WHA lectures focus on 19th-century homes

Four of these grand old houses will be examined by the Westmount Historical Association this spring as part of its series of monthly lectures at the Westmount Public Library, WHA president Doreen Lindsay announced this week.

Co-organized by Lindsay and Caroline Breslaw, the series opens on Thursday, Feb. 21, when Lindsay herself takes the podium for a look at Braemar, the 1847 brick villa perched above The Boulevard near The Study. Easily recognized for the wooden second-floor gallery running around its perimeter, Braemar is classified as an 'exceptional' Westmount property.

The series continues on March 20 with a bit of a twist on the usual lecture format. Members of Dramatis Personae, Westmount's community theatre troupe, will present the history of Riverview, the familiar old house at 513-514 Côte St. Antoine Rd. which also dates back to 1847. The presentation will be directed for the WHA by Ann Elbourne and Ellen Rubin.

On April 17, the restoration and preservation of another landmark, at the other end of Côte St. Antoine Road, will be discussed by the house's current owner, Edith Zorychta. The century-old building at 37 Côte St. Antoine was built by the well-known architect Edward Maxwell who, along with his brother William, was responsible for many prominent Montreal buildings — including the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. During recent renovation work, Zorychta discovered and restored many original features, details of which she will share with the WHA.

The lectures series concludes on May 15, when architect Rosanne Moss discusses the history and features of her own home, the wooden house at 474 Mount Pleasant Ave. Dating back to 1890, the house was built in the Queen Anne Revival style by J.K. Ward, a well-known citizen and Westmount's second mayor, who served from 1875 to 1883.

The WHA's spring lecture series, entitled 'Preservation of Westmount Homes Built in the 1800s' takes place on the third Thursday of each month, February through May, in the Westmount Room of the Westmount Public Library, 4574 Sherbrooke St. W. at 7 p.m. Admission is free for WHA members, $5 at the door for non-members. For more information, contact the WHA at 514-925-1404 or 514-932-6688.