essex Street and Picton Street, was the Sunset Hotel and dance pavilion. The Cottage is also known as “The Crow's Nest” after William “Crow” Morgan who lived there during the 1940s and is said to have supplied illegal liquor to the Sunset hotel.

This circa 1880 lakefront cottage is a rare existing example of the cottages in Goderich. It sits on its original site on a west-facing bluff overlooking Lake Huron and remains largely unaltered from its original appearance. In relation to its form, The Cottage incorporates a characteristic prominent pyramidal roof extending over the veranda on the façade, which features chamfered wood columns and decorative brackets. The original beaded board ceiling and pine plank floor are still present. The sun porch windows installed during the 1950s when the north veranda was enclosed, are also intact.

Source: Town of Goderich By-law 90-59.

Character-Defining Elements

Character defining elements that contribute to the heritage value of The Cottage include its:
- siting on its original lot on Essex Street above Lake Huron
- symmetrical, single-storey, square house plan
- hip roof extending over verandas
- veranda on the west facade including its chamfered columns
- decorative brackets, beaded wood ceiling, pine plank flooring and handrail
- centre door plan and original side window
- veranda on the north elevation with 1950s casement windows
- double hung one over one wood windows on the south elevation