Excerpt from www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=8201:

Description of Historic Place

The building at 55 King Street West, known as Victoria Hall, fronts the entire block between Third Street and King Street West in the Town of Cobourg. The three-storey sandstone clad building was designed in a Victorian interpretation of the English Palladian style by architect Kivas Tully and was constructed from 1856-60.

The exterior, select areas of the interior and the scenic character of the property are protected by an Ontario Heritage Trust conservation easement. The property also received heritage designation by the Town of Cobourg under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act (By-law 83-82). In 1959 Victoria Hall was designated a National Historic Site by the Government of Canada.
Heritage Value

Located in the heart of Cobourg's downtown, Victoria Hall dominates King Street as a major architectural landmark and is the most impressive heritage building in Northumberland County. Two blocks due north of Cobourg's harbour, Victoria Hall was positioned in one of the town's most prominent locations. While not facing the harbour, the structure's substantial form would capture the attention of all those travelling by ship. Victoria Hall contributes to an important concentration of civic buildings within the same block that includes the Old Market Building and Fire Hall both located to the south.

Victoria Hall, Cobourg's town hall, served as the town's administrative and government offices since its opening by the Prince of Wales in 1860. From 1860-1956, Victoria Hall also housed the administrative, judicial and government offices for the United Counties of Northumberland and Durham. In addition to these municipal offices, and a court room (shared by the jurisdictions), the building was also the town's primary meeting and entertainment venue with a concert hall capable of seating nearly 1,000 people. Originally, some of the building's 26 offices were rented out, providing an important source of revenue. The Masonic Lodge established their meeting room within the building, and numerous professionals also rented quarters, including James Cockburn, a barrister and Father of Confederation. Constructed at the enormous cost of $110,000, the grandeur of Victoria Hall reflects the confidence possessed by Cobourg's citizens in the 1850s, who believed that their community was destined to become an important city worthy of such an impressive municipal structure. During this period, Cobourg's economy flourished due to a busy harbour, the province's largest cloth factory, and agricultural wealth from substantial grain growing. Fuelling the optimism was the completion in 1854 of the much anticipated railway from Cobourg to Peterborough, and Cobourg's assured position on the Grand Trunk Railway's main line between Montreal and Toronto (built 1853-56).

Victoria Hall is one of the finest public buildings in Canada. It was designed by the Toronto architect, Kivas Tully, who was also responsible for designing Toronto's Trinity College. Constructed of pale yellow brick with Cleveland sandstone cladding, Victoria Hall was built 1856-60 by contractors William and David Burnett. The building is distinguished by a Corinthian columned portico on an arcade base that forms a distinctly Palladian frontispiece. The rusticated first storey and classically detailed cupola, with open belfry and clocks, contribute to this characterization. The national emblems of Britain including the rose, thistle and shamrock are carved into panels above the cornice and in the spandrels above the main entrance, and co-exist with carvings of a classical style, such as ancient Greek lyres. Highlighting the interior of Victoria Hall is an enormous concert hall, sunken court room and sky-lit stairwells with oak staircases off a spacious foyer. The court room with its panelled boxes is modeled upon the famous Old Bailey courtroom in London, and features painting in the manner of tromp-l'oeil by Joseph Moser that incorporates the Royal Coat of Arms. The court room's rare well-type plan is the only one of its type known to survive in Canada. Elaborate tromp-l'oeil decorates the walls and ceiling of the symmetrical concert hall while the pedimented door cases and other wood work are painted to simulate fine woods. Fireproof vaults were incorporated throughout the structure for the safekeeping of municipal and court records. Significantly, the public market was not incorporated within Victoria Hall, as was common practice with other municipal buildings constructed at the time.

Source: OHT Easement Files
Character-Defining Elements

Character defining elements that contribute to the heritage value of Victoria Hall include its:
- central and prominent downtown location, aligned with the harbour, two blocks from the lakeshore
- siting adjacent to the Public Market and Fire Hall forming a cluster of important and historic civic buildings
- role as the administrative, judicial, and government headquarters for the Town of Cobourg
- role as the administrative, judicial and government headquarters for the United Counties of Northumberland and Durham
- role as the primary entertainment and meeting venue in the Town of Cobourg
- association with Kivas Tully, a significant mid-19th century Toronto architect
- symmetrical, three-storey (plus central attic storey), 'E' shaped institutional plan and massing
- low pitched slate-clad roof with stone parapets, two skylights and numerous tall, brick, internal chimneys with broad caps
- pale yellow brick and masonry construction with principal facades clad and detailed with Cleveland sandstone, with a rusticated first-storey and smoothly finished upper-stories
- frontispiece with a projecting, Corinthian columned portico with pediment over a Serlian arcade
- relieving arches with voussoirs of the first storey with inset windows
- vermiculated keystones of the arches
- Classical detailing such as Corinthian pilasters, modillion block cornice, antefix (pediment), window cornices with acanthus leaf console brackets, and carved

Tags:   Cobourg Ontario Canada Victoria Hall Town Hall ringexcellence **Heart Awards** Victoria Hall National Historic Site National Historic Sites National Historic Sites Cobourg National Historic Sites Ontario 55 King Street West

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Excerpt from trinitycobourg.ca/history.asp:

Trinity United Church was originally a Wesleyan Methodist Church. From about 1790, traveling Methodist preachers held services in homes or small chapels throughout this areas. They traveled on foot and by horseback, covering large areas called "circuits" and became known as "circuit riders" or "saddle-bag preachers." The first church on this property was a small frame chapel, 30' by 40', built in 1824 and dedicated November 28th. The building cost 300 pounds. At that time, the population of Cobourg was about 100 people.

In 1852, the frame chapel was replaced by a larger brick church simple Gothic design with tower and spire,seating 390 people. The architect was William G. Storm of Kingston. The west half of our present church, including the main entrance and the north and south porch entrances date from this time. The interior at that time had exposed beams across the ceiling, and pews closed by partitions with small doors. The gallery stairs at the back date from 1860. The church was enlarged to accommodate the growing population of both town and Victoria College.

A parsonage was built on the north side of Chapel Street in 1872. Sold in 1992, it is now used for commercial purposes. A Sunday School Hall was built beside the parsonage in 1881. Used as a Sunday School until 1959, it became the Cobourg Public Library until 1995.

Reconstruction and expansion of the church was undertaken in 1900-1901 to accommodate an increased membership due to the union of the several branches of Methodism in this area. Renamed the Cobourg Methodist Church, the building was enlarged by the addition of the transepts and a new chancel and organ loft. The interior was redesigned with arches, stained glass windows, and new semi-circular pews of oak and ash Trinity United 1900 purchased from Waterloo, Ontario. The oak railing and woodwork in the chancel were purchased from Messrs. Henderson Bros., local contractors, and members of the congregation. The sanctuary seats approximately 800 people.

Tags:   Cobourg Ontario Canada Trinity United Church Places of Worship Level 1-Photography for Recreation 284 Division Street

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Excerpt from www.saintmichaelschurchcobourg.com/aboutus.php?id=4:

The corner-stone of the present St. Michael's Church was laid on June 9, 1895 and completed church was dedicated on February 23, 1896, both ceremonies being conducted by Bishop R. A. O'Connor.

The new St. Michael's was designed in Romanesque architecture of the Basilican type and built in the red brick on the foundation of the stone. The main entrance is flanked by two square towers each of which provides an entrance. The ceiling of the three barrel vaults is supported by Ionic columns and matching pilasters on the side walls. The central and largest vault extends into the semi-circular apse. Structurally the church remains the same as it was in the beginning except that the original vestry has been enlarged.

Tags:   Cobourg Ontario Canada St. Michael's Church Places of Worship NiceShot Remember That Moment 379 Division Street

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