33. Fraser School House

This simple but sturdy stone building sits in splendid isolation near Sussex Drive at 62-64 John Street in New Edinburgh. Originally constructed in 1837 by industrialist and founder of the village of New Edinburgh, Thomas McKay (1792-1855), as a semi-detached residence to house the workmen building his elegant family villa. That villa, which he named Rideau Hall, is today the official residence of the Governor-General of Canada.

Once his villa was completed in 1838, McKay repurposed the John Street building as a local school. On June 19, 1838, the Bytown Gazette advertised the school opening for the teaching of “Reading and Elocution, French, Writing and Arithmetic, English Grammar and Geography.” The name Fraser School House is associated with its first teacher, James Fraser, who lived in one half of the semi-detached building, while the other half served as the classroom. After its closure in 1844, the school reverted to a double residence.

A modest 1 ½ storey structure with a medium pitched gable roof, dormers and end chimneys, the Fraser School House is reminiscent of early 19th-century rural houses in northern Scotland. The walls are of uncoursed rubble stone with thick over-spread pointing of the joints. The principal elevation has centrally placed twin entrances reached by three steps and flanked by windows.

The part of the village of New Edinburgh that included the Fraser School House was absorbed into the city of Ottawa in 1887. The area included several industries first established by McKay such as lumber, grain and textiles all powered by the Rideau Falls.

In 1959, the Fraser School House was purchased by the National Capital Commission (NCC) as part of a large land acquisition on east side of Sussex Drive. The plan was to demolish the structures “considered to be inconsistent with the prominent buildings in the vicinity” and create park space to complement Sussex Drive.

By 1966, two entire blocks of buildings, industrial, commercial and residential, bounded by Stanley, John, Thomas and Alexander streets had been demolished, with the single exception of the Fraser School House, identified by an NCC committee of local historians as a building that “should be preserved for future generations."

Hence the splendid isolation of this beloved landmark, a reminder of New Edinburgh’s earliest days.

Under the ownership of the NCC the state of the building was improved and maintained, serving as Heritage Ottawa’s first official home in 1975. In 1982, the building was designated a municipal heritage property and in 1988, it was listed as a Recognized Federal Heritage Building for its strong historical associations with the founding and early development of the Village of New Edinburgh. The Fraser School House was leased by Sussex Capital Inc. in 1989 and continues to function as the company’s headquarters.

Sources

Heritage Ottawa. 50 Years | 50 Stories: https://heritageottawa.org/en/50years/11-fraser-school-house

Charles E. Goad. Insurance plan of the city of Ottawa, Canada and adjoining suburbs & lumber districts. [Montreal]. 1901

New Edinburgh Community Alliance. Walking Tour: https://newedinburgh.ca/ne-content/uploads/2020/06/NEN-Walking-Tour-2020.pdf

McKay, Thomas. Dictionary of Canadian Biography: https://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/mckay_thomas_8E.html