Description of Historic Place

McLauchlan Building is a late 19th-century Italianate two-storey commercial row building, comprised of two ‘sections’ on Main Street in Woodstock. The building houses retail shops on the ground level.

Heritage Value

McLauchlan Building is designated a Local Historic Place for its late 19th-century Italianate commercial architecture and for its significance as a part of Woodstock’s historic town centre.

McLauchlan Building is an integral part of the line of brick row buildings that run along much of Main Street and some perpendicular streets. It was built as part of the reconstruction of downtown Woodstock after the disastrous fire of 1877. The original brick has been covered by a smooth grey plaster at the street level of the west elevation; the original brick is visible on the second storey and at the north and east elevations of the building. Due to lack of definitive records, it is difficult to ascertain the builder and architect of the building. However, the building belonged to merchant John McLauchlan for many years and is still known to many by that name.

Source: Carleton County Historic Places Files, “McLauchlan Building”

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements that describe the exterior of McLauchlan Building include:
- all elements defining its use as a retail store including large display windows and recessed entrances;
- brick exterior;
- regular fenestration of segmented arch windows;
- brick patterning at the roof line and framing the windows;
- brick ornamentation;
- typical row building two-storey rectangular massing.