Algoma District is named for the Algonquian name “gamaa” meaning “lake”.
Created: May 1, 1858
District Seat:
Sault Ste. Marie 1858 – present
Courthouse – Sault Ste. Marie
Location: 426 Queen Street East / Elgn Street
Built: 1919 – 1922
Style: Classical Revival / Beaux Arts
Architect: Frank Riley Heakes of Toronto
Contractor: Stuart & Sinclair of Hamilton and D Jamieson & Son Ltd
Description: The building faces southwest and is a three story orange-brown coloured brick, stone and concrete structure. The building is located on spacious landscaped grounds. The southwest front has a temple front fascade consisting of four ionic columns supporting a brick pediment. The central entrance is arched. A horizontal cornice runs between the first and second stories and below the roof line.The foundation is course stone and the roof line is flat. The building houses the Superior Court of Justice and the Ontario Court of Justice.
Note: The first building used for the court in 1860 was the Eamatinger House referred to as the Old Stone House, which was the residence of Sheriff W H Carney. In 1866, the first courthouse was built on Queen Street at Elgin Street at a cost of $20,000. The building was torn down in 1919 to make way for the present courthouse..
See: The architect, Frank Riley Heakes of Toronto, was chief architect for the Ontario Department of Public Works and he designed courthouses in Algoma District, Kenora District, Muskoka District Municipality, Rainy River District, Sudbury District, Thunder Bay District and Timiskaming District.
Other Branch Courthouses
Blind River / Elliot Lake / Thessalon / Wawa
Courthouses:
E – Cochrane District and Sudbury District,
S – Manitoulin District and Michigan
W – Lake Superior and Thunder Bay District
Photos taken 2016