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Site interpretation flyer template
This flyer is an example of a typical site interpretation hand-out
for a historical site. It can be used as a template to produce
interpretive materials for your participating sites.
Doors Open Ontario is a community-based celebration that
builds pride in Ontario’s heritage for residents and visitors
alike. The Ontario Heritage Trust works with community
partners throughout the province to produce this innovative
program.
If you would like to receive a free copy of the Doors Open
Ontario brochure to visit other Doors Open Ontario
community events happening this year, contact:
Ontario Heritage Trust
10 Adelaide Street East,
Toronto, Ontario M5C 1J3
Tel.: 416-325-5000
Fax: 416-325-5071
Or call 1-800-ONTARIO
1-800-668-2746
Fiducie du patrimoine Ontarien
10, rue Adelaide Est
Toronto (Ontario) M5C 1J3
Tél.: 416 325-5000
Téléc.: 416 325-5071
www.doorsopenontario.on.ca
www.heritagetrust.on.ca
Doors Open Anytown
A participating partner in Doors Open Ontario
George Brown House
186 Beverley Street
Toronto, Ontario
May 23 and 24, 2015
10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Place local
sponsor(s) logo(s) here
(if any)
Site name (e.g., George Brown House)
(approximately 100 words) This fine Second Empire-style house was built
for George Brown between 1874 and 1876. The elegance of his
residence reflects his prominence as a Father of Confederation, founder
of the Globe newspaper (now the Globe and Mail) and a leading Liberal
politician.
Architectural highlights
(approximately 100 words) Designed by architect William Irving, the
9,000-square-foot house features walls four bricks thick, sandstone trim
and a slate roof. The floor plan is a centre hall style. Highlights include:

Walnut canopies over the doors in the entrance hall featuring
sculpted lions from the Brown family coat of arms
The house was declared a National Historic Site in 1976; a decade later it
was threatened with demolition. The Ontario Heritage Trust intervened,
restoring and re-opening the house in 1989 for use as a conference
centre with tenant offices on the upper floors.

15 fireplaces; the marble mantel in the drawing room has the
entwined initials of George and Anne Brown

Restored art nouveau dining room (1890s), as remodeled by the
Coulsons
Heritage significance
(approximately 75 words) The house is one of the best-preserved and
documented urban examples of the Second Empire residential style in
Ontario. The Ontario Heritage Trust restored the building to its original
1876 construction date both to preserve the heritage character of the
building and to make the site financially viable through the revenues from
office space, conference facilities, weddings and film shoots.

Original fine plaster cornices and ceiling medallions; restored faux
finishes throughout

Five-piece leaded glass windows (1880s) in the main hall,
removed in 1984, discovered hanging in a Toronto home and
returned in 1989
History of the Building/Site
(approximately 200 words) Originally named Lambton Lodge, the house
was built for George Brown, a successful businessman, his wife Anne
and their three children. Duncan Coulson, president of the Bank of
Toronto (now Toronto-Dominion Bank) occupied the house from 1889 to
1916 with his wife Eliza and their three children. The Coulsons
remodeled the dining room in an art nouveau style. Following Coulson’s
death, a school for the blind was built at the back of the house. The
house was used as school office space from 1920 to 1956. A school for
developmentally challenged children later took its place until it was
demolished in 1984. A replacement school now wraps respectfully
around the restored George Brown House property.
The Ontario Heritage Trust acquired the property in 1986. George
Brown’s library was re-created a year later and now features 2,000 of his
books. A new Victorian-inspired garden was planted in the summer of
2000 – funded by a donation to the Trust. Thanks to a partnership with
the University of Toronto Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design
and a generous donation by the Rotman Family Foundation, the gardens
at George Brown House flourish today.
(There is also room below for a basic floor plan of your site/building, plus
any photos you may wish to show. Please remember that you will likely
want to photocopy this hand-out and some photographs may not
reproduce well.)
Insert photo or graphic here