Description of Historic Place
Situated west of the Welland Canal on Bald Street, the King-Hill house is a modest brick building constructed in 1872 from locally manufactured bricks. The house features an east bay window with projecting cornice, Italianate style segmental arches above the windows and doors, and wooden trim painted red.
The property is municipally designated under By-law No. 2004-130.
Heritage Value
The King-Hill House has been the residence of several prominent citizens of Welland since its construction in 1872. Built for Harmon Johnson King, a German immigrant, and wife Ann, of Scotland, the house was occupied by the King family for only three years. In 1897 the house was sold to Mary Toyn of Crowland, who settled in Welland Station with her family in 1858. After her husband's death and her purchase of the house, Toyn remarried to George Hanna, a lock tender on the feeder canal, and the Hannas lived in the house until Mary's death in 1908.
The house's design embodies an air of simplicity with its minimal ornamentation and red brick exterior. The bricks used for its impressive solid construction are believed to have been locally manufactured by the Hooker brickyard that was once located in close proximity to the house. Typical 19th Century Italianate style is displayed in its segmental or squared arches above the windows and doors, and the bay window on the east side. The window has a projecting cornice supported by simple paired brackets and modillions with a guilloche moulding underneath. Decorative curvilinear moulding accents the top frame of the three bay windows. The house features multiple entrances, and its symmetrical appearance was lost after its verandah was removed. The property includes a garage behind the house, believed to originally have been a barn.
The house's size and style is similar in appearance to other houses from the same era in the surrounding Bald Street area. The house's close proximity to the Welland Canal indicates the importance of the waterway in late 19th century Welland, and the house is part of a collection of heritage properties in its neighbourhood.
Sources: By-law 2004-130 Schedule 'B' Reasons For Designation, City of Welland, 2004;
“The house looks cheerful, owner says”, Brenda Stewart, The Tribune, March 2, 1989
Character-Defining Elements
Key elements that reflect the historical and contextual value of the King-Hill House include:
- association with prominent owners including the Kings and Hannas
- location on Bald Street in close proximity to the Welland Canal
- proximity to other heritage properties of similar age and styling in its surrounding area
Key elements that reflect the architectural value of the house include:
- solid brick construction, made of locally manufactured bricks
- Italianate styling displayed in the segmental or squared arches above windows and doors
- large bay window on the east side with decorative curvilinear moulding across the top frame
- garage behind the house, believed at one point to have been a barn
- large windows on the front façade
