This folder contains photographs of various historic buildings in Bradford and accompanying descriptions on each. The photographs are found in the Bill & Erica Marks Archive Room and were originally compiled by George Jackson and Joe Saint. The text accompanying each photograph was researched and written in 2015-2017 by Janice Hopkins, a long-time library volunteer. She utilized many library resources in her research which are noted at the bottom of each description. See below for information on each reference.
This structure had a drive shed at the rear for stabling horses while the congregation attended church. The seating capacity was 125. The building had a simple 3-bay rectangular plan with a steep-pitched gable roof. Exterior buttresses and corner turrets (in lieu of a main spire) accentuated the sense of height. The symmetrical layout had a central aisle and an elevated pulpit and sacrament tables located at the front of the church. Large Gothic windows had vertical feature elements and pointed arch tracery. There was also a rose window. The large central entrance had an arched transom above. Solid brick masonry construction rested on a random field stone foundation. This building was demolished in 1957. The replacement church has a larger seating capacity. (3) Please contact the Bradford West Gwillimbury Public Library (905-775-3328) if you have any other information about this photo.
The Pringle House is located mid-block on the east side at 99 Barrie Street. It was the home of Walter Pringle, owner and manager of the first Dominion store (on Holland St.) in the 1930’s. The 1½-storey, two-bay ‘bungalow’ was built in the Arts and Crafts style. The construction of this house (and six others) was begun in 1912 by Lieutenant George Stoddart. When Stoddart went overseas during WWI, the projects were completed by builder Art Saint. The house has a simple form with an asymmetrical façade and a rectilinear plan. It has a bell-cast roof on the centre dormer and a steeply-pitched, truncated gable roof that extends down to reduce the scale of the building. This roof also covers the raised porch and is supported on wood half posts on brick piers. The porch has a simple, wood handrail and baluster. Wood lattice encloses the underside of the porch. A wide band of windows across the front of the dormer emphasizes the horizontal lines and the massing of the house. The building has wide window openings with low floor to ceiling heights. Ground-floor and basement windows and the front door are set into segmented, arched openings with concrete sills. Second-storey windows are offset from the ground-floor windows and have plain, wood sills and trim. The mix of exterior cladding materials and the wood fascia band (expressing the line of the floor structure between the ground and second floors) is common to this style. There are returned eaves at the porch roof. The house has wood frame construction with brick masonry cladding, painted wood shingles on the dormer, and a painted, concrete foundation. The front ground-floor and second-floor windows are not original. According to the 2000 inventory, the house is in good condition with many original features that have been maintained well. (1, 2, 3)
The William Melbourne House is located at 97 Church St. (at the corner of Church and Frederick Streets). It was built in the Gothic Revival style in the 1870-80’s by Bill Curry. The 1½-storey, three-bay ‘cottage’ has large window openings with high floor to ceiling heights and a steeply-pitched, gable roof. There is a centre gable over the entrance. The building has a rectangular plan and a centre entrance hall. A ‘Regency Style’ entrance has arched tracery in the multi-paned transom and sidelights. The shallow pediment, entablature, and pilasters framing the entrance indicate a neoclassical influence. The bay windows at the ground floor have three-sided, angular projections and a hip roof. A semi-circular, arched window with a transom of multi-paned fanlights is located fully within the centre gable at the second floor as well as decorative gingerbread along the eaves and verges. There is a wood ‘drop’ or pendant suspended from the mid-point of the centre gable. The finial was originally above the gable. The cornice around the roof of the bay windows is decorated with dentils. Paired brick chimneys (with stacks set on the diagonal) are found at each side of the house. The house has wood frame construction with painted stucco cladding (1933) on the original wood cove siding. It has a stone foundation. The double-hung windows and storm entrance door are not original. According to the 2000 inventory, the house is in excellent condition with many original features. The gingerbread trim was removed and the stucco was replaced with vinyl siding after the inventory. (1, 3)
The William Melbourne House is located at 97 Church St. (at the corner of Church and Frederick Streets). It was built in the Gothic Revival style in the 1870-80’s by Bill Curry. The 1½-storey, three-bay ‘cottage’ has large window openings with high floor to ceiling heights and a steeply-pitched, gable roof. There is a centre gable over the entrance. The building has a rectangular plan and a centre entrance hall. A ‘Regency Style’ entrance has arched tracery in the multi-paned transom and sidelights. The shallow pediment, entablature, and pilasters framing the entrance indicate a neoclassical influence. The bay windows at the ground floor have three-sided, angular projections and a hip roof. A semi-circular, arched window with a transom of multi-paned fanlights is located fully within the centre gable at the second floor as well as decorative gingerbread along the eaves and verges. There is a wood ‘drop’ or pendant suspended from the mid-point of the centre gable. The finial was originally above the gable. The cornice around the roof of the bay windows is decorated with dentils. Paired brick chimneys (with stacks set on the diagonal) are found at each side of the house. The house has wood frame construction with painted stucco cladding (1933) on the original wood cove siding. It has a stone foundation. The double-hung windows and storm entrance door are not original. According to the 2000 inventory, the house is in excellent condition with many original features. The gingerbread trim was removed and the stucco was replaced with vinyl siding after the inventory. (1, 3)
The William Melbourne House is located at 97 Church St. (at the corner of Church and Frederick Streets). It was built in the Gothic Revival style in the 1870-80’s by Bill Curry. The 1½-storey, three-bay ‘cottage’ has large window openings with high floor to ceiling heights and a steeply-pitched, gable roof. There is a centre gable over the entrance. The building has a rectangular plan and a centre entrance hall. A ‘Regency Style’ entrance has arched tracery in the multi-paned transom and sidelights. The shallow pediment, entablature, and pilasters framing the entrance indicate a neoclassical influence. The bay windows at the ground floor have three-sided, angular projections and a hip roof. A semi-circular, arched window with a transom of multi-paned fanlights is located fully within the centre gable at the second floor as well as decorative gingerbread along the eaves and verges. There is a wood ‘drop’ or pendant suspended from the mid-point of the centre gable. The finial was originally above the gable. The cornice around the roof of the bay windows is decorated with dentils. Paired brick chimneys (with stacks set on the diagonal) are found at each side of the house. The house has wood frame construction with painted stucco cladding (1933) on the original wood cove siding. It has a stone foundation. The double-hung windows and storm entrance door are not original. According to the 2000 inventory, the house is in excellent condition with many original features. The gingerbread trim was removed and the stucco was replaced with vinyl siding after the inventory. (1, 3)
The Methodist Manse is located at 96 Barrie St. on the southwest corner of Barrie and Frederick (formerly known as Letitia) Streets. It was built around 1885 in the neoclassical style. The building was used as the Methodist Manse until 1970. It later became a nursing home. The two-storey, rectangular building has a symmetrical façade, a centre hall plan, and a medium-pitched, gable roof. The two-storey, rear portion is a modern addition. A broad entrance has sidelights and a transom. There are large, 6/6 double-hung windows with wood sills and high floor to ceiling dimensions. Eaves and cornice returns are found at the end gable walls. The porch, as well as the stepped-cornice moulding with quatrefoil decoration and drop finials (a Gothic Revival detail), appear to be twentieth-century additions. Colour variations are seen in the solid-brick construction because of the different batches of brick that were used. The building has a stone foundation. According to the 2000 inventory, additions to the rear of the building over time have been somewhat ad-hoc and are stylistically inconsistent. (1, 3)
The Methodist Manse is located at 96 Barrie St. on the southwest corner of Barrie and Frederick (formerly known as Letitia) Streets. It was built around 1885 in the neoclassical style. The building was used as the Methodist Manse until 1970. It later became a nursing home. The two-storey, rectangular building has a symmetrical façade, a centre hall plan, and a medium-pitched, gable roof. The two-storey, rear portion is a modern addition. A broad entrance has sidelights and a transom. There are large, 6/6 double-hung windows with wood sills and high floor to ceiling dimensions. Eaves and cornice returns are found at the end gable walls. The porch, as well as the stepped-cornice moulding with quatrefoil decoration and drop finials (a Gothic Revival detail), appear to be twentieth-century additions. Colour variations are seen in the solid-brick construction because of the different batches of brick that were used. The building has a stone foundation. According to the 2000 inventory, additions to the rear of the building over time have been somewhat ad-hoc and are stylistically inconsistent. (1, 3)
The house located at 95 Moore Street on the southeast corner of Moore and Letitia (later Frederick) Streets was built pre-1900 in the Ontario Vernacular Cottage style. George Ogilvie (a tailor) once lived here. A three-foot high, picket fence originally ran along the east side of Moore Street from this corner to Joseph Street. The one-storey, three-bay cottage has a symmetrical façade, a rectangular plan, and a centre hall. A box hall was typical for this style. It also has a one-storey, rear addition. There is a shallow-pitched, gable roof on the main portion and a shed roof on the rear addition. The covered, front porch has a gable roof supported on brackets. A simple entrance is raised above grade level and it has a single door in a rectangular opening. There are small, single windows to the primary rooms on each side of the porch. The porch stairs are a recent addition and the double-hung windows are also not original. Windows are set into simple, rectangular openings and have plain, wood surrounds and sills. Wood frame construction is covered with insulbrick (asphalt) and aluminum siding. The original cladding was probably wood cove siding. There is a stone-rubble foundation. According to the 2000 inventory, this modest cottage probably had few decorative details originally. It also notes that other than the building’s form, few existing building elements appear to be original. (1, 2, 3)
The mid-block building located at 94 Moore Street was built in the 1920’s in the Ontario Vernacular Cottage style. It was once the home of the Simpkin family. George Simpkin was a plumber and electrician. His brother Robert was a policeman. On the Collings’ map, the Simpkin gardens ran from Frederick St. to James St. (along the west side of Moore Street). In later years, Mr. Simpkin built a new home on his south garden lot (at James Street). The one-storey, three-bay ‘cottage’ has a symmetrical façade, a rectilinear plan, and a shallow-pitched, hip roof. There is a centre, hall entrance from a prominent, covered front porch. The open, front porch is raised and has a gable roof with a decorative, wood pediment. Its roof is supported on wood half columns on brick piers at the back of the porch, and triple wood posts on brick piers at the front. The porch is raised and has a turned-wood handrail and baluster. There are narrow window openings and narrow windows with low floor to ceiling heights set into segmented, arched openings with concrete lug sills. The house has wood frame construction with brick masonry cladding and a parged, concrete foundation. According to the 2000 inventory, the house is in good condition with many original features that have been maintained well. It also notes that the windows, pre-cast concrete porch stairs, and rear, one-storey addition are not original. (1, 2, 3)
