Roman orders in Perth

As you know, I'm not just about bikes. I also like a nice bit of Roman architecture. On a recent visit to the lovely town of Perth, Ontario, I came across these lovely examples. I wonder what the Romans would think if they could see how far the ideas of their empire stretched.



The McMillan building strikes me as a bit odd. The Roman influence is clear with the triangular pediment and the pilasters with ionic capitals. But the entrance to the building itself is rather drab and certainly not influenced by any Roman order.

Stewart House, on the other hand, is really a wonder in this small town. Beautiful fluted columns with Corinthian capitals and a striking pediment set this house off well.



Columns of the Ionic order at the side of the house make for a wonderful veranda. Stewart House once belonged to the town's richest family. Safe to say, they appreciated fine architecture.

Rome is everywhere

I have recently been watching a series of lectures on Roman architecture. The twenty-four part series is a complete lecture season from Yale University taught by Professor Diana Kleiner. The more I watched the more I realized how prevalent Roman architecture still is today. So I set out to find some examples here in Ottawa and it wasn't very difficult.

Tabaret Hall at the University of Ottawa is one of the most striking examples in our city with Ionic capitals and a classic Roman pediment.

The composite columns of the Bank of Commerce on Sparks Street showing elements of both Corinthian and Ionic orders.

The Doric order is represented well by the Bank of Nova Scotia on Sparks Street.

Though you can see the influence of Roman architecture in residential houses the features tend to be subtle. Not so for two houses in the Golden Triangle.

A house on Somerset West with the classic Ionic order.

The triangular pediment and Corinthian order really make this entrance stand out.