April 2023
The waterfront of the southern Ontario cities of Burlington and Hamilton used to be dotted with cottages, built for wealthy area residents to escape the summer heat. While most have been demolished in favour of giant mansions and parkland, especially on the Burlington side, and an assortment of businesses, one century-old cottage remains on Burlington’s waterfront, just east of the downtown core: the Carmen Elizabeth Lake House, a vacation home marketed for short-term rentals.
Once known as the White-Latham House, the 1 1/2-storey Craftsman-style house, was built between 1905-07 by prominent developer William Delos Flatt, better known as W.D. Flatt, a businessman, author and developer of numerous homes on Hamilton Mountain and in Burlington, for a Mr. White, of Hamilton. The Craftsman-style was a favourite of W.D. Flatt and it’s an exceptional example of an Edwardian-era summer house.
Built with a high truncated hipped roof, with overhanging eaves displaying rafter tails, something comparable to the eaves and rafter tails at the Burlington West Grant Trunk Railway station, built in 1909. The front of the cottage, which faces the lake, has a large offset projecting gable. The white paint enhances the effect of the strong triangle brackets supporting the overhanging eaves of the front gable, and emphasizes the well-proportioned trim of the windows.
The verandah has a continuous band of eighteen-paned windows, some of which slide open on brass rollers. The corners of the verandah window frame are supported by very substantial arched brackets.
The double-hung windows have six over one pane in the usual Craftsman style. They are grouped in pairs on the west-side bedrooms and occur singly on the east and north elevations. All the original windows, except for the verandah windows and the bathroom window, have solid shutters with large metal hinge brackets and crescent moon cut-outs.
The unusually wide rough-sawn clapboard siding (8-inch exposure) is protected by a natural dark brown stain, and the trim is painted white. This is the earliest known example in Burlington of this treatment.
The cottage was sold around 1910 to Richard L. Latham, who was the Chief Engineer for the Toronto Hamilton & Buffalo Railway (TH & B) in Hamilton, whose family maintained the cottage for around 80 years.
The Carmen Elizabeth Lake House has been thoroughly modernized, including a new, fully-equipped kitchen, but it still maintains many of the original features, such as the custom design, ornate detailing, wooden beams, brick interior, wood burning fireplace, and original 100-year old hard wood flooring throughout.
The double entrance on the verandah has been narrowed from its original width, which is indicated by the characteristic Craftsman Style entrance steps.
Once through the double entrance doors and then through the interior double doors, leading from the verandah to the sitting room, guests will find a massive brick fireplace with a bracketed wooden mantelpiece, aligning with the doors. A bookcase with drawers beneath is built in alongside the fireplace.
The dining room contains a built-in cabinet with leaded glass doors not dissimilar to the stained-glass work that was to be featured in Flatt’s own house, Lakehurst Villa, built a few years later. A narrow staircase leads up from the dining room to what was originally an attic over the verandah, where one of the four bedrooms can be found, along with an en-suite bathroom and a walk-in closet.
The other three bedrooms are on the main floor and each one captivates a distinctive theme: the Rose Room encompasses pinks, antique make-up, vanity & florals; the Periwinkle Room is filled with blue hues & mesmerizing prints; and the Emerald Room is soft and peaceful.
All of this interior woodwork, including the window trim and plate rails in the dining room and sitting room and the floors, is completely unspoiled, including the original cupboards in the pantry, and has its original dark walnut-stained finish. The plaster walls and coved ceilings are in excellent condition and the cottage includes vintage furniture.
Topping it all off, the cottage property includes a stunning backyard with views and access to Lake Ontario. Some roses remain from the garden of Richard Latham, who grew many prize-winning blooms. Guests can relax around the fire pit in Muskoka chairs and loungers. Unfortunately, the rise of the lake level in recent years has caused the loss of the beach and the original dock.
Sources: William Delos Flatt (1862-1936) – Find a Grave Memorial, White-Latham House, Carmen Elizabeth Lake House, Heritage … | Flickr, Shore Acres – Report – Property Stories – Experience Our Heritage – Building Stories, Heritage Burlington – Discover Our Stories, Carmen Elisabeth Lake House – Short Term Rental in Burlington Ontario, City Residences – Once Upon A Stay.
