Description of Historic Place

Constructed in circa 1880, Miller's Oven is a one-and-a-half-storey frame building located in the Village of Manotick, at 1137 Mill Street, up the street from Dickinson Square.

Miller's Oven has been recognized for its heritage value by the former Township of Rideau, By-law 69/84, on 7 August 1984.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of Miller's Oven lies in its architectural values and association with the early commercial development of Manotick. The earliest documented reference to this building is an 1887 advertisement which can be seen in the Merrickville Block House Museum. The ad announced that the Watchorn Company was re-opening in Manotick for the sale of woolens, tweeds and flannels in “Robert Fee's New Store, Sign of the Union Jack.” It is thought that Robert Fee ran his general store in this building, which he rented from the Dickinson's for 35 years, before purchasing the building outright, in 1923. During this period, the store was also the site of the first telegraph office in Manotick and had one of the first telephones in the village.

After Fee's death in 1926, the building was sold to the Independent Order of Oddfellows, Lodge No. 255. The Order was founded in Manchester, England to provide an early form of workmen's compensation and health insurance to the “beneficial members.” (The non-beneficial members had no sick benefits, and simply partook in the social activities of the Order.) The Oddfellows made a number of changes to the building, contracting Thomas Cummings to pull the building back on the lot, enlarge the front of the store, and relocate the interior stairwell. During this period, the building housed a barbershop, billiard room, and the local library.

In 1981, the building was purchased and revitalized by the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority for use as a commercial space. The Rideau Miller's Oven Seniors Committee purchased the building in 1993 and operated the Miller's Oven restaurant on the premises. The profits from this enterprise were used for various seniors activities and organizations in the former Township of Rideau and surrounding areas. The architectural design of the Miller's Oven is considered to be an attractive addition to Manotick's downtown, with important historical associations to the development of the village.

Sources: City of Ottawa File XD001 –XMM3200/0003421; Rideau Township Archives, LACAC Files.

Character-Defining Elements

Character defining elements that contribute to the heritage value of the Miller's Oven include its:
- gambrel roof
- various forms of fenestration including semi-circular headed dormer windows and the large multi-paned window on the front
- wooden frame construction and shiplap wood siding
- decorative trim on the front gable and under the eaves on the south-east corner
- orientation to Dickinson's Square, in the heart of the village of Manotick