Ladies’ Golf Club of Toronto Selects Ludowici Roof Tiles for Its Historic Clubhouse

Ladies’ Golf Club of Toronto was founded in 1924 by professional golfer Ada Mackenzie and remains the only all-female golf club in North America. The club has a rich history and recently underwent a major renovation of its 100-year-old clubhouse. 

The clubhouse, originally a grand, Georgian revival-style country estate, was built in 1922 for local industrialist, Stafford Watson. Renovations to the historic building involved extensive interior and exterior work to remove non-historic elements, added during the 1990s, and to meticulously preserve the Club’s unique architecture and original charm, while enhancing its functionality.

Part of the scope of the renovation work included replacing the original Spanish-style clay tile roof. In keeping with the uniqueness of the original building’s architecture, Dubbeldam Architecture + Design of Toronto specified Ludowici’s 13-inch Spanish tile in a forest green matte glaze for the project.

Miranda Craft Roofing of Toronto was brought in to install the new tiles on the 5,000 square-foot hip design roof. The large roof includes three chimneys and eight dormers, each with a barrel or arched roof, all requiring meticulous detail work, in addition to the use of Ludowici’s full range of accessories, including hip, ridge and rake tiles.

Ludowici – widely considered to be the best terra cotta roof tile in North America — is available exclusively in Canada through North Country Slate, a premier provider of natural stone roofing slate throughout Canada and the United States. 

Spanish tile remains one of the more popular profiles in Ludowici’s offering and was the perfect match for the Ladies’ Golf Club of Toronto’s historic clubhouse. Prized for its simple, one-piece barrel design, Ludowici’s Spanish tile leaves a pattern of distinctive ripples across the roof and provides an authentic, old European look to any style of architecture.

The Many Benefits of Ludowici Tile

Longevity -Ludowici terra cotta building products have a service life of well over 100 years and come with a 75-year manufacturer’s warranty, including colourfastness. Terra cotta roof tiles have been used for thousands of years and in every corner of the globe. Ludowici has a long and proven record of performance in harsh climates across Canada and the United States, and on numerous iconic buildings.

Sustainable – 100% recyclable and energy-efficient, terra cotta is both a ‘green’ and sustainable building material, with exceptionally low embodied carbon when compared with other building materials. Ludowici tiles and building products are made from locally sourced natural materials (i.e., shale clay, fire clay, and water) and are free of any toxic or synthetic materials. Additionally, many of Ludowici’s 58 standard colors provide an extremely high Solar Reflective Index (SRI) of over 39, making them an energy-efficient material too. This has helped earn Ludowici recognition from several sustainability organizations, including:

• U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Program
• Cool Roof Rating Council 
• Energy Star 
• Cradle-to-Cradle 

Weatherability – Unlike clay tiles from other manufacturers, Ludowici tiles do not absorb water. Water absorption can make terra cotta weak and brittle after multiple freeze-thaw cycles. The clay used to manufacture Ludowici tiles is a highly dense material. Ludowici roofing tiles can be found in exclusive neighbourhoods across Canada, chosen for their ability to withstand extreme cold and wet environments for decades.

Fireproof – All Ludowici products are Class A fire-rated without requiring any additional or special treatments because terra cotta tiles do not burn.

Maintenance – Once installed, Ludowici tiles are maintenance-free and do not require any cleaning or washing ever. This is a key feature and part of the reason that clay roofing tiles have been a pillar of fine architecture and design for centuries.

Warranty – Ludowici tiles come standard with a smooth surface, but can be customized with a variety of textures, and are available in an extensive range of standard and custom colors, mists, and blends, all backed by a 75-year material warranty, which includes UV colourfastness.

We are very pleased that this Dubbeldam Architecture + Design has received a prestigious Heritage Markham Award of Excellence for the superb renovation work on this project. Markham is committed to the protection and preservation of its architectural heritage and special heritage areas in the community. The Heritage Markham Awards recognize outstanding contributions to the preservation and restoration of the community’s cultural heritage resources.

Please contact North Country Slate toll-free at (800) 975-2835 or visit our Ludowici Design Showroom in Uxbridge, Ontario. Our staff can help you with style, color, texture, and anything else you need for your home or business roofing needs.