National Historic Site of Canada

Prescott Railway Station (Grand Trunk) National Historic Site of Canada

Prescott, Ontario

Also known as Prescott Railway Station (Grand Trunk), Gare du Grand Tronc à Prescott, Prescott CNR Station

Corner view of the Prescott Railway Station (Grand Trunk) National Historic Site of Canada, 1990.

Corner view of the Prescott Railway Station (Grand Trunk) National Historic Site of Canada, 1990.

Photo: Agence Parcs Canada/Parks Canada Agency, 1990.

Built
1855
Recognized
1973
By
Government of Canada

The register’s text, word for word

Description

Prescott Railway Station (Grand Trunk) National Historic Site is a small, stone station building situated beside CNR tracks at the base of a small ridge at the end of St. Lawrence St. in Prescott.

Heritage value

Prescott Railway Station (Grand Trunk) was designated a national historic site in 1973 because:

  • it is a typical example of the smaller stations erected for the Grand Trunk Railway,
  • influenced by English designs, the station is an enduring monument to early Canadian railway enterprise.

The heritage value of this site resides in its physical illustration of a 'First Class A Type' standard station design for the Grand Trunk Railway on the Montreal-Brockville line in the mid 19th-century.

Prescott's Grand Trunk Railway (GTR) station was built in 1855 during the first construction period of the GTR line between Montreal and Brockville (1852-1855). It was a standard design for small stations prepared for the new line by English architect Francis Thompson.

SourceHSMBC Minutes, June 1973, November 1974, May 1979, February 1992, November 1992.

Character‑defining elements

Key features contributing to the heritage value of this site include:

  • the rectangular massing,
  • the end-gabled pitched roof with balanced pairs of chimneys at each end,
  • the regular articulation of its seven-bay main facades, and identical two-bay end facades,
  • the Italianate features of its design including simple arched openings, prominent voussoirs and edge quoining, and heavy eave returns,
  • the rock-faced grey ashlar limestone exterior walls,
  • the station's siting beside train tracks at the end of an urban street.

End of the register’s text

Location

820 St. Lawrence Street, Prescott, Ontario, K0E, Canada

44.71096° N, 75.52461° W

Get directions (opens in a new tab)

Being on the register doesn’t make a place open to visitors. Many are private homes or businesses; please view them from the street.

Loading map…

Nearby

All 11 places in Prescott

Similar places

Places whose register descriptions are closest to this one.

From the Canadian Register of Historic Places, as last updated on December 12, 2025. The register’s text is shown word for word.