'A noble house in the city': Domestic architecture as elite signification in late 19th century Hamilton (Ontario).

摘要

This thesis is an investigation of a social elite in Hamilton, Ontario, at the end of the nineteenth-century and its use of architectural form to enforce the social order. The homes of this elite were physically connected by a linear grid of streets, and psychologically connected by a strong social network of women. The linear and temporal progression from public street to private inner space strengthened and enforced the structure of this elite and also helped to define the elite character and form of the neighbourhood. The development of this urban area has been studied through an analysis of the structure of the elite, the architectural form and symbolism of their houses, and the relationship of both to the form and character of the social structure that was in place at the end of the nineteenth century. Domestic architecture, social structure, and urban form are intimately connected. In Hamilton, a critical mass of similarly defined individuals occupying visually distinctive homes was necessary to maintain not only the social hierarchy but also the status of the neighbourhood as elite. An elite group also requires the presence of dominating personalities. The relationship of Adam Brown, William Hendrie, and W. E. Sanford, and their importance to the maintenance of the elite through the location and form of their residences has been shown. The importance of women for the maintenance of Hamilton's elite society through teas, calls, and philanthropy and the relationship of these social events to interior house form is discussed. Visual sources, such as Bird's-Eye Views, contemporary maps, architectural plans, and contemporary photographs, used in conjunction with written material, such as diaries and other personal papers, have proven invaluable.