Lindsay delves into Braemar's long history

The house has always fascinated Lindsay, and she recently set out to answer a series of questions she had been asking herself: Who built this unique house? Who was it built for? Who lived in it? What does the name Braemar mean? Have the galleries with columns always surrounded the house? Who built those three houses in front of Braemar, hiding it from view?

"I looked for answers to many of these questions about Braemar and was pleased to present my findings to the 50 regular members of the Westmount Historical Association plus visitors who attended the WHA talk," Lindsay stated.

Her research revealed some interesting facts. For instance, Braemar and a twin house to the west named Clairvue had been built in 1847 with delightful designs being attributed to architect William Footner, who was also the architect of Bonsecours Market in Old Montreal.

"In 1866, when Eliza Lane Ross bought the house, she gave it the name Braemar, meaning beauty on the side of a hill — brae meaning upper slope of a hill and mar meaning beauty and harmony," Lindsay said.

She pointed out that Braemar is described as an example of the Regency style, which was popular between 1810 and 1860 and is considered one of three varieties of Neo–Classicism. "I found similarities in the architecture of Braemar to the plantation house, also called a gallery house, which developed in the south of the United States after 1700 by French Protestant settlers. The plantation house was oriented toward the river, was built on a hilltop to provide a view, had a large sheet-metal roof, and was surrounded by a porch-like gallery.

"This splendid Villa still stands proudly on our mountainside but it is hidden behind other houses, suffocating for lack of space to breathe as it once did," Lindsay concluded. "I have combined a combination of the history of the land and of the people who lived in Braemar to shape its history through time."

The next lecture in the WHA's series will take place on Thursday, March 20, when members of local theatre troupe Dramatis Personae present a history of Riverview, a grand Victorian home on Cote St. Antoine Road. For more information on the lecture series, contact the WHA at 514-925-1404 or 514-932-6688.