Wednesday, July 5, 2023

Baronial Gothic In An Embassy

Doors Open is an annual event in towns and cities throughout Ontario, spread over several months. In Ottawa, the event is held on the first weekend of June, with buildings providing access to the public that normally wouldn't be accessible. I haven't been since before Covid, when the event was not able to be held, and even this year some of the sites were virtual only. I was able to get to a few places this year.

Birkett Castle is home to the Hungarian embassy, residing in the downtown core. Built in the Baronial Gothic style in 1896, it was home to Thomas Birkett, a mayor of the city. It's been in the hands of the Hungarian mission since 1994, with an annex wing added on for embassy offices. What I hadn't known until I saw the lineup at the main entrance was that this year, it was a reserved spots for entry inside scenario, so I just took shots of the exterior of the building. 

52 comments:

  1. A nice old building !

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  2. It looks more like a condo for students' accommodation.

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    1. A short walk from here is another old home that houses students from a western university in an internship program.

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  3. An attractive enough building, though apart from the battlements it doesn't really make much effort to look like a castle.

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  4. What a beautiful building with that beautiful brickwork. Too bad you couldn't have a look inside.

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  5. Hello,
    It is a beautiful building! Take care, enjoy your day!

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  6. An impressive structure. Too bad you didn’t have the ticket required to get inside.

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  7. ...this is a classy building.

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  8. It’s a modern take on a castle!

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  9. It's a fine looking building, William.

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  10. An Embassy in a castle! Wow! Impressive.

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  11. Fascinating architecture and great photos ~

    Wishing you good health, laughter and love in your days,
    A ShutterBug Explores,
    aka (A Creative Harbor)

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  12. Beautiful building in an attractive setting.

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  13. What an interesting and beautiful building.

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  14. Es muy bonita esa fachada de ese hermoso edificio. Me ha llamado mucho la atención-

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  15. The building is absolutely beautiful.

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  16. I melt when I see crenellated turrets. Great pictures

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  17. You would have some pretty special doors to go through in Ottawa.

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  18. What a beautiful building. We have the same thing here called Sydney Open. For one weekend every November a lot of places that are not usually open to the public are open, and many places that are open to the public offer special behind the scenes tours.

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  19. Great to have 'Doors Open' to visit these buildings:)

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  20. I'm so glad you could finally participate in the open door event again. The castle/home looks lovely.

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  21. A nice looking building especially with those lovely blue skies.

    All the best Jan

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