Thousand Islands, Ontario - For architecture and design buffs, there are gems new and old to be found in this holiday region

Zavikon Island, and neighbours. GEORGE FISCHER

I had been to the Thousand Islands with my parents as a kid, but had no strong recollection of the picturesque area except for one thing: There were castles, with turrets and secret passageways. One even had peepholes built into walnut panelling so its duplicitous owners could spy on their unsuspecting guests.

It was the mystery, intrigue and secrets built into the stately summer retreats that captivated the 10-year-old me. But now, the architecture and history of the glamorous mansions, 100-year-old cottages and, of course, the castles appeal to me as an adult.

There are several ways to explore the necklace of islands that dot the St. Lawrence River, which in this part of the province acts as a natural divide between Ontario and upstate New York. 1000 Islands Helicopter Tours offers a 30-minute helicopter ride over the region, which allows for an aerial view of the islands, many of which have whimsical names such as Reveille, Cleopatra and Stonesthrow – as well as one drolly called Moneysunk. Most of these privately owned homes and estates were built by Canadian and American industrialists during the Gilded Age, a time of rapid economic growth in the late 1800s.

Sadly, the majority you can only gaze at from afar, but a few, like the Boldt Castle and Singer Castle (the one with the peepholes), are open for tours. Passport in hand, I hopped on a cruise to the U.S. side of the Thousand Islands, and spent a couple of hours wandering the Italian gardens and refurbished rooms of Boldt Castle on Heart Island, which George Boldt, the former proprietor of New York’s Waldorf Astoria Hotel, built for his wife, Louise, in 1900.

True to its name, hearts abound. The island was dredged to be heart-shaped, and the symbol is everywhere, embedded in wood floors, grand staircases, stained glass and even flower beds. What is truly remarkable for design lovers is the attention to detail. Each year, another room is refurbished with furnishings painstakingly sourced to replicate the pieces chosen by its original owners. (Boldt Castle was never lived in. Louise died unexpectedly and Boldt walked away from the project, leaving it in ruins for years.)

Another restored architectural gem is The Opinicon, located at Chaffey’s Lock on the Rideau Canal. Owned by Shopify’s Tobias Luetke and his wife, Fiona McKean, it’s estimated the couple has spent more than $20-million to restore the former fishing lodge and surrounding cabins. The exterior is authentic to its turn-of the-century past, but the interior is whimsical, including a lounge that feels like a throwback to the seventies with burnt orange walls, wicker light fixtures, sleek Scandinavian-style furnishings and contemporary art by local artists.

And Sherman Pratt’s Cottage, perched above the St. Lawrence on Niagara Island, will delight fans of modern architecture. One of the first private residences in North America to use steel and reinforced concrete in its design, the massive pink stucco structure was designed by New York architect John (Jack) Walter Wood in 1930 for his friend Pratt (grandson of Standard Oil magnate Charles Pratt).

Thousand Islands Bridge. GEORGE FISCHER

It could be argued that Pratt’s iconic house, with its cube-like shape and wing-like sleeping porches, set the template that newer summer homes in the region have emulated. Reed’s Bay House on Wolfe Island, designed by the Toronto-based architects at superkül, for instance, is modelled after a traditional long barn and is built on stilts, while Rockport Cottage, designed by Ottawa’s Hobin Architecture, slips seamlessly into its natural habitat thanks to its amalgam of stone, wood, steel and glass. These are also private homes, so you can only imagine what the interiors are like.

Old or new, the resort architecture of the Thousand Islands is a testament to craftsmanship at its finest. Exuberant like Boldt Castle, or more restrained, as with the teeny cottage on Just Enough Room Island, it’s a region made even more memorable by its thousand stories.

How to get there
It is a three-hour drive from Toronto along Highway 401; a 1.5-hour drive from Ottawa along Hwy 416 south to Hwy 401; and a 2.5-hour drive from Montreal on Hwy 401.

What to bring
A camera with a good lens, a windbreaker if you choose to do a boat tour and hiking shoes or boots.

Where to stay
The Gananoque Inn & Spa (1) has a river view, and the Eggs Benedict are worth waking early for (breakfast is included). The Opinicon (2) is well-situated for some of the best fishing in the region. And the Frontenac Club (3) in Kingston, at the top of Thousand Islands, has just undergone a massive renovation (the dining room is superb).

*BY GAYLE MACDONALD