Architecture
It is evident that the exterior of the building was carefully sculpted in the mind of Henry Sproatt. Hart House is large in comparison to the buildings surrounding it such as Wycliffe College and the Stewart Observatory. In keeping with the Gothic form, the building is presented as larger in height than in width, which gives it an even more predominant sense of grandeur to those standing at its base. From the exterior, a repetition of large windows can be seen along the northern and southern sides, matched with stout exterior protrusions, accentuating the end of one section of the building and the beginning of another. The contours of the building are jagged, emphasizing the Gothic form and giving Hart House the profile of a true academic institution of that time period.
A variety of intimate details can also be found in the interior of Hart House. Below grade, backstage, at the rear wall of the theatre just mentioned, there are scars formed by service ammunition, giving the building a sense of character. There are also elements forged into the walls of the building that are there on purpose, like the first occupants of the House that are remembered on the south façade, as well as carvings over the bay windows of the map room which depict the principal units that were stationed there during the war. The Great Hall holds another souvenir, inconsistent with the Gothic setting: one of the stone corbels has been carved to represent an officer cadet of 1916 in uniform, carrying his field pack and rifle.
Hart House is a example of Gothic Revival architecture as it is asymmetrical with pointed arches and windows, extensive ornamentation, steeply pitched roofs and a tall tower. It is also a late collegiate Gothic building because of its late erection date in 1919. The building consists of four wings around a quadrangle with a four-peaked tower extended from the south west corner. Although Hart House appears to be masonry construction, it is actually structural steel and precast concrete with grey sandstone cladding. The roofs are barrel vaulted wood beams. Wood and stone are the main materials used in this building. Hart House along with all of its uses is working towards sustainability with the use of simple things like dual-flush toilets and power saving light bulbs.
Read more about this topic: Hart House (University Of Toronto)
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