Description of Historic Place

Located on a picturesque coastal site, the Griffith Island Tower is a tall, stone structure, round with a slight taper and slightly corbelled outward at the top to form a gallery and base for the 8-sided plain lantern. There is very little detailing, which emphasizes the rugged quality of its stone construction. There are small, narrow window openings staggered around the tower and the doorway is rounded at the top. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.

Heritage Value

The Tower is a Classified Federal Heritage Building because of its historical associations, and its architectural and environmental values

Historical Value
The Tower constructed as one of the so-called ‘Imperial Towers’ is a very good example illustrating the installation of lighthouses on the Great Lakes beginning in 1804. The opening of the Bruce Peninsula for settlement in the mid-1850’s, a free-trade agreement with the United Stated in 1854, and the Sault. Ste. Marie Canal in 1855 prompted the need for navigational aids and the establishment of these towers.

Architectural Value
This tower counts among the few constructed of stone and is an excellent example of functional design of a strong and stable structure that is aesthetically pleasing. It employs materials and craftsmanship of the highest standard, and is a very good example of the work of the contractor John Brown and one of the best examples of the work of the pre-confederation Canadian Board of Works. The tower is characterized by its elegant proportions and its simple construction of rusticated stone.

Environmental Value
As a tall, elegant structure on a picturesque site, the Tower reinforces the region’s scenic quality and maritime character and adds greatly to the interest of boating within its immediate scenic area.. It serves as a popular destination for recreational and some commercial traffic on Lake Huron and Georgian Bay, which is attributed to the magnificent scenery of the area’s waters that are dotted by many islands.

Sources:
Joan Mattie, Four ‘Imperial Towers’: lighthouses at Lake Huron and Georgian Bay, Federal Heritage Buildings Review Office Building Report 90-204.; Griffith IslandLightstation Tower, Lake Huron, Griffith Island, Ontario, Heritage Character Statement 90-204.

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements of the Tower should be respected.

Its highest quality functional design and aesthetic, materials and craftsmanship as manifested in: its tall, round, slightly tapered form corbelled at the top to form a gallery and base for the lantern; its plain eight-sided lantern which provides an important component of the appearance;of the structure. its structural system employing heavy timber to provide lateral stability with inner and outer whites of cut masonry with rubble infill providing compressive strength; its masonry detailing; its whitewash finish; its round-headed doorway and small, narrow windows with plain stone sills staggered around the tower; its interior components of wooden stairwell, curved cast-iron-and-wood stairs and straight and steep stairs.

The manner in which the Tower at Griffith Island in its picturesque setting
reinforces the region’s scenic and maritime character and adds greatly to the interest of boating within its immediate scenic area.

Heritage Character Statement

Disclaimer - The heritage character statement was developed by FHBRO to explain the reasons for the designation of a federal heritage building and what it is about the building that makes it significant (the heritage character). It is a key reference document for anyone involved in planning interventions to federal heritage buildings and is used by FHBRO in their review of interventions.

The Griffith Island Lightstation Tower was built from 1855 to 1859 under the authority of the Board of Works, Canada West, by the contractor John Brown. The tower still functions as a navigational aid. Transport Canada is the custodian. See FHBRO Building Report 90-204.

Reasons for Designation

The Griffith Island Lightstation Tower was designated Classified because of its thematic association with the opening of navigation on Lake Huron and points west; because of its aesthetic and functional design and high quality craftsmanship and materials; because of its designers (the pre-confederation Canadian Board of Works and John Brown, the contractor) who created here one of the best examples of the work of the Canadian Board of Works; and because of its picturesque setting and landmark qualities.

Constructed as one of the so-called "Imperial Towers", this tower is associated with the installation of lighthouses on the Great Lakes beginning in 1804. The opening of the Bruce Peninsula for settlement in the mid-1850's, a free-trade agreement with the United States in 1854, and the Sault Ste. Marie Canal in 1855 prompted the need for navigational aids and the establishment of these towers. Among the most attractive lighthouses in Canada, these towers count among the few constructed of stone; wood, iron and concrete are more typical. Of an excellent functional design, which is as strong and stable as it is aesthetically pleasing, the tower employs materials of the highest standard. The craftsmanship inherent in this structure is of a high order, typical of the work of the contractor, John Brown.

A tall, handsome structure on a picturesque site, the tower adds greatly to the interest of boating within its scenic immediate area.

Character Defining Elements

The heritage character of the Griffith Island Lightstation Tower resides in its elegant proportions and simple construction of rusticated stone. Architectural features of this structure which are of note and which should be preserved include its masonry work; its whitewash finish (probably dating to c. 1871); its tall, round, slightly tapered form corbelled at the top to form a gallery and base for the lantern; its round-headed doorway and small, narrow windows with stone sills staggered around the tower; and its plain eight-sided lantern manufactured by the Louis Saulter Company of Paris. The lantern provides an important component of the appearance of the structure. Restoration of this feature is encouraged; at the very least, missing glazing should be reinstated to protect the lantern from the elements.

The tower's structural system employs heavy timber to provide lateral stability, while inner and outer wythes of cut masonry with rubble infill provide compressive strength. Regular examination and timely conservation work should be undertaken to ensure the continued integrity of wood members, especially where they are set into the masonry.

Interior components which merit preservation include the first storey wooden stairwell; the wood-and-cast-iron curved stairs to the second and upper levels; the straight, steep wooden stairs to intermediate levels; zinc fuel stands; metal flooring; floor brackets; the pedestal for the optic; and ventilation devices. Modifications related to the ongoing use of the building should be designed with minimal impact on historic fabric.

Although the adjacent keeper's dwelling is in poor condition, the composition of these two structures presents an image of the site which is close to its original appearance. Development of adjacent lands would reduce this historic appearance and should be discouraged.