Sir Harry Oakes Chateau

Goldsmith Borgal & Co. Ltd. Architects was contracted in April 2007 by the Ontario Heritage Trust to prepare a Condition Assessment Report for the early-twentieth century Sir Harry Oakes’ Chateau property in Kirkland Lake. The City of Kirkland Lake operates the site as a museum.

The Condition Assessment Report included a detailed description and analysis of the building (interior and exterior), site features and site services. For this project, GBCA assembled a team that included a structural engineer, a mechanical/electrical engineer and a landscape consultant. Investigations were limited to visual inspection and examination of previous construction reports.

The prime objective of the Condition Assessment Report was to provide a comprehensive estimate of the capital cost of undertaking the repair and maintenance work needed to restore the buildings, site and associated elements to a first-rate condition. The reporting of the various systems and recommendations for intervention were ordered in a manner intended to facilitate cross-referencing with other reports commissioned by the OHT and the proposed work was grouped in three levels of urgency with recommended work items grouped in a cost-effective manner and with associated elemental costing.