One of the many old homes in the central portion of "old" Orillia - the area surrounding the downtown core. This one can be found along Mississaga Street West surrounded by other old homes of varying style and design.
Along Mississaga Street West, a portion of one of the blocks showing more of the old home styles and the lovely mature trees that line many of the streets in Orillia's established neighbourhoods.
A lovely home on Peter Street. At the time this photo was taken (2005) there was a "Bed and Breakfast" sign hanging out front.
A blue-painted waterfront home on Cedar Island Point; here, a raised deck and many windows face the lake, giving the inhabitants a fantastic view of Lake Couchiching.
A neat portion of a block just outside of the downtown area in Orillia. Here, old brick homes are beautifully kept.
An old Victorian "mill workers" house on Mississaga Street in need of some TLC. This house, along with many others of almost identical style and layout were built in 1890 along Mississaga Street as homes for the mill workers. This house had many upgrades to it's interior, and was awaiting work on the exterior when it was sold to the hospital, along with it's last remaining neighbour. Both homes were demolished in 2009 to make way for a parking lot.
The rose bushes at the front of this home were over 60 years old and heaven only knows where they've gone. They were very much too large to take with us when we left this place.
A street close to the downtown core lined with old homes lie sleeping in the hour after dawn - these homes are set close together near the old market area.
A lovely cape-cod style home (now used for a business) with a 1920s style stands out against the winter snows with it's black facade and white windows. Neat and pretty, this home/business is located close to the old market district.
At the time this photo was taken this building (Elgin Bay Condos) at the far end of Veteran's Park was still in it's completion stages. While this is a lovely building, it really doesn't belong along the waterfront. One of the things most of us living here do not want to see is a waterfront crowded by tall buildings - in fact buildings of almost any sort.
Lovely and expensive, this building really wasn't meant for your average Orillian. The units here are lovely, and the location is perfect for those who don't drive or prefer to walk but between the cost of the condo fees and the taxes, many locals may not also be able to afford a mortgage to buy one of these.
For many residents of Orillia this is a fairly well-known house. Over the years it has been under fire and is subject to fairly frequent inspections - while it was (and still is) illegal to sell pot (marijuana) or weed, it wasn't illegal to sell the tools associated with it, like fancy roach clips.
Cavana House - Once upon a time this was a private home, then a bed and breakfast, and now a spa and inn, this lovely old Victorian is another example of Orillia's rich historical architecture. At one time, this had 6 bed and bath combinations.
Mississaga Street, Orillia, Ont.
Cavana House (2)
Classic Victorian Home - This pretty Victorian home is located near the downtown core - large and well-kept, it's one of the many old homes that line the streets near Orillia's heritage downtown centre.
Orillia Old Homes (1) - One of the lovely older homes near Orillia's downtown area - guessing from the style, perhaps built from 1900 to 1920s (just a guess).
September Passing on Lake Couchiching - this old home was one of my favourite views from the waterfront. It's colourful exterior lit the landscape like a perfect picture post card. In the last couple of years, this home was sold and the new owners demolished it in order to replace it with a new and modern house. Such a shame to see it gone, and the landscape view will never be as pleasing as it was when this home stood proudly in it's place.
Leacock Boathouse - the boathouse at the Stephen Leacock Museum. While the museum is located in the original summer home, the boathouse is a fairly new reconstruction, built to the original design. This view is from the water.
Waterfront condominiums on edge of Orillia's Veteran's Park and Cedar Island Road - a popular area on Lake Couchiching.
Waterfront condominium homes at the Edge of Veteran's Park in Orillia, and the beginning of Cedar Island Road (Elgin Bay Club).
A home at the edge of the city proper - it's nearly rural location has more property than central Orillia homes.
A newer home in one of the Westridge subdivisions. Here, a winter snowstorm blankets the area with white. These more moderns homes are becoming very popular in Orillia.
A small and ordinary home in Orillia's south ward. There are many such homes scattered throughout Orillia, and though they are small, some have well kept exteriors and beautifully finished interiors. This one was undergoing some renovations at the time this photo was taken.
A new"ish" subdivision along Allan Street. This is one of the smaller streets in Orillia, running from Mississaga Street, crossing Mary and ending up at a dead end. At least until they began building in this area. To the left of the dead end (at the end of the row of houses shown here) is an entrance to Woodside Park; to the right you'll find Ashton Street - another new subdivision in the area.
Obrien Street is one of the very old areas in town, though the street is quite short (running only from Mississaga St. to Nottawasaga St.) it is an area of old homes with much charm. Where Obrien Street meets Mississaga (the background area of the photo) you can see a portion of Orillia Soldiers Memorial Hospital.
In the area surrounding the old Market Square (behind the old library just off Mississaga St. where Nottawasaga, Mary and Andrew Streets converge you'll find a large number of old homes. Here, one has added some Muskoka chairs to a weathered front porch.
More old homes lining Mississaga Street. Many of the homes on Mississaga have beautifully detailed woodwork - much of it original, and some have opted to restore their "Painted Ladies", while others have modernized their exteriors with porch enclosures. Here, two of the homes have retained their original fittings.
The beginning of Louise Lane just off Westmount Street. This housing style was very popular in the early 2000s and in some area, this style of home is still being built, though many of the new subdivisions today in Orillia rely on home designs that are narrower and can be built on smaller lot sizes.
One of the newer subdivisions sandwiched in between areas of older homes. This subdivision has an entrance off of Westmount Drive and winds its way (to the left is Ashton St) to a row of new houses on Allan Street, and to the right is Louise Lane.
A lovely waterfront home along one of the "points" on Lake Chouchiching. Here, the home's size and surroundings are more in keeping with what many would call an "estate" property.
Two waterfront homes on Lake Couchiching - most of the waterfront properties in this particular area have separate "boathouses" that look much like your average garage, though their flooring is lake water rather than concrete. In these waters, docks and diving platforms abound, and what some of us may consider "homes", others consider "cottages". Most of the cottages on the waterfronts adjacent to Orillia's harbour and port area are year-round homes.
In the last few years there has been an increase in waterfront constructions, notably of waterfront condos. One of the newest efforts has been the Orchard Point Condo project, and Panoramic Point (near Tudhope Park), but there are others. The first of the "large building kind" to hit Orillia's waterfronts was the Elgin Bay Club (images above). Others that are more similar to townhomes and houses are Invermara Bay and Sophie's Landing.
 |
| Orchard Point Condo project while under construction |