1915 - Rainy River District Court House - Fort Frances, Ontario - Dated Buildings and Cornerstones on Waymarking.com

"The increased population and economic importance of the region was recognized by the Ontario Government and in 1907-1908 a jail was constructed at Fort Frances. At the same time a temporary court room and Judge's chamber were set up in the Fort Frances Town Hall. This arrangement served the District for several years until 1913 when it was decided to construct a permanent courthouse for the district. Plans and specifications for the new courthouse were prepared by Chief Architect F. R. Heakes, tenders were called and on the 30th of July, 1913 a contract was signed for the building's construction. The contract for general trades was awarded to the Fort William firm of Seaman and Penniman (who were responsible for constructing the Black Bay Bridge in Thunder Bay) and Mr. A. F. Scott of Fort Frances was appointed superintendent of works. Contract price for the building was fixed at $54,719. William J. Hynes, Toronto was responsible for the plasterwork, the Berlin Interior Hardware Co. for the interior furnishings and the Ontario Art Brass Co, (Toronto) for the electric fixtures.

In plan and design, the courthouse built at Fort Frances represents what might be termed a standard plan for courthouses in Northern Ontario Districts. It closely ressembled the courthouse built in Kenora in 1910-11 and was identical to a courthouse built at Haileybury in the Timiskaming District. This courthouse at Haileybury was also constructed during the years 1913-14 but it was destroyed by fire in 1922, and replaced by a building of different and larger design.

Built on the plan of a T, the courthouse at Fort Frances was of two storeys constructed in brick and resting on a plinth of stone and sub-grade basement and foundation of cement. The roof features two attic dormers on each side of the building and a central cupola which lit the court room below. The main entrance was located in the the centre of the front of the building and ornamented by a stone portico and steps. The stone was used elsewhere in the building for added interest and decoration, specifically in a simple belt course which serves to delineate the first and second storeys and in the sills and heads of the windows and doors. The design of these window heads is identical to that employed at both Kenora and Haileybury.

Inside the courthouse is a corridor which runs the width of the building and gives access to various offices and rooms. The court room is also located on the ground floor at the rear of the building, in what might be termed the tail of the T. When constructed the court room was a full two storeys high with a glass domed ceiling, similar to that at Kenora and with a plaster coat of arms executed by the Toronto firm of William J. Hynes, plasterer. The remainder of the space was given over to a Jury room, library and offices for the court recorder and crown attorney.

The courthouse in Fort Frances was completed in the autumn of 1914 and survives as an example of the sort of public building constructed by the Department of Public Works in the early years of the twentieth century. In many ways it is typical of courthouses built in the Northern Districts. Constructed to a standard design, much of the detailing in the building was the work of firms such as the Berlin Interior Hardware Co. and William J. Hynes who were awarded contracts elsewhere in the north. Although the courthouse has undergone numerous interior repairs and renovations, both the interior arrangement of space and the building's exterior remain essentially similar to the intent of the architect. The building still houses the courts of the region." ~ Ontario Heritage Property website

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