Designations

Hotel Genosha

Property Name:	Hotel Genosha
Street Address:	68 - 72 King St. E.
Municipality:	Oshawa
Regional Municipality:	Durham
Date of Designation:	June 2005
Construction Date:	c. 1925
Protection Designator:	Ontario Heritage Act Designation - Part 4

Reason for Designation

Historical Reasons

Built in 1929, The Genosha Hotel (the Genosha) was designed and built by owners J. W. Butler and Co., formerly with the Prince Arthur Hotel chain. The hotel offered luxury accommodation when it opened. The unfortunate timing of its inaugural year, coinciding with a severe downturn in the national economy and the ensuing depression, undermined its financial viability for several years. In spite of this circumstance, the Genosha was popular with the travelling public and proved to be a hub of community activities. Whether it was for a club meeting, family gathering, business luncheon, coffee, dinner or dancing, the Genosha was the venue of choice. It was the bus terminal, radio station and home to a variety of offices and shops. Due to the impact the building of Highway 401 in the 1960’s had on the long distance traffic along King Street, the hotel suffered another downturn and eventually became a tavern and rooming house. Although the Genosha went through a period of decline, it now has the opportunity to relive its former glory and add to the revitalization of downtown Oshawa.

Architectural Reasons

The Genosha Hotel is architecturally significant as an excellent example of Chicago Style design that is articulated by features with modest Art Deco influences.

It is visually divided into three sections: 1) a commercial street level section, once outlined with concrete or limestone but now marred by the herringbone cladding and the heavy wood banding, 2) an intermediate section of wall and window rhythms that are still intact, and 3) an attic or roof-line section that was once capped with more extensive cornices and parapets.

The hotel is a six-storey, rectangular, flat-roofed, buff brick clad building occupying a block of land stretching between Mary, Bond, Victoria and King Streets. The prominent entrance façade faces south to King Street East and was once marked by a prominent canopy. A two-storey wing exists on the north face of the building with an east-facing front façade.

The building contains a grid-like organization of window placements and wall surfaces with cornices and parapets in contrasting masonry material. The fenestration treatment for the openings include an ornate combination of casement sashes with upper transoms. There are flat concrete or limestone lintels and lugsills.

Of interest are the vertical ribbons of projecting brick that simulate columnar features. The top floor contains ornamental balconettes. The roofline is trimmed with heavy, light coloured dentiling on the south and east face with a short turnback at each corner.

Another heritage attribute of the building is found on its north elevation which entails semi-circular arches at the ground level marking the original ballroom, which have been recently filled in with concrete blocks.