Ancestral Roofs

"In Praise of Older Buildings"

Wednesday, March 11, 2020

Bless your little pointy head

Last Sunday, on walkabout in Napanee, I got another look at this intriguing building on Dundas Street East. My shots don't do it justice, and my walking partner trudging doggedly ahead didn't allow for time to capture the other faces of the stone building.





So here's a  Streetview portal, should you wish to explore further.

 On my next trip to one of my favourite towns, I will spend more time at the corner of Dundas and Adelphi, and capture the features of the building in more detail. Can't find anything online about the structure. There are lots of nice touches in the stone structure, and that false front is just splendid!

So, more to follow but while I'm waiting , I will share something frivolous. While this building has wonderful features, its crowning touch, the superb false front, has always made me think of the "spear-bodied elf character,William Wrigley" who featured in Wrigley's chewing gum ads when I was a kid. "Spearmint, an herb with pointy leaves, is represented by the sharp point on the elf's head." The icon  had staying power; it was introduced back in 1914.

Thanks to Fading Ads of Milwaukee, Arcadia Publishing, the facts (and the quotes above) appeared during my search for meaning...well, of this facade, at least.


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