Oak Hall
Oak Hall is located on Portage Road, half way between Niagara Falls and Chippawa, and directly opposite Marineland.
Oak Hall now... and then...
Images from Royal Architectural Institute of Canada Journal. vol.7: no.10(1930).
The house was built in an English Late Gothic style, not untypical of many larger houses of the period, but done with a much larger budget. It cost the then-astronomic sum of about $500,000 to construct. The visitor might note the features of the style, including Tudor arches, leaded windows, the massive chimneys, repetitive gables, and, on the interior, ornate stone fireplaces and extensive carved wood panelling. At the time, Canadian culture looked to Britain for many of its sources, partly as an attempt (still ongoing) to differentiate itself from American culture.
Sir Harry Oakes (1st Baronet, (23 December 1874 – 7 July 1943)) was one of the many colourful characters that have been involved with Niagara over the centuries - and into the 21st century.
He was borne in Maine, the son of a prosperous lawyer, and received a good education, culminating in two years in medical school. In 1898 he caught 'gold fever', left medical school, and went to Alaska. He prospected for a decade and a half around the world, before 'striking it rich' in Kirkland Lake in Northern Ontario. After achieving affluence, Oakes, together with his family, came to reside in Niagara Falls. For tax reasons he lived in the Bahamas from 1935 until his death. Oakes was bizarrely murdered in July 1943. The murder was never solved, and many questions remain, and there have been many speculations about what actually happened, and it appeared that evidence had been fabricated, perhaps to protect someone - either the murderer, or someone associated with Oakes' lifestyle. Books and films have been created about the event.
Oakes purchased the site of Oak Hall (notice no 'e') in 1924, and built the house in 1929 and the gatehouse and stables in 1931. The architects were the local firm of Findlay & Foulis. The Oakes lived in the house between 1930 and 1935, with a son living there afterwards. The Journal of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, (RAIC Journal, Oct. 1930) included photographs of the newly completed house.
In 1943 Lady Eunice Oakes allowed the use of the house to be used as a convalescent hospital by the Royal Canadian Air Force. At the end of the war the house was returned to the family, but purchased by the Niagara Parks Commission in 1952. In 1954 some of the house was opened to the public, and in 1966 a small golf course was created. In 1982 the Niagara Parks Commission moved its offices into the house, after renovations done by Chapman Murray Associates, Architects of Niagara Falls.
Some furnished rooms are open to the public.
