Picton’s historic Crystal Palace is the last one remaining in Canada

The Crystal Palace, 1997. Photo: Bruce Forsyth.

January 2022

The historic southern Ontario town of Picton, dates back to the early days of British North America. First settled in the 1780s by United Empire Loyalists who fled north during the American Revolutionary War, the town was named after Lieutenant-General Sir Thomas Picton, second-in-command to the Duke of Wellington at the Battle of Waterloo.

One of the more striking historic buildings in the town is The Crystal Palace. Built in 1890 by Frank T. Wright, at the Picton Fairgrounds, it’s a scale version of Sir Joseph Paxton’s original Crystal Palace, in London, England. Unlike Paxton’s original, which was built using cast iron, Picton’s version is a wooden structure.

Paxton’s design of expansive glass was inspired by greenhouses, and following the construction of his first Crystal Palace in 1851, for the Great Exhibition at Hyde Park in London, other “Crystal Palaces” sprang up at agricultural fairs throughout the world including the Ontario cities and towns of Picton, Kingston, Napanee and Toronto.

Completely surrounded with windows right up to its cupola, the two-storey, open-concept interior is flooded with natural light. Featuring solid, natural wood floors and a historic colour scheme of light yellow, green, The Crystal Palace is perfect venue for special events, formal galas and weddings.

Picton’s Crystal Palace faced the prospect of demolition in the 1980s, as the aging building needed extensive restoration. In 1990, Prince Edward County began a restoration project, and in 1997, the Crystal Palace officially re-opened on 15 June 1997, by the Honourable Hillary M, Weston, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario.

However, the following two decades have taken their toll on the wooden structure, so another restoration assessment was undertaken in 2019. Significant wood rot was found throughout the buildings, including with a large number of window frames, all of which will require repair or replacement.

Unlike in the 1980s, there is no talk of demolition this time, so after a multi-year revitalization, the 131-year-old Crystal Palace will continue to host events well into 21st Century and beyond.

It’s one of the few original Crystal Palaces remaining in the world, and the only one left in Canada.

Even Paxton’s Crystal Palace no longer stands, having been destroyed by a fire on 30 November 1936.

The original Kingston Crystal Palace was torn down in the late 1880s. Palace Road, which runs past the former Crystal Palace property near Queen’s University’s West Campus, is a nod to the original structure. A new Crystal Palace was built a few miles to the east, on the Memorial Centre property, in 1888, but this too was demolished in 1946.

Toronto’s Crystal Palace, once located on the west side of the Canadian National Exhibition grounds, was destroyed by a fire in 1906. The CNE’s Horticulture Building, topped with a very large glass dome, was built in its place.

The Picton Crystal Palace can be found at 375 Picton Main Street in Picton.