London Buildings: Double Houses

Midway between terrace housing and the detached home is the double house - that is, a house divided vertically by a common wall, designed for two families living side by side, each with their own entry. The double house was usually two storeys, the two sides usually, but not always, symmetrical if built at the same time. Seldom associated with a particular social class or architectural style, they were often built as rental units by landlords who lived elsewhere. The form probably stemmed from a desire for economy, since the shared wall meant a structure less expensive to build than two separate dwellings. 

A fine example is this Italianate double house located at 526-528 Waterloo Street. Built in 1874, it has the typical symmetry associated with double houses and fits in well with the surrounding mansions. 

Another attractive example is 80-82 Stanley Street, a colourful Victorian built ca. 1887.  At least one part is now an attractive apartment with nice hardwood floors and exposed brick walls. 

466-468 Queens Avenue is an example of a double house in which the two sides were built at different times. 468 (right portion) is the earlier part, its construction date unknown, while 466 was built about 1878. The doorways are original but that beautiful rounded stained glass window is an early replacement.

Not all double houses look as stylish as the above. Note this primitive structure on Ann Street:

Then there's 93-95 Dufferin, a double house in use as a commercial space since the 1980s. 93, the portion on the right, was built in about 1868 by Samuel Peters, Jr. (architect of Grosvenor Lodge) while 95 was added in the 1890s. The centre portion, associated with the original structure, was built in the 1880s. 93 shows Georgian influence, while 95 is more Italianate.    

It was Rygar Properties that first planned a mixed-use development for this site. Their plan was controversial since it involved the demolition of Camden Terrace on Talbot Street. The city allowed Rygar to demolish Camden provided they build a commemorative replica and incorporate 93-95 Dufferin into the new development.

Then Rygar sold to Old Oak Properties in 2019 and Old Oak applied to demolish the double house in early 2021. Heritage activists argued that the original agreement with Rygar should apply to the new landowner as well. City Council agreed and turned down the demolition request. Old Oak has now agreed to incorporate these buildings into their highrise development. 

So in May 2021 we have this going on:

It will be interesting to see how Old Oak incorporates the above double house into a development that includes a 40-storey skyscraper. 

A late 20th century double house in south London. Same idea ... but without charm.

London Buildings: Terrace housing

A 19th-century term for row housing, terrace housing refers to identical or mirror-image houses sharing side walls. Such terraces were a traditional British form of domestic architecture generally only found in the larger urban areas of Ontario. London has several examples. 

One of the loveliest, 339-349 Princess Avenue (left), known as Princess Terrace, was built in about 1886 in the High Victorian Style. The roof line is broken by three gables with decorative wooden details and round windows. There used to be porches but they were removed during renovations. 

March 2022: Unfortunately, the easternmost unit now has black, instead of white, windows. 

A sad example is Camden Terrace at 479-489 Talbot Street (right), built 1876-77. The buildings, owned by Rygar Properties, have suffered from neglect for years. Rygar intends to demolish the terrace and build three residential towers on this site, incorporating a rebuilt facade of the terrace in the lobby. This, of course, with London city council's blessing, since the majority of councilors voted in favour of demolition on September 13. Take a look while you still can. 

The Camden Terrace situation raises the issue of infill development in London's core. How much do we want, where do we want it, and what should it look like? How many heritage buildings will be lost to highrises?

Update: Demolition of CT began in November 2016 and is now complete. 

August 2018: And Rygar has not yet started building on this site. 

2019: Rygar sold to Old Oak Properties. So yet another developer has demolished a building and been unable to follow through on its development plans. It will be interesting to see what Old Oak proposes.

February 2021: What Old Oak proposes is to rebuild the facade of Camden Terrace on the outside of the new development, rather than in the lobby as Rygar proposed. Another replica.