Round House

The Round House is located at 140 Duke Street, on the north side of Duke Street, east of Main Street North, in Seaforth, in the Municipality of Huron East. The two-storey wood sided octagonal building was constructed in circa 1902.

The property was designated, by the former Town of Seaforth (now Municipality of Huron East) in 1978, for its heritage value, under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act, By-law 12 (1978).

The Round House reflects the prominent role of agriculture in the development of Seaforth and the history of the Seaforth Agricultural Society, which was established in 1845. On June 5, 1900, Ed Coleman sold one acre of the northeast corner of the town to the agricultural society for use as a fairground. The first fair, with the newly erected Round House as a showpiece, was held on the grounds in September, 1902.

The Round House is a unique two-storey octagonal building formerly referred to as the “Crystal Palace”. Constructed in 1902, it is one of the few remaining octagonal halls in Ontario. Octagonal buildings were not uncommon at the time of the hall's construction, having been popularized in the mid-19th century by American Orson Squire Fowler in his book 'The Octagon House: A Home for All, or A New, Cheap, Convenient and Superior Mode of Building'. Clad in shiplap wood siding, it boasts two bays on each of its eight sides with the exception of the three-bay front elevation containing the entrance. The entrance consists of a double door with diagonal panelling.

Source: Municipality of Huron East By-law 12 (1978).

Character defining elements that contribute to the heritage value of the Round House include its:

- two-storey wood frame construction

- shiplap wood siding

- hip roof

- octagonal design

- symmetrical two-bay side elevations

- three-bay front elevation

- main entrance topped by a circular window

- double door with diagonal panelling