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Case Study: The Hillary House Koffler Museum of Medicine
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Topics in Material Culture |
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Case Study: The Hillary House Koffler Museum of Medicine
The Hillary House in Aurora, Ontario is an excellent study of material culture for a variety of reasons:
The house itself is an artifact and is a stellar example of a Gothic Revival cottage circa 1862. It was designated, listed and plaqued by The Historical Buildings and Monument Board in 1983, who subsequently formed a cost-sharing agreement with the Aurora Historical Board in 1986 in order that the site may be maintained and someday developed into a museum.
The history of the house tells the story of four generations of doctors. Built by Dr. Walter Baine Geikie, a long-standing Dean of Toronto's Trinity Medical School, expanded by Dr. Strange, a key figure in Canadian medical, military, and political history, and finally, home to the Hillary family for over 100 years. The Hillarys left the majority of family furnishings as well as a comprehensive collection of instruments and furniture from the Hillary doctors' practices including a library of medical books and journals and most of the records kept by the doctors Hillary from the 1870s to the 1920s. It is a veritable treasure trove of material evidence for academic study.
The house itself is a fascinating architectural study. Radical changes to the structure of the house occurred with each doctor redefining the interior and exterior space to suited their needs and activities. The constant feature of the house is the front office that includes a consulting room and dispensary for public practice, however, how each man used the space appears to differ significantly between generations. The domestic space began as a simple "cottage" layout common to the styles suggested in architectural pattern books from the period. Dr. Strange added an elaborate ballroom in the 1870s, while the Hillarys built an entire back wing with two floors, as well as changing the location of the kitchen, adding a sunroomand bay windows, and adding washrooms at various times during their many years of occupancy.