Holiday House Of Falconer

Historic building renovation is eyeing the finish line

The House Of Falconer (HOF) is in the midst of hosting its third annual holiday market, which runs this year until Christmas Eve. Like in years past, the HOF holiday market is keeping with its tradition of providing shoppers unique offerings that can’t be found at the mall. The rotating collective of artisans at HOF have always brought a strong community feel to the building, and the holiday market allows the public to come and experience the feeling first-hand.

Caitlyn O’Reilly is the owner of Cylinder Studio, a contemporary ceramics studio that has called HOF home for the past three-and-a-half years and she has participated in all three holiday markets. O’Reilly got her training in ceramics at Sheridan College as well as the Kootenay School of Art and Design. Cylinder Studio produces works of high-fire porcelain and stoneware and mostly focuses on tableware, but O’Reilly has recently branched out into jewellery. Large and small-scale custom macramé, tassels and wallhangings incorporating clay, cotton rope, and linen string are all recent additions to Cylinder’s offerings. The season is coming to an end, but that’s not stopping O’Reilly from making more products to sell. She needs to restock what’s been sold and hopes for strong sales during the last week of the market.

“It’s been great this year, and it’s been steadily getting busier each season. It’s starting to build more of a reputation and people are coming back year after year to see what’s new,” says O’Reilly.

O’Reilly and her husband, Todd, moved from Toronto to the County about four years ago with the hopes of raising their son, Emmett in a less chaotic environment. Also, space in the city is an issue for a ceramic artist in that you need lots of it to function and create a body of work. Luckily, space is something that the County has in abundance. The couple found a place in Cressy, took the plunge and have never looked back. O’Reilly’s ceramics have very clean, elegant lines along on some work, while others are playfully wobbly or askew. Everything from bulbous bowls, to soap trays, coffee mugs to plant holders. O’Reilly’s large rustic serving plates are also especially beautiful if you’re looking for a showpiece for a table. Be sure to visit Cylinder Studio and the HOF Falconer Holiday market before it closes for the season.

For owner Alex Fida, the building has been a labour of love, and one that is finally coming to the finish line. Fida and his team have been working tirelessly on the HOF ever since they took control of the property a few years back and are now in the final stages of getting the carriage house to completion and figuring out parking. According to Fida, this year they were able to finish the inside of the house and launch two hotel suites currently operated under the Angeline’s moniker. With Fida now eyeing the finish line on this project, he’s feeling positive and excited about what the future holds for this old/new building.

“It’s definitely taken us some time, but we are really pleased with the results. We’ve always tried to have an approach of preserving as much as possible and respecting the building. I don’t feel like we have compromised on the quality of the renovation at all. Sometimes on your own project you just have to wait for the money to come to in to make the next move,” says Fida.

The House of Falconer was built in 1858 and takes its name from the last family that lived in the house. It was also known as the Allison’s place, and was originally the residence of Captain John Pepper Downes.

Downes was a clerk for the County and was also an excellent pencil artist in his own right. His prints and historical sketches of Prince Edward County can still be found and purchased today. Last year, a documentary featuring Fida and his journey with HOF was released by BravoFact.

In the last few years, Fida’s curatorial and design skills have been in high demand as a consultant for property owners both old and new, as well as staging properties for sale.

“It’s nice to be able to work with people on their projects because it allows me to get outside my world and what I’ve got going on. It then gives me great perspective when I come back to my projects,” says Fida.

Look for the carriage house portion of HOF to be open in the spring of 2019, with talks of a yoga studio among other interesting things. The HOF Holiday market is open every day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. until December 24, located at 1 Walton Street, in Picton.