Description of Historic Place

The Canadian National Railways Station at Casselman is a small, one-storey, wood railway station built from 1938-39. It is located in the village of Casselman. The formal recognition is confined to the railway station building itself.

Heritage Value

The Canadian National Railways (CNR) Station at Casselman reflects the CNR’s pre World War II construction program and the phase of renewed optimism it engendered. The Casselman station was intended to provide strategic defence for the local railway bridge and to garner support for the CNR among French-Canadians. The station enabled Casselman to retain its role as a divisional point and supported the economic growth of the town throughout the war.

The Casselman railway station is an eastern version of the CNR Fourth Class stations of western Canada. It follows a modest model intended for the smallest towns.

The station retains significant viewplanes with the town’s main street and with a railway bridge that serves as a major local landmark. The station remains a focal point in the community.

Sources: Heritage Character Statement, Canadian National Railways Station, Casselman, Ontario, August 1994; Heritage Research Associates, Inc., Railway Station Report 215, Canadian National Railways Station, Casselman, Ontario.

Character-Defining Elements

Character-defining elements of the Canadian National Railways Station at Casselman include:
-its simple form, consisting of a low, rectangular block with shallow, projecting bays on the north and south facades, contained under a slightly bell-cast, gablet roof
-the small, contained character of the building
-the symmetry of its footprint and roofline
-features typical of early-20th-century railway stations, including its rectangular shape, dominant hip-style roofline with slightly bell-cast ends, wide, overhanging eaves with large, decorative brackets and projecting operator’s bay
-its surface textures, including decorative, paired eave brackets with trefoil cut-outs, narrow, tongue-and-groove boarded soffits, horizontal, drop siding, continuous board facing at window sill height and vertical board facing at corners
-the slightly asymmetrical but balanced pattern of window and door openings, consisting of four bays on each of the track and street elevations, with each bay composed of windows grouped in pairs or triples, or combined with doors and transoms
-the placement of brackets at bay divisions
-surviving original multi-pane windows and storm windows
-its asphalt shingle roofing material
-its surviving original layout and partitioning, consisting of a general waiting room, an office area with telegrapher’s bay, ticket wicket and washrooms, the ladies’ waiting room and the baggage room
-surviving original interior finishes, including tongue-and-groove, “V”-joint, wood boarding on walls, partitions and ceilings, and hardwood floors.