The original building is well constructed in the classic gothic collegiate /institutional style popular in the early 20 th century. It is a symmetrical, 2 ½ storey building, complimented with a centred & recessed main entrance. Two classic Doric stone columns dominate the main entrance landing. A prominent exterior stone staircase and landing leads to the classic twin entrance wood doors and frame, topped with an attractive sunrise design transom window which are boldly outlined by a larger cement/stone frame with a double lintel.
The dwelling at 221 Phipps Street was constructed in a Victorian Eclectic style in 1893. The original owner, Charles W. Vahey chose to use local trades as much as possible in the construction of this home. Local builders Beam and Benner were known to have been employed for the basement work. The Vahey family was of Irish descent and they employed Irish immigrants to complete the interior work and many of the interior elements reflect that heritage.
The house is a combination of both Gothic Revival and Italianate and was the residence of Brigadier-General Ernest A. Cruikshank. Ernest Cruikshank lived in Fort Erie until 1904 at which time he was appointed as the police magistrate of Niagara Falls and moved to that community. In 1905 he was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. In 1908 he resigned his Militia command and moved to Ottawa to take charge of military documents held in the Dominion Archives. In 1915 he was honored with the Militia rank of Brigadier General. Over two hundred and fifty books and publications are credited to Ernest Alexander Cruikshank. In 1943 Ernest Cruikshank was named a Person of National Historic Significance by the Historical Sites and Monuments Board of Canada.
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