L’Alcôve is part of the Robinson House, built in 1834 in stone and wood in the neoclassical style by Hezekiah Robinson. It is one of the first buildings in Waterloo.
Hezekiah Robinson (1791 – 1851) was an important figure in the life of Waterloo. He was a businessman, justice of the peace and civil servant. Born into an American Congregationalist family, Hezekiah Robinson was educated at Newfane College in Vermont. At the age of 18, he worked as a carder and manufacturer of “made clothing” in the summer and as a schoolteacher in the winter. On June 30, 1817, he married Selucia Knowlton, eldest daughter of Luke Knowlton, Deputy Judge of Windham County, and from this marriage nine children were born. In May 1821, he immigrated to Stukely Township when the Eastern Townships were opened to the Loyalists and settled in Waterloo shortly thereafter.