Description of Historic Place

The Jean O'Donnell House is a two-and-a-half-storey frame building located at 37 Herriott Street, between Drummond Street East and Gore Street East. Also known as the Hart House, this residence was designed in the Italianate style.

The Jean O'Donnell House is recognized by the Town of Perth for its heritage values in By-law 2457 on 13 July 1982.

Heritage Value

The Jean O'Donnell house contributes to the visual significance of the streetscape of the main street of Perth. It is an excellent example of the Italianate style which was popular in Canada for town houses around the time of Confederation, complete with a square plan, hipped roof, and decorative bell-shaped dormer window.

The original owner, John Semple Hart, emigrated from Scotland and acquired property from three separate landowners. At 37 Herriot Street, he oversaw the construction of the Hart House until its completion in 1860. Hart also ran a bookstore and defacto cultural centre in the block he owned at 15-31 Gore Street East. In 1887, the Toronto Mail referred to Hart's bookstore as the finest bookstore in the country outside of Toronto and Montreal. Hart also purveyed international newspapers, stationary, wallpaper, musical instruments, and sheet music. He founded Hart's Canadian Almanac which was published for sixty-five years.

Sources: Town of Perth By-law 2457; Heritage Perth; Katherine Ashenburg, Going to Town: Architectural Walking Tours in Southern Ontario. (Toronto, Macfarlane Walter and Ross, 1996).

Character-Defining Elements

Character defining elements that reflect the heritage value of the Jean O'Donnell House include its:
- truncated hipped roof, graced by a decorative bell-shaped dormer window
- eaves along the roof line, decorated with dentil work and brackets
- flat-topped portico supported by columns surrounding the front entranceway
- sidelights with overhead transom surrounding a single paneled front entrance door
- rounded windows on the first and second floors, complete with shutters
- pediment-topped windows on the first floor
- curved surround of the double window located on the second floor
- east facing location on Herriott Street, north of Gore Street, Perth's main commercial street
- square plan