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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)

The Broughton House is a mid-block building located at 67 James Street. It was built pre-1900 in the Neoclassical Duplex style. This structure was the home of the Post Master (H.S. Broughton) many years ago.
The two-storey, rectangular building has a simple form with a shallow-pitched, gable roof and a centre hall plan. It has a four-bay organization. This is similar to typical, duplex arrangements with an even number of bays. The paired front doors (with transom above) are original. They are half glazed with decorative panelling below. Originally, the building had a wide, front verandah with a shed roof. The broad entrance has been remodelled and is now non-functional. First-floor windows were originally in the same pattern as those on the second floor. Metal siding and shutters conceal alterations to the original building. The original construction was probably wood frame with wood cove siding. There is a parged, stone foundation and a cellar. Originally, chimneys were placed symmetrically at each end of the gable roof. According to the 2000 inventory, other than the building’s basic form, few original features remain. (1, 3)

The mid-block structure located on the east side at 87 Toronto Street was built around the 1870’s in the Ontario Vernacular style. It faces the lane and was once the home of Harry Bugler.
The 1½-storey, rectangular building has a one-storey rear addition, a centre hall, and a medium-pitched, gable roof. Its front porch was open originally. The replacement windows have the original, plain, wood lug sills and trim. Metal storm windows and the door are also later additions. There is vinyl siding over the wood frame construction. The original cladding was probably wood cove siding. The structure has a parged, stone foundation. According to the 2000 inventory, little of the original building is apparent other than the form. (1, 3)

The mid-block building located on the west side at 150 Toronto St. (on the corner of Toronto and Queen Streets) was built around 1890-1910 in the Gothic Revival style. The 1½-storey, original farmhouse has a recent, two-storey addition, a simple rectangular form and a medium-pitched, gable roof. The original brick masonry construction was totally reclad with new brick veneer in the 1980’s. Replacement windows and doors may, or may not, be the original size and/or at the original locations. A new, parged-block foundation covers the existing stone foundation. According to the 2000 inventory, little of the original building is apparent apart from the form. It also notes that the new, brick cladding with dichromatic quoining, belt course, and window heads are not a convincing replication of the old-style detailing. The side-wing addition was thought to relate minimally to the main house. (1, 3)

The Nesbitt House is located mid-block on the west side at 88 Barrie Street. The two-storey, ‘L’-shaped building with a hip roof was built around 1920 in the Eclectic Edwardian style. The shallow, two-storey bay with a wide projecting gable roof is a classical, pediment-like form. The porch roof and balcony above are supported by rectangular colonnettes on brick piers. Other Edwardian features are the large, double-hung windows with shorter, upper-sash windows that are proportioned to resemble rectangular transoms. The wood-shingle texture at the exposed gable is an Italianate feature and the roof curb is reminiscent of an Italianate motif. There are precast lug sills and column bases. The house has load-bearing, brick masonry construction, a stone foundation, and painted-wood porch details. According to the 2000 inventory, the house has been maintained well. (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 mid-block at 119 Barrie St. was one of seven houses begun in 1912 by Lieutenant George Stoddart. When Stoddart went overseas during WWI, the projects were completed by builder Art Saint. This house was built in the Edwardian Classicism style. Hewey Douglas and his wife lived here many years ago. He had a hardware store on the north side of Holland Street (west of the bank).
The two-storey building has a simple, formal composition. The square form is topped by a bell- cast, hip roof. A hip roof on the large, classically-inspired entrance porch is supported by half columns on brick piers. Simple, double-hung windows are balanced within the façade. The side-bay projection (with wood siding) adds visual interest. The rest of the exterior is solid, smooth brick construction with simple details. According to the 2000 inventory, the house has been maintained well. (1, 2, 3)

The Gib Lukes House is located mid-block on the west side at 170 Barrie Street. It was built post-1900 in the Edwardian Classicism style. The garage at the rear where Gib Lukes parked his Stanley Steamer automobile is currently the building at 123 Moore Street being used as the Bradford Food Bank.
The two-storey, rectangular building has a strong, simplistic underlying form. It has a two-storey projecting bay, hip roofs and projecting dormers. There is a classically-inspired entrance portico with a balcony above. The porch roof is supported on Doric colonnettes on brick piers. A pediment form highlights the entrance. The roof line has a dormer and substantial chimneys. Decorative soffit brackets surround the main eaves and dormer eaves. The house has a variety of window sizes. The brick window arch has a subtle ‘eyebrow’ detail. Transoms are found at the bay windows. The house has brick masonry construction and painted wood cornice, porch, balcony and dormer details. There is a stone foundation. According to the 2000 inventory, the house is maintained well. (1, 3)