Description of Historic Place

This striking two-and-a-half storey eclectic style residence is situated at 6023 Culp Street, just west of Orchard Avenue, in the City of Niagara Falls. Built in 1856, it has an elegant circular tower at the southeast corner and verandah at the front of the house.

The property is municipally designated for its heritage value under By-law No. 2006-108 in the City of Niagara Falls.

Heritage Value

James Allen Orchard, a prominent member of the Drummondville and Stamford communities took on a number of leadership and stewardship roles for community development. After arriving from England in 1836, Orchard purchased land on Culp Street and built this house around 1856. Orchard was a trustee of the Drummond Hill Burial Ground and purchased land from the estate of Samuel Street to expand the burial ground, without being exclusive to any one form of Christianity. In 1876, John Orchard became the Township Clerk and Clerk of the Division Court, and in 1887 he was appointed as the fourth Commissioner for the Queen Victoria Niagara Falls park. Orchard was also associated to a fugitive slave, Oliver Parnell. He provided Parnell with work and shelter when he first arrived in Drummondville. Parnell continued to work on the property after Orchard's death.

Orchard's nephew Joseph Giddons Cadham came to live with him and inherited the house in 1896. Joseph Cadham became the Divisional County Clerk and later the Vice President of McGlasham-Clarke Company Limited. Margaret Cadham, Joseph's daughter inherited the house and lived there until her death in 1988. The house continues to be used for residential purposes today.

The Orchard/Cadham House is a blend of various architectural styles that contribute to its unique and magnificent exterior. Initially a classically designed house, alterations were made that are characteristic of the Queen Anne Revival style. The steeply pitched gable roof with decorative wood shingles adds to the grandeur of the building. The house is distinguished by an offset circular tower at the southeast corner and a broad veranda supported by Doric order columns, both of which are believed to have been added in the 1890s. The front window to the left of the front door has a semi-circular transom, reminiscent of the Romanesque Revival Style. The house's tall brick chimney extends through the peak of the roof, where there is a triangular section of decorative Shick style sheathing. The rear addition is likely more recent, but nevertheless makes a fine contribution to the building's stateliness.

The Orchard/Cadham House dominates the bright character of the streetscape. It is of similar age to other homes in this neighbourhood, some of which are also designated for their heritage value, such as the James Forsyth House.

Sources: “Orchard/Cadham House”, Planning and Development, City of Niagara Falls, 1997; By-law 2006-108, Planning and Development, City of Niagara Falls, 2006; “Orchard/Cadham House goes down in history”, Spiteri, R., Niagara Falls Review, June 11, 2007.

Character-Defining Elements

Character defining elements that reflect the heritage value of the Orchard/Cadham House include its:
- size and massing
- offset circular central tower, characteristic of the Queen Anne Revival style and most likely added in the 1890s
- Corinthian pilasters still evident in the back corner of the house
- original form and layout reflecting the classical design of the house
- medium-pitched gable roof, typical of the Classical Revival style at the central portion of the house
- modified square fluted pilasters supporting an enclosed second storey sun room
- verandah, supported by Doric order columns, added around the 1890s
- Tudor Revival style overhang at the junction of the first and second stories
- decorative wood shingle finish and clapboard siding, used to embellish the architecture of the late Victorian period.
- front window with semi-circular transom, reminiscent of the Romanesque Revival style
- original removable storm windows, dating back to the 1900s
- tall brick chimney, passing through the peak of the house
- proximity to other heritage buildings on Culp Street and the surrounding area
- location on historic Culp Street in Niagara Falls, where some of its earliest and most prominent settlers resided