Lornehurst
294 Court Street North
Year Built: 1906
Architect: Unknown
Contractors: William E. White and J. Sheppard
Style: Second Empire (popular in Canada in the 1880’s and 1890’s)
Notable Features: Square tower with mansard-roof
Queen-Anne inspired circular tower, capped with iron pinnacle
Designation Date: April 8th, 1991
By-Law No.: 75-1991
Legal Description: Plan 579 Blk K Lot 11
Current Owner: Dr. James Bruce Minore
Description:
The Lornehurst house, appears somewhat menacing with its mansard-roofed tower, earned itself the spooky reputation of being haunted and bringing misfortune to its inhabitants. The house had an ominous beginning that was certainly unfortunate for its originals owners. Lornehurst was built in 1906 for William and Rebecca White. William was a local contractor who chose to build on the beautiful land of Court Street Ridge because of its ideal location and unrestricted view of the harbour. Many of Port Arthur’s earliest businessmen built their houses upon this ridge. White also chose the location because of its proximity to his business partner, Mr. James Sheppard, who lived next door. The men shared a contracting business and were joint owners of a sash and door factory. They constructed the Whites’ three-storey house together, but had a falling out shortly after. Along with some local creditors, (including the Pigeon River Lumber Company), Sheppard sued White and found himself in possession of the Lornehurst house. The Whites had spent barely one year in their home.
James Sheppard sold the house for $7,000 to Andrew C. Waltz, who never actually lived in Lornehurst, using it as a revenue property only. That its’ owners wouldn’t occupy the house seemed to be a trend for Lornehurst; in 1984 the house approached 80 years of age, having only been inhabited by its’ owners for 25 of those years. Rumours of murder and misfortune abound as to why this should be so.
The murder that apparently took place at the Lornehurst house is quite mysterious indeed, for very little is known about it. It is unknown when this murder took place, or who was killed, as no one was ever reported missing, and no body has ever been found. In fact there is absolutely no factual evidence that would support the murderous claim! The current owner of the Lornehurst, Dr. J.B. Minore, says that this story is “illogical,” and that the ‘disappearance’ of a man which allegedly took place at the house was probably just a sailor who returned to his ship and was never seen in Port Arthur again.
As for the misfortunes that have befallen the residents of the Lornehurst house; they are nothing more than usual tragedies of life; divorces, sick children, nightmares, hair loss and the like. Yet, there do seem to be an abundance of these ‘unlucky’ tales that emerge from the house. And so, the legends of Lornehurst persist.
The rumours of hauntings were probably aided by a tenant who claimed to “be in touch with the other side” and who took photographs of spirits that were “whitish and of infinite and billowy shape.” Dr. Minore, whose ownership of the house for almost 25 years makes him the longest owner-occupant (by a landslide), claims that he has witnessed nothing out of the ordinary in the building. He will, however, admit that Lornehurst has some surprises; “there is a secret room here…on the third floor, in the tower under the mansard roof. It’s tall enough to stand in, although you have to crawl through from the bedroom.”
Lornehurst is definitely an intriguing house, with its rumoured murder, hauntings, misfortunes and hidden tower room. Regardless of the factuality of many of these claims, “there’s nothing like an old house to excite the imagination.”[1]
Architecture:
The Lornehurst house was built in 1906 on a steep slope, and the design plan is rather irregular. It is a three-storey building constructed of locally made sand-lime brick. Its architecturally significant features were adaptations from the Second Empire style fashionable in Canada during the 1870’s and 1880’s, but are interpreted in Lornehurst with Edwardian restraint. By using a mansard tower, crowned by an iron cresting on one side of the house, and, on the other side, a round Queen-Anne-inspired turret, the builder achieved the picturesque, uneven silhouette desired in Second Empire designs. These towers also served in a modest way to divide the house’s mass into pavilions, another characteristic of the style.
The name of the architect – if there was one – is not known; the somewhat dated style (for 1906) may indicate that it was copied from a pattern book published much earlier. To the rear of the house was a small carriage shed with a stall for one horse. This structure is now used as a garage.
The house has undergone some rather significant alterations since its construction. Shortly after World War it was divided into apartments; this was accomplished by adding to what was originally servants’ quarters on the third floor, enclosing the back porch, and closing off the basement entrance. These changes are visible only from the rear of the house.
The front façade, which is of greater architectural interest, is only somewhat altered. The verandah (which appears in a 1907 photo of the house) is gone and where entry was gained to it on the second floor, there is now a small window. Another second floor front window was also bricked in for reasons unknown. More recently, a previous owner replaced the front door and all the double-hung windows on the first floor with plate glass. In the process, the oak sills in the downstairs rooms were damaged. The current owner, Dr. Minore, has found the three curved glass windows from the circular turret and has refitted them.
The house is in good condition, especially since Dr. Minore bought the property and began the slow process of restoration. Where it is not feasible to restore the original features of the house, care is being taken to ensure that the work is done sympathetically to the period and design.[2]
[1] Request for Property Designation under the Ontario Heritage Act City of Thunder Bay’s City Clerk’s Office Archives
294 Court Street North, City of Thunder Bay’s City Clerk’s Office Archives
Frood, David. House of Mystery. North Magazine, February 16th, 1992
[2] Request for Property Designation under the Ontario Heritage Act City of Thunder Bay’s City Clerk’s Office Archives