The Frank Wiser Home
724 King Street West, Prescott, ON
Heritage Attributes
This property is part of the Wiser properties which represent a significant legacy of Prescott's Historical and Architectural Heritage. It also shows the evolution and changes in lifestyle and design of riverfront and town properties in the Town of Prescott.
Eugene Frank Wiser purchased the property in 1888 and then sold to his father, J.P. Wiser in 1905.
This two-storey hip-roofed structure made of coursed rubble masonry, is classically inspired in it proportions, with regularly placed windows and an off-center doorway with rectangular transom and sidelights. The house has many Italianate details including a bracketed frieze under the eaves and window hood moulds with floral appliques. It has a stucco finish and prominent bracketed cornice from that era. The interior exhibits a range of moulding profiles that differentiate the stages of construction and the relative importance of spaces, with flat trim work in the stone block and more elaborate trim elsewhere Fireplace mantles range from early classically inspired models to a c. 1920s version with radiating brickwork in the dining room.
The property is enhanced by a stone and iron fence with stone gateposts and an early coach house with evidence of horse stalls, recalls the building's beginnings as a large country estate.
Together with the properties located at 741 and 724 King Street west, there is a strong historical, architectural, and contextual (environmental) value that should be protected.
Property Information
Legal Description
Plan 19 Block 3 Part Lots 50-51, Plan 19 Block 3, Part Lots 51-52
Designating By-Law