You say that the parapet-brick walls are considered the historical feature of the house. Why wouldn’t the entire house be? And maybe the ‘Canadian Rail and Marine World’ (on micro film at the Hamilton Public Library has some information on why the house was moved.
The house is a historical site, but the parapet wall on each end are unique, I have never seen any other building on the Beach built this way. The rest of the house would be common looking. The walls of today are not exactly the same as the original, the newly built walls had some very intricate brick work that isn't there anymore. Over the years it must of fell off and repaired with just straight lines, even the chimney tops had brick work over them which is also long gone. The chimneys are also smaller than the original brickwork. The walls are very thick and remind me of the walls between the old townhouses in north Hamilton.
Edit, added info;
From 1996
This is part of Hamilton City Council's motion to designate the Lighthouse and the Keeper's House.
https://www.heritagetrust.on.ca/fr/oha/details/file?id=4307
REASONS FOR DESIGNATION
Burlington Canal
Lighthouse and Keeper's Dwelling
1159 and 1155 Beach Boulevard
Hamilton, Ontario
Context
The lighthouse and adjacent keeper's dwelling, built respectively in 1858 and 1857, are located just south of the Burlington Canal on the strip of land dividing Hamilton Harbour and Lake Ontario. The Lighthouse, a recognized federal heritage building marks the entry into the protected waters of the harbour.
Once a prominent landmark on the Beach Strip, the still impressive 55-foot high circular stone structure is now overshadowed by the adjacent steel tower of the vertical lift bridge and elevated roadway to the east and the Skyway Bridge to the west. Gone from its turn-of-the century setting, when the Beach Strip was a popular summer resort, are the Royal Hamilton Yacht Club quarters (1892-1915), the hotels, boardwalk, and the road and railway swing bridges.
History
The lighthouse complex is closely associated with Hamilton's development as a major lake port, which began with the opening of the Burlington Canal in 1832. The first lighthouse and keeper's dwelling, both frame buildings erected in 1837, were destroyed by fire in 1856 and subsequently replaced by the present stone and brick structures. The lighthouse served as an important navigational aid for cargo ships and pleasure craft until 1961 when it was removed from service and superseded by a modern light erected on the new lift bridge. The house, moved a short distance to its present site in the late 1890s, was continuously occupied until 1991 by five successive lightkeepers. The lighthouse and keeper's dwelling are the oldest surviving buildings on the Beach Strip and the only intact structures linked to Hamilton's mid-19th century port function.
Architecture
The lighthouse and keeper's dwelling together constitute one of few extant historic light stations in Ontario. Of the seven surviving lighthouses on the Canadian side of Lake Ontario, only Burlington Canal retains its original lightkeeper's residence. Moreover, relatively few Canadian lighthouses were constructed of stone, most of which predate Confederation. Of eight known examples erected on take Ontario, the Burlington Canal lighthouse is now one of only four remaining.
Constructed of squared white limestone blocks laid in regular courses, the lighthouse features slit windows with cut stone sills, a round-arched doorway and a 12-sided iron-framed lantern (dating from 1891 when the original one was replaced). It was erected by the renowned Scottish mason from Thorold, John Brown, the builder of six similar lighthouses on Lake Huron and Georgian Bay, known as ''Imperial Towers'' and all still standing.
The brick keeper's dwelling, a 1 1/2 storey, side-gabled structure with a three-bay façade and parapet end walls, is similar in form to the stone dwellings built in conjunction with the six Imperial Towers, some of which also have raised parapet walls with built-in end chimneys. A distinctive feature of the Burlington Canal lightkeeper's house is the corbel detail of the raised parapets, which is characteristic of Hamilton's 19th century worker housing. The large window openings are accentuated by cut stone sills and lintels. Minor alterations over the years include the replacement of the original six-paned window sashes with single-paned sashes; replacement of the front door; and the rebuilding of the raised parapets with narrower end chimneys and corresponding loss of decorative brickwork beneath the parapet coping. The front doorway, with its rectangular transom, is now obscured by an enclosed front porch, built in 1945 to replace a full verandah added after 1900.
The stone tower has been preserved virtually intact while the lightkeeper's dwelling has largely retained its original character, despite the changes identified above.
Designated Features
Important to the preservation of the Burlington Canal lighthouse complex are:
1. the stone masonry tower and iron lantern, including the round-arched doorway and tall narrow windows. .
2. all four brick masonry facades of the keeper's dwelling, including the parapet end walls, original doorways and window openings, and stone trim. Excluded
are all later additions, including the front porch, and a rear shed and dormer .