About the house

Macquarie House, 193 Woolwich Street

Macquarie House has been a handsome part of Guelph history since it was built in 1901. Situated in the heart of downtown, near a waterfall on the Speed River, this stately home is a reflection of our fondness for the city and its rich cultural heritage.

We think it is an especially fitting location for Macquarie Private Wealth, given that the house was built as a result of an advantageous investment.

Mrs. Edith Lewis Kennedy, only daughter of William Bell, founder of Guelph's Bell Organ & Piano Company, grew up to marry Dr. William Blackburn Kennedy, a respected physician, city alderman and shareholder in Guelph's Royal Opera House.

Mrs. Kennedy was one of four partners in her father's organ and piano firm, and is thought to have been her father's closest advisor during the company's most expansionary era. She constructed this house from money invested after the sale of the family business to a British syndicate in 1889.

A classic example of Edwardian architecture, 193 Woolwich Street was thoroughly modern in its day and featured all the latest conveniences. Dr. Kennedy practiced medicine from offices in the basement. The house is a testament to Mrs. Kennedy's love of painted glass and the arts. The bay window at the landing depicts a scene from Shakespeare's Othello, in which the Moor of Venice woos the fair Desdemona from her father, Brabantio.

The kind and generous Dr. Kennedy, known for his quiet humour, keen intellect and noble character, died in March 1919, and soon afterwards Mrs. Kennedy sold 193 Woolwich Street to Dr. F. R. Bennetto and his young family.

This fine house has been home to Macquarie Private Wealth since February, 2005 and has served as a unique and inspiring setting in which we plan generations of financial security for our clients and their families.