The Gamman House - Integrated Project Dossier (2011)

The Gamman house is an important element of its environment because it is a testimony to the beginnings of Vanier’s history. The small, predominantly Anglophone working-class community known as Janeville was developed in the 1870s along Montreal Road and its shape stretching all the way through to the Cummings Bridge, determined the core or Vanier. Mr Gamman, resident of Janeville, is representative of the working-class who founded the first businesses on Vanier’s territory. The Gamman House is a modest one-and-a-half story “L”-shaped building in the grand Second Empire style. The style is most easily no-ticed by the typical two distinct slopes on all sides, mansard-roof a style very popular in Canada in the 1870s, which allowed for better use of space on the first floor. The front veranda originally extended along the full width of the house, which was later incorporated into the house as a bay window and later the remaining open portion of the structure was closed. The home is 99.96 meters squared ,on a large lot 19.5 x 30 meter lot and is classified as a wooden frame construction.’’ The building’s heritage attributes include the wood siding, mansard roof, decorative wood details such as the pilasters and porch details, the finials, dentils and brackets. The large side yard also contributes to its character and should be preserved.’’ (Ottawa, 2001-2011). There was a fire some 3 decades ago that burned a rear part of the home that was not rebuilt. Fire insurance maps indicate that there were several additions and out buildings that have been demolished or removed over time. This is the Integrated Project Dossier compiled by a group of undergrad students of the Architectural Conservation and Sustainability Program (Engineers and architects) at Carleton University for the CIVE3207 (ARCN4100) Historic Site Recording and Assessment course in 2011.