Plow Houses([1896-97])
356 Metcalfe Avenue, Westmount, QC, Canada
Residential, Urban house [2 semi-detached, basement, 2 floors; 1 detached, basement, 2 floors, attic]; brick; composite

Client: George S. Plow
Architect: E. Maxwell

Description: The two houses were built on two lots separated by an existing building. The detached unit is closer to the main street whereas the semi-detached units are set-backed further away, providing an interesting line of building footprint on the site. All buildings have a similar design strategy, in which principal and larger rooms are placed to one side of floor area accessed by a main hall and corridors running parallel to the mitoyen wall on the opposite side. The two main entrances of the semi-detached units have a different design, however, their floor plans are mirrored images of each other and separated only by a mitoyen wall. All three units employ the ground floor as the main living quarter and first and second floor bedrooms. Each unit has four bedrooms. Verandahs of different sizes were used throughout the corners on different stories to obtain wide views of what was probably once a very opened outdoor space. The three houses are also similar in structure and materials. Exterior structural walls are composed of bricks, floors are supported by wooden joists and beams, and the roof is covered with slate. However, the resulting façades of the three units have been designed quite differently. While the building of the semi-detached units maintain a verticality in its division of bays, the detached building, in contrast, emphasizes the horizontal with wide sloping gable roofs and small dormer windows. The semi-detached houses are but one example of the many that had been built by Edward Maxwell. However the Plow houses belong among the more economical ones in the terms of cost. At that time of construction, their cost was $9.000, whereas another semi-detached unit, the house for Duncan McIntyre brothers and Elspeth H. Angus had cost $28.246

Holdings: Urban house (2 semi-detached, basement, 2 floors; 1 detached, basement, 2 floors, attic); brick; composite
44 Drawings: 8 ink on linen; 6 ink on paper; 16 watercolour on linen; 14 blueprints
2 Presentation drawings: floor plans
4 Development drawings: interior perspective, floor plans, elevations
17 Working drawings: floor plans, attic floor plan, elevations, sections
21 Detail drawings: floor plans, attic floor plan, elevations, drawing room, conservatory, kitchen, main hall, structure