Pictured is the façade from a gabled dormer salvaged from a Regency (1820-1840) cottage on the St. Lawrence River, between the towns of Ingleside and Long Sault, in Stormont County, Ontario. It is almost as if the absence of electricity and modern tools caused the makers of these facades to exert care in the choice of materials and the execution of the design. Today we seem never to have the time to do things well in the first place, although there is always time to do them over again.

Simple dentil molding adorns the sloped undersides of the pediment and conservative pilasters are caped by hand formed plinths and capitals. A delicate whimsy appears in the scrollwork under the pediment overhangs and over painted outlines confirms the inclusion of acanthus leaf fretwork, long since gone from the tympanum.

This piece of art will survive – not because of what it is but for what it says about its unknown creator and his times.

*This dormer façade, converted with slate inserts in lieu of glass, will endure as a blackboard in a loving environment, worthy of its pedigree. (See photo attached)