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This mid-block building is located close to the street (on the south side) at 72 and 74 Holland St. East. It was built in the 1870’s (after the fire of 1871) in the Neoclassical Duplex style. According to historic maps, it may have been one of a pair of buildings built side by side on Holland Street.
The Prolbert family lived at 72 Holland St. East for many years. “Pentypool” worked for Bill Sutton and was a sign painter. The house at 74 Holland St. East was rented to a number of people, including Jim and Jane Armstrong (when they were first married). Later it was the home of Dan Collings, Mrs. Campbell, Neil and Dorothy. Dorothy was Dan’s housekeeper for many years. He built a horse stable and had a team. Barney Campbell drove the team on the marsh to and from sales.
The two-storey, four-bay, semi-detached house has a simple, rectangular form with a medium-pitched, saltbox roof. It has slightly-raised entrances that are located at either end of the façade. This placement gives greater privacy than paired entrances, but it places habitable rooms along the party wall. The doors are set into high, rectangular openings and are not original. A transom is still in place on the east entrance, but the transom has been closed in over the west door. There are large window openings with low floor to ceiling heights. Unlike in typical neoclassical buildings, the windows (not original) are not aligned. The large, front, ground-floor window in the east half has been partially filled. Windows are set into plain, rectangular openings with plain, wood frames and sills. Smaller, upper-storey windows are offset from the ground floor. The building has wood frame construction, vinyl siding (not original), a parged, stone foundation, and a basement. According to the 2000 inventory, few original details remain other than the building’s general form. (1, 2, 3)

The mid-block structure located at 83 Holland St. East was built in the Ontario Vernacular Cottage style. It was constructed pre-1900 on what was once the site of a pop manufacturing plant. According to local history, bottles were still being unearthed many years later. After the plant closed, the property became the site of a blacksmith shop run by Bill Cukens. The house seen in this photo originally had a back kitchen and wood shed at the rear, as well as a large, two-storey barn with loft above (for horse feed). It was the home of Bob McKinstry, his wife and children Michael (Mike), Maisil, and Dorothy. Bob was a huge man and a blacksmith for several lumber companies after the local mills folded. He was also a noted field lacrosse player on the team that won the championship in 1905 (1907?). Bob and his son both played lacrosse until their worn-out legs forced them to quit. In those days, lacrosse players worked ten-hour days at hard physical labour, played lacrosse for a couple of hours, and then ran the six miles to Bond Head to cool off. Mike was a bookkeeper who also worked for his father in the garage and blacksmith shop. Maisil became a nurse and Dorothy worked in a restaurant and stayed at home to look after her family.

The one-storey, three-bay ‘cottage’ has a rectangular plan with a centre hall, a symmetrical façade, and a shallow-pitched, gable roof. The enclosed porch has a hip roof and the entrance is raised above grade level. There is a simple entrance with a single door with windows on each side. The porch stairs are not original and the entire porch may be a later addition. There are double-hung windows at the ground floor. The 2/2 widows appear to be original and are set into simple, rectangular openings with plain, wood surrounds and sills. Exterior aluminum storm windows are a later addition. The building has wood frame construction with vinyl siding and a stone-rubble foundation. It had wood cove siding originally. According to the 2000 inventory, the building’s form is one of the few existing original building elements. It also notes that the modest cottage probably had few decorative details originally. (1, 2, 3)

The Queen’s Hotel (located at 22 Holland St. West) was built circa 1850. This photo (taken in the fall of 1995) shows the structure just before a major renovation. The hotel went “dry” during WWI. Bradford, like all of Ontario, was experiencing prohibition (even though Bradford had voted “wet”). The building originally had two storeys. A third floor and a flat roof were added later. It was heated with an old steam engine that had the undercarriage removed. The engine first burnt 4’ stacks of hardwood, then coal, and finally, oil. Eventually a new furnace was installed (most likely natural gas). The building was always warm and thought of as a home away from home.
Harry Lang, Celina and their children (Evelyn, George and Audrey) moved here from North Bay and bought the building in the 1920’s. They ran the Temperance House, and a board and dining service at this location. They had long-time help and boarders. Little John Cook ran a shop selling ice cream, chocolate bars, and smokes on the east side (down one step). A bus stop was added when bus service started. Len and Art Saint put a cement addition on the back of the building around 1938. At the rear, there was a chicken house, a roofed, open shed, and a laneway. Another shed ran south, and to the west was an ice house. There was open space to the north before the laneway and a barn for hay and horses. The barn had two stories and below there was a pig sty. North of the laneway there was another open shed, car storage, and a cooking kitchen on the back of the hotel (a little east of the back entrance). Jack Wilson worked for Harry Lang for many years. Mitch Hepburn brought in beer in 1934 and the building opened as the Queen’s Hotel. Businessmen had to chip in to buy a liquor license and Hepburn was the first supplier. Business was excellent and the hotel was really crowded. Before the arrival of the beer, the locals had used it as a place to play dominoes and checkers, and to conduct hunt camp and other organizations’ meetings. (1, 2, 4)
Please contact the Bradford West Gwillimbury Public Library (905-775-3328) if you have any other information about this photo.

The mid-block building located on the north side at 57 Holland Street West was built in the Eclectic Edwardian style in 1900-1920. It has been the home of many people over the years, including Ken Sawdon (who later moved to Mt. Pleasant), Dr. R.H. Judge, and Steve and Margaret Molokach and son John (market gardeners across the tracks behind the Bradford Bureau Kiosk).
The two-storey, ‘L’-shaped building with a hipped roof has a simple, smooth, brick form with broad, extended eaves and large, symmetrically-placed, window openings. Large windows with stained glass in the transoms at the main floor windows are another Edwardian feature. The contrasts between the rusticated stone base, the smooth-brick surface above, and the textured wood shingles at the gable are Queen Anne features. The hipped roof with a top, curb cap is an Italianate feature. This building has brick, masonry construction and a rusticated-block foundation. According to the 2000 inventory, the single-storey entrance and the narrow shutters are modern additions. (1, 2, 3)

Miss Sinclair’s House is a mid-block building located on the south side at 92 Holland Street West. It was built in the 1890’s in the Italianate style. Miss Bertha Sinclair lived in this house for many years. When she died, her nieces Kay and Isabel (daughters of Robert Spence) moved into the house. They were hairdressers. Isabel later moved and part of the house was rented to George and Ethel Stewart. The building was eventually sold to a real estate agent. The office of Dr. Fitzsimmons was also here at one time. Next to this structure was a vacant lot belonging to the Sinclair family. Many years ago there was a Temperance Hall and a church located there.
The two-storey, rectangular, main building has a single-storey, rear addition, a symmetrical façade, and a moderately-pitched, hip roof with a central chimney. The grand, Italianate scale is reflected in the large window openings, high floor to ceiling heights, and the large, 6/6 sash windows. There are deep, projecting eaves with ornately-decorated, paired cornice brackets and ‘false quoins’ (wood detailing meant to resemble masonry). The window cornices are exaggerated. According to the 2000 inventory, the stone foundation, wood frame construction, horizontal, wood-sided exterior finish (resembling masonry), and painted, exterior, wood trim are maintained well. (1, 2, 3)

The two-storey, brick house located at 108 Holland St. West was built by John Maurino on what was originally a 100-acre farm owned by John Skinner. Skinner lived on Church St. (at the southeast corner of John Street). There was a creek behind the original barn and a pond used for watering stock, etc. It was also used as a hockey and skating rink in the winter many years ago. The land was eventually sold to John Maurino. He added a two-storey shed and a new barn to the property at the time he built the house that is seen in this photo from 1995. Maurino and his wife (a sister of Cavallo, the local harness and shoemaker) farmed the land with their children Augustus, Aida, Frank, Lena and Laura. (1, 2)

Builder A.J. (Arthur) Saint and his wife Margaret once lived in the structure located at 113 Holland St. West. Art bought the house in 1931 and completely remodeled it. He added a walk-in refrigerator and a two-car garage in the old summer kitchen and woodshed. At the back of the lot at that time there was a two-storey barn that Art turned into a workshop. He had three children (Keith, Helen and Karen). Art died in 1952 and the house was sold a couple of years later to John DePeuter. It was later remodeled and bricked again as seen in this photo from 1995. (1, 2)

The Dr. Lewis Campbell House is a mid-block building located at 33 John St. East. It was built in 1900 in the Eclectic Edwardian style. Dr. Lewis H. Campbell was a well-known physician, athlete, and field lacrosse player. He travelled with the local lacrosse team to Australia (where they were undefeated). The team continued playing in India and Europe before coming back home. He had the house (and his office) built here the summer he got married. He married a nurse after his first wife’s early death and continued to live and practise here until his own death. The house was then sold to another doctor. Originally there was a full, two-storey horse stable with a loft behind the house. On the south-west corner there was a room for storing harnesses, blankets, etc. This faced the back lane and was clapboard with a peaked, metal roof. At the rear of the house there was also a brick, one-storey garage and storage for a cutter, buggy, etc. It was on the north side of the laneway and was later made into a small house with a verandah closed in on the south side for Kowalchuch (a small market gardener) and his family of two girls.
The 2½-storey house has an ‘L’-shaped plan (a Gothic feature). The steeply-pitched, hip roof has a large, hipped dormer. There is a large, projecting, second-floor bay window with a balanced window opening at the ground floor. Classically-inspired colonnettes on brick and stone piers at the porch entrance are another Edwardian feature. The eaves line is not consistent. Front, projecting roof eaves are higher than at the rear of house. This is more typical of an Arts and Crafts detail. The entrance door has sidelights and the double-hung windows have decorative, multi-pane, upper-sash windows. There are rusticated stone highlights at the belt course, ground floor window sills and porch colonnettes bases at the front façade. The house has brick masonry construction. A balcony infill above the porch does not appear to be original. The roof skylight and replacement entrance stairs and railing are also modern additions. According to the 2000 inventory, the house is unique and grand, with an eclectic mix of many original details. It also notes that it was difficult to see the structure due to the surrounding trees. (1, 2, 3)

The structure located at 70 and 72 John St. East is a double, T-shaped, frame house once owned by Jim Spence (the former owner of the Spence Lumber Company). Jim and his children, Minnie (Hammel) and Alex, lived on the east side of the building (72 John St. East). His son eventually took over the lumber business. Jim rented the west side of the building (70 John St. East) to Harry Barron. In later years it became the home of Casey Stewart, his wife Annie (George Harman’s sister), and their daughter Velma. Casey worked for Jessie Sutherland before moving to Toronto. Ted Gore, an English World War I veteran, also lived here at one time with his family of two sons. (1, 2)

The mid-block building located at 84 John St. East was built around 1920-1930’s in the Ontario Vernacular Cottage style. It was erected on property that was originally owned by Tom Saint and was the site of his storage lot (behind his business on Holland St. East). Tom was a noted stone mason, brick layer, and plasterer. He ran his own business from 1871-1925, at which point his son Leonard took over. A two-storey shed and horse stable (with loft above) stood on this lot originally. There was a 6’ wide and 7’ deep open ditch running from Barrie Street beyond Colborne Street. Tom had a large number of hard cement cloth bags that were used as abutments for a pole bridge. Tiles were eventually laid and the ditch was filled before World War II. The storage property was sold years later.
This 1½-storey, three-bay cottage has a rectangular plan, a centre hall, and a symmetrical façade. A box hall was typical for this style. It has a shallow-pitched, hip roof with dormer windows. The enclosed porch has a hip roof with a raised entrance, a single door opening, and windows on the three exposed sides. Its roof is supported on double, wood half-pilasters that are infilled with brick. There are large windows (with low floor to ceiling heights) to the primary rooms on each side of the porch and double-hung windows at the ground floor. The 2/2 windows appear to be original. They are set into rectangular openings with a brick, rowlock course above and concrete sills. The house has wood frame construction, brick siding and a parged, stone foundation. Aluminum siding is found on the dormers and porch. There is a single, brick masonry chimney at the centre of the house. According to the 2000 inventory, the one-storey rear addition and dormers do not appear to be original because of the style of windows, different roof types, and the shallowness of the main roof pitch. It also notes that some other building elements did appear to be original. (1, 2, 3)