One of the few institutional buildings in this residential district is Christ Church (above), at the corner of River Road and Zimmerman Avenue. It is a classic example of the Gothic Renewal architecture favoured in the Anglican Communion in the nineteenth century. Built in 1865, this church is a community treasure. Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip worshipped here during their Royal Tour in 1951, a year and a half before she became Queen.

One of the oldest homes in this district, even older than Christ Church, is the original home (below) of James Bampfield at 4325 Bampfield Street. It was built in Regency Style in 1860, its lawn originally extending down to River Road. The Bampfields were a locally prominent business family, instrumental in the development of hydroelectricity.

Below is a typical streetscape along River Road, the homes dating from the first decades of the twentieth century. Note the porches and double porches, affording views across the gorge.

Aged trees and ample flowers are hallmarks of the River Road Neighbourhood, as shown by the private residence (below) at the corner of Ontario Avenue and Philip Street. The house is one of the oldest in the area, dating from the late 19th century.

The circles of streets just west of Palmer Avenue were laid out in the mid-1880s as a Methodist Camp Meeting site. The plan was for a summer resort similar to Chautauqua, NY, or Grimsby, ON. Although the project failed, some homes dating from that era in the River Road Neighbourhood capture the flavour of camp-meeting culture, as shown in the two photos below. The first shows two tiny frame cottages on Ontario Avenue, the second two more substantial brick cottages, almost as small, on Otter Street.

Cape Cod's distinctive architecture is centuries old, but it enjoyed a revival from the 1930s to the 1950s, probably the period when the private residence below on River Road was built.

A few doors up River Road from the Cape Cod masterpiece is a Gothic jewel built by William McMurray for his bride, Grace Menzie, in 1893. The monster oak in front of it is at least as old. After many years of neglect, this home is undergoing restoration and renovation in 2019.

Finally, to conclude this sampling of heritage architecture, below is the Queen Anne Revival classic at the corner of Ellis Avenue and River Road, built in 1886 by William Doran, who owned with his brother a factory that manufactured suspenders and neckties. Behind this mansion is an equally charming carriage house bullt to match.