Description of Historic Place

The Arlington Hotel, located at 106 Grand River Street North, is situated at the northwest corner of Grand River Street North and William Street, in the former Town of Paris, now the County of Brant. The property consists of a four-storey stucco and yellow-brick building, reminiscent of the Chateau style, that was constructed circa 1850.

The property was designated by the former Town of Paris in 1990 for its heritage value or interest under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act (By-law 2988).

Heritage Value

The Arlington Hotel was built circa 1850 by a native Pennsylvania farmer, O.D. Bradford, who later became a prominent resident, in the former Town of Paris. The Arlington Hotel, formerly the Bradford House, was owned and operated by Bradford until his sudden death in 1882. The hotel was expanded and renamed Arlington by the Ealand family, who operated the hotel for approximately 80 years. This building has continuously operated as a hotel for over 150 years.

The Arlington Hotel represents the early social and built fabric of the commercial core of the former Town of Paris. It is one of the oldest hotels in the former Town of Paris and served as one of seventeen drinking establishments in the Town, during the late nineteenth century. The hotel was often the centre for many important occasions, including, a farewell gathering, chaired by Mayor J.P. McCammon, in 1940, for the first group of Paris soldiers, sent overseas to battle, in the Second World War.

The hotel is a prominent landmark in the downtown core of the former Town of Paris. Its exterior is textured with Plaster of Paris, a regional stucco product, readily available, at the time. The addition, built in early 1880, is of yellow brick with Romanesque style arcades supported by red-brown marble columns, at the street level. The building has features reminiscent of the Chateaux architectural style, including; a steeply pitched gable roof; a vertically emphasized tower; and multiple dormers.

Sources: County of Brant, By-law 2988; Heritage Inventory, County of Brant, 2007; Brant County Ontario GenWeb Project, www.rootsweb.com/~onbrant/biossd.htm; Arlington Hotel, www.arlingtonhotelparis.com.

Character-Defining Elements

Character defining elements that contribute to the heritage value of the Arlington Hotel include its:
- stucco construction of the original building
- yellow-brick construction of the addition
- arches supported by red-brown marble columns
- steeply pitched gable roof
- vertically emphasized octagonal tower
- multiple dormers
- arched and rectangular windows