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The building located at 79 Holland St. West (on the northeast corner of Holland and Church Streets) was built in the Gothic Revival style around 1890-1910. Wilton Johnson and Irwin Ray, retired farmers, once lived in this house. Wilton worked for years for the Clubines. The previous owner was a tombstone maker who sold tombstones throughout all of Simcoe County.
The two-storey, ‘L’-shaped building has a medium-pitched, gable roof with a gable dormer. This is a typical Gothic Revival feature. Uncharacteristically, however, the dormer eaves do not align with the main roof eaves. A broad, hipped, Regency-like porch roof is supported by an eclectic mixture of forms (including a broad cornice band and half, Doric columns on brick pilasters). The porch railing and stairs are not original. There is a coloured-glass, arched transom over the main-floor, gable-end window. The ground-floor windows are wider than those at the second floor. The house has loadbearing, brick masonry construction and a stone foundation. According to the 2000 inventory, the building is an eclectic mixture of styles (suggesting early twentieth-century construction). It also notes that the modern door and railings are unsympathetic with the original design. (1, 2, 3)

The William Curry House is a mid-block building located at 73 Holland St. West. It was built in the Gothic Revival style around the 1890’s. Bill Curry, a carpenter, and his wife and children (Harvey and Jessie) moved here from the 14th Line, West Gwillimbury. Members of the Curry family have lived in this house for many decades.
The two-storey, ‘L’-shaped building has large window openings, high floor to ceiling heights, and a medium-pitched, gable roof. The shutters (but probably not the colour) may be original. A wrap-around entrance porch is original and has Regency overtones. Although the windows and doors have been replaced, the original wood, lug sills remain. The building has brick veneer on wood frame construction. Window awnings and attic vents are twentieth-century alterations. The soffit infill, if original, has an altered eaves detail. According to the 2000 inventory, the building is surrounded by a well-maintained, landscaped yard. (1, 2, 3)

The building located on the north side at 61 Holland St. West was built in the Romanesque Revival style around the 1880’s. The Scanlon Law Offices building was originally constructed to house the law practice of the two Scanlon brothers. Albert "Ab" Scanlon, a lawyer, and Mrs. Frank (Ethel) Woods, a widow and retired farmer (from the 8th Line) both resided here at one time.
The one-storey building has a rectangular plan, small window openings with high floor to ceiling heights, and a flat roof. The symmetrical façade has a simple, solid form. Round arches are reminiscent of the Roman Empire and rich, decorative details. Originally, there were two entrances contained unobtrusively in simple, rectangular openings on either side of the centre window. This is atypical of the Romanesque Revival style, where the entrance door was more frequently the most prominent element of the façade. The second entrance door to the west of the centre window has been “bricked in”, but its flat, arch opening is still visible by the line of the brick voussoirs. There is a wood-panelled door with an upper, glass light and also a rear entrance. The centre, ground-floor window is a prominent feature. It is exaggerated by the arch form set into the parapet above and subdivided vertically into three parts. Smaller windows to each side are set into segmented, arch openings with brick voussoirs. The windows are double-hung with stone (or concrete) lug sills. A major feature is the heavy parapet with an insert panel decorated richly with brick set in a basket weave pattern. The segmented arch extends the window form into the parapet panel. A cornice line along the bottom of the parapet is decorated with a line of brick dentils. The building has masonry construction, brick cladding, and a cut-stone foundation. According to the 2000 inventory, the structure is in good condition with many, original details remaining. (1, 2, 3)

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 Bradford Town Hall is located at 61 Holland St. East. It survived the fire of 1871 that destroyed much of Bradford’s downtown. The building was being used as a schoolhouse in 1875 when a severe wind storm blew off the roof and killed a member of the Woods’ family. Reports disagree about the number of school children injured. Bricks were salvaged from damaged sections of the building and reused in the construction of a duplex at 31/33 Bingham Street. The building was a market place for farmers until the mid 1930’s. There was a commons at the rear for pasturing. It later became a playground. There were stalls and display tables for farm animals, chickens etc. Jim Nesbitt was one of the managers. Upstairs was a hall with a raised stage and raised steps at the front. Readings, lectures, visiting theatre groups, dances, minstrel shows and meetings with dignitaries were all held here. Buster Matthews had a casket-manufacturing business in the basement for a while. Charlie Heath held movies here. Later there was a badminton court.

The structure was overhauled after WWII. The ceiling was lowered, beautiful light fixtures were converted to hydro and refurbished, and the stage was removed. All records and centennial books were destroyed and it was turned into a court house. The west stairs were closed off and the raised steps removed. The building was originally heated by a large wood-burning furnace in the basement before it was converted to oil. It was originally lighted with manufactured gas and then hydro after 1916. The old chandeliers still remain. Bradford’s first police force was located in this building for several years. The town’s administrative business was also conducted from here. On the west side of the Town Hall there once was a three-bay fire hall. At the back there was a Recreation Hall with a kitchen and toilets for the volunteer firemen to use. It was rented by the Lions Club (who met here for a number of years). The firemen provided draws and suppers to raise money for new equipment (a lot of which they manufactured themselves). It was heated by natural gas and built by Irma (?) and the walls were thick enough for a second storey. There is a stone cairn with a plaque in memory of Professor W.H. Day on the east side of the sidewalk. The WWI veterans built a cairn where the fire hall was. A cannon and a plaque with the names of those who perished in Europe were also there.

The current, two-storey Town Hall was built in the 1830-1860’s in the Classic Revival style. It has a symmetrical façade with a simplified, temple form and a medium-pitched, ‘pediment’ gable roof with plain cornice and frieze supported on brackets. There is an enclosed, raised porch with a steeply-pitched, centre gable (reminiscent of Gothic Revival). It is set into a shed roof flanked by corbelled parapets at each side and a plain cornice and frieze supported on brackets. The entrance door, stairs, and railing are not original. The entrance opening had been modified, but the original dichromatic brick that highlighted the top of the original entrance opening is still visible on either side of the new opening. There are tall window openings with high floor to ceiling heights. The windows are set into segmented, arch openings ornamented with alternating voussoirs and ‘ears’ of dichromatic brick and stone (or concrete) lug sills. The centre window above the entrance is raised above the entrance gable and ties together the entrance projection and façade composition behind. Original windows were probably double-hung and multi-paned. The ground-floor windows have been blocked in, but their outline is still visible on the front façade. There is a horizontal, dichromatic brick string coursing. The structure has masonry construction with brick cladding (sandblasted) and a random, rubble-stone foundation. An original, open-frame cupola/bell tower with a steeply-pitched, bell-cast roof and chimneys were missing when the building was inventoried in 2000. At that time the building was considered to be in good condition. (1, 2, 3, 4)

The Dougald MacDonald House is located mid-block at 63 Frederick Street. The house was built pre-1900 (around 1882) in the Ontario Vernacular Cottage style. It was built by George (Geordy) MacDonald, a bachelor, stone mason, and contractor who emigrated from Scotland at the age of 27. He was responsible for building homes and schools in this community, as well as the first Presbyterian Church in Bradford that once stood on John Street. The one-storey, three-bay cottage has a square plan with a centre hall. A box hall was typical for this style. The house has a symmetrical façade and a simple, gable roof. The grade-level entrance has a single entrance door with a rectangular, glazed transom. The large, 8/8, double-hung windows have plain, wood trim and sills. The house has wood frame construction covered with aluminum siding. According to the 2000 inventory, the original siding was probably wood. It also notes that the building was largely obscured by trees and that it probably had few decorative details originally. A photo (and brief article about the renovations) in Century Home Magazine (April 2002, page 18) reveals that the two cedar trees in the front yard have been removed and that a porch has been added at the front of the house. (1, 2, 3, 5, Century Home Magazine)

The Mark Scanlon House, also known locally as ‘The Pines’, is located at 168 Church St. (on the northwest corner of Church and Queen Streets). It was built in the Gothic Revival style around 1850 by Mark Scanlon. He was a lawyer and one of the original town fathers. This structure later became the home of Professor Day, the Misses Lane, and eventually lawyer Robert (Bob) Evans.
The two-storey, ‘L’-shaped farmhouse sits on a large corner lot. It has 1½-storey rear additions. The main building has an asymmetrical plan, a steeply-pitched, gable roof with dormers, and multiple chimneys. A wide entrance has sidelights and a transom with etched glass in a pattern. The wood screen door is not original. A line in the brick indicates an original wrap-around porch (Regency style). The existing porch is a twentieth-century replacement. There are large window openings with high floor to ceiling heights. The large, 6/6 (original) sash windows are compatible with modern, storm additions. The bay windows are 2/2 sash. There are painted, wood lug sills and a projecting, bay window with a crenellated cap. The house has a false rose window in the side gable (with a chimney stack behind). The shutters are original. There is an elaborately-carved, deep, bargeboard trim (beneath the sloped gables only) with rectangular, upright and dropped finials. There is also dichromatic brickwork at the corner reveals, window labels, and label stops. The building has loadbearing, brick masonry construction and a stone foundation. Rare, pink brick used as cladding was possibly made in Newmarket. According to the 2000 inventory, the picturesque house is well-maintained. (1, 3)

The Mark Scanlon House, also known locally as ‘The Pines’, is located at 168 Church St. (on the northwest corner of Church and Queen Streets). It was built in the Gothic Revival style around 1850 by Mark Scanlon. He was a lawyer and one of the original town fathers. This structure later became the home of Professor Day, the Misses Lane, and eventually lawyer Robert (Bob) Evans.
The two-storey, ‘L’-shaped farmhouse sits on a large corner lot. It has 1½-storey rear additions. The main building has an asymmetrical plan, a steeply-pitched, gable roof with dormers, and multiple chimneys. A wide entrance has sidelights and a transom with etched glass in a pattern. The wood screen door is not original. A line in the brick indicates an original wrap-around porch (Regency style). The existing porch is a twentieth-century replacement. There are large window openings with high floor to ceiling heights. The large, 6/6 (original) sash windows are compatible with modern, storm additions. The bay windows are 2/2 sash. There are painted, wood lug sills and a projecting, bay window with a crenellated cap. The house has a false rose window in the side gable (with a chimney stack behind). The shutters are original. There is an elaborately-carved, deep, bargeboard trim (beneath the sloped gables only) with rectangular, upright and dropped finials. There is also dichromatic brickwork at the corner reveals, window labels, and label stops. The building has loadbearing, brick masonry construction and a stone foundation. Rare, pink brick used as cladding was possibly made in Newmarket. According to the 2000 inventory, the picturesque house is well-maintained. (1, 3)

The Mark Scanlon House, also known locally as ‘The Pines’, is located at 168 Church St. (on the northwest corner of Church and Queen Streets). It was built in the Gothic Revival style around 1850 by Mark Scanlon. He was a lawyer and one of the original town fathers. This structure later became the home of Professor Day, the Misses Lane, and eventually lawyer Robert (Bob) Evans.
The two-storey, ‘L’-shaped farmhouse sits on a large corner lot. It has 1½-storey rear additions. The main building has an asymmetrical plan, a steeply-pitched, gable roof with dormers, and multiple chimneys. A wide entrance has sidelights and a transom with etched glass in a pattern. The wood screen door is not original. A line in the brick indicates an original wrap-around porch (Regency style). The existing porch is a twentieth-century replacement. There are large window openings with high floor to ceiling heights. The large, 6/6 (original) sash windows are compatible with modern, storm additions. The bay windows are 2/2 sash. There are painted, wood lug sills and a projecting, bay window with a crenellated cap. The house has a false rose window in the side gable (with a chimney stack behind). The shutters are original. There is an elaborately-carved, deep, bargeboard trim (beneath the sloped gables only) with rectangular, upright and dropped finials. There is also dichromatic brickwork at the corner reveals, window labels, and label stops. The building has loadbearing, brick masonry construction and a stone foundation. Rare, pink brick used as cladding was possibly made in Newmarket. According to the 2000 inventory, the picturesque house is well-maintained. (1, 3)

The Gummerson House is located at 151 Church St. (on the southeast corner of Church and Queen Streets). It was built in the Gothic Revival Cottage style around the 1880’s. The Gummerson family moved to Bradford from Bond Head (on the southwest corner of Beeton Road) in 1886. This structure later became the home of Rose MacEwan. Sue and Philip Richards also lived here at one time.
The 1½-storey, three-bay ‘cottage’ has a one-storey and a 1½-storey rear additions. There was a barn at the rear originally. The house has a centre hall plan and a medium-pitched, gable roof with steeply-pitched dormers. It has dichromatic brickwork at the stylised quoins and a patterned belt course. There is an accent brick, diamond pattern at the dormer and gable peaks and at the curved, brick lintels at the openings. There are large window openings with high floor to ceiling heights. The house has four-pane, casement windows at the front and 2/2 wood, sash windows at the sides. Painted, wood, lug sills remain. The front dormer has a round-headed casement. Original windows and doors, loadbearing, brick masonry construction, and a stone foundation also remain. An inscription in a brick at the rear of the building reads: “Sept. 3, 1886 prayer meeting”. According to the 2000 inventory, the lack of Gothic Revival features (such as a porch and gingerbread trim) indicates a more modest, vernacular variation. It also notes that the house originally had three chimneys (one at each of the gable ends) and a barn at the rear. (1, 3)