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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 Professor Day House is located at 162 Barrie St. (on the northwest corner of Barrie and Queen Streets). It was built in the early 1880’s in the Gothic Revival Cottage style. Stables were originally located in the rear yard. Mrs. Creighton, a daughter of Dr. Stevenson, once lived here. A granddaughter, Gretchen Dewhurst, was still living here in 1996.
The 1½-storey, three-bay cottage has a 1½-storey, rear ‘kitchen’ wing. It also has a symmetrical façade, a centre hall plan, and a medium-pitched, gable roof with a centre gable over the entrance. An open porch with a gable roof is supported on plain wood posts with an open railing. The house has large window openings with high floor to ceiling heights. There are large double-hung, multi-paned windows at the ground floor and smaller, double-hung windows at the second floor. Shallow, pediment-shaped trim is found over the ground floor windows as well as plain, wood trim on the sides with wood slip sills. There are shutters at the windows on the front façade. The house has wood frame construction with painted, stucco cladding and a stone-rubble foundation and cellar. A stone chimney and fireplace were added in the 1950’s by Reverend Creighton. According to the 2000 inventory, the house is in excellent condition with many original features (including doors and windows). It also notes that the changes that have been made to the house are in keeping with its original character. (1, 3)
Please contact the Bradford West Gwillimbury Public Library (905-775-3328) if you have any other information about this photo.

The building that is located at 67 Church St. (on the southeast corner of Church and James Streets) was built pre-1900 in the Ontario Vernacular Cottage style. It was moved to this site many years ago. The Robinson family once lived in this house. Mr. Robinson worked for Spence Lumber and he belonged to the Band. He had a daughter named Jean.
The one-storey, three-bay cottage has a rectangular plan with a centre hall. A box hall was typical for this style. It also has a symmetrical façade and a shallow-pitched, hip roof. The enclosed porch (added after the house was moved to this location) has a hip roof with a grade level entrance. It has a simple entrance with a single door opening to one side of the porch. Single windows to the primary rooms are found on each side of the porch. Double-hung, 2/2 windows appear to be original. The building has wood frame construction, wood shiplap siding, and a parged, stone foundation. There is a single, brick, masonry chimney at the exterior south wall. According to the 2000 inventory, this modest cottage probably had few decorative details originally. It notes that other than the building’s form, few existing building elements appear to be original. Existing James Street appears to be built at a higher level than this lot. This indicates that the house was moved here before the street was paved or town services were installed. (1, 3)

The Scott House is located at 110 Church St. (on the northwest corner of Church and Frederick Streets). It was built in the neoclassical style around 1870. The two-storey, rectangular main building has a symmetrical façade, a centre hall plan, and large window openings with high floor to ceiling dimensions. It has a medium-pitched, gable roof with identical chimneys at both ends that have elaborate, corbelled brickwork. The original, single-storey, rear additions have been modernized (as required). There is a wide entrance that includes a glazed door, sidelights, a transom, and deep, painted, wood panel reveals. The semi-circular entrance portico has Doric columns, stylized entablature and a balustrade feature that is not original. It is, however, still considered to be in keeping with the style of the house. The original verandah was on the front and left side of the house and the upper balcony was accessible by an upstairs doorway. The house has large, 6/6 double-hung windows with wide, exterior, moulded-wood casings. Names and a year have been scratched into the bottom pane of glass. There are sculptured, curvilinear soffit brackets and end, gable wall eaves returns. The house has wood plank construction, a painted stucco exterior finish, painted exterior wood trim, and a stone foundation. Stucco was likely the original cladding, as plank construction enabled the plastering of interior wall surfaces and the stuccoing of exterior ones. According to the 2000 inventory, the house is well-maintained. It also notes that the modernization and remodelling are sympathetic with the original building. (1, 3)

Allan (“Wink”) Crake, a nephew of Dick Crake, owned the one-storey building located at 31 Barrie Street. When Wink retired, Bradford Public Utilities bought the building and opened its offices here. There was a laneway behind Reuben Tindall’s house to the back entrance for the residents of John Street. (1, 2)

The Thorpe House is located mid-block on the west side at 184 Barrie Street. It was built post-1900 in the Eclectic Edwardian style. Miss St. Clair lived in this house many years ago.
The two-storey, ‘L’-shaped building has a projecting, two-storey, angled bay with a wide, pediment-like gable. More Edwardian features include the classically-inspired entrance porch with a balcony above. The balcony is supported on slender Doric colonnettes set on brick piers. This porch appears to be a replacement. There are large windows and the principal windows have rectangular transom lights decorated with small squares of coloured glass. The gable window also has coloured glass inserts. A broad, hip roof, roof curb and wide eaves overhang are Italianate features. The house has brick masonry construction and a stone foundation. According to the 2000 inventory, metal siding conceals the original wood trim at the gable and soffit. It also notes that although the replacement porch columns, balcony railing, and the altered porch roof are not of the same proportions as the original design, the original character of the building is still 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)

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 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)

The structure located at 38 Holland St. West (on the southwest corner of Holland and Drury Streets) was built around 1900 in the Ontario Vernacular style. B.B. “Ben” Collings lived upstairs with his wife (a Waldruff), and children Bernice, Kathleen and Norman. Both daughters became school teachers and Norman (“Dodger”) was a professional hockey player who helped his father and later took over the business. Ben’s workshop was also located here and there was a horse stable at the rear of the property many years ago. The back end of the building was destroyed by fire in the 1920’s. Ben Collings was involved in several businesses. He was also known as an organizer and sports manager. At one time this building was the site of the Collings’ mattress factory. Ben also cut marsh hay and hauled it down the river on a scow. Sometimes the hay was stacked for winter baling. The horses wore four wooden boots and wouldn’t get off the scow until they were applied. Ben was a furniture maker and an undertaker. His first experience as an undertaker was with the body of his own father. He bought Jack Spence’s fishing business (including nets, reels, pulleys, ropes and the fish shanty at the mouth of the river on the east side opposite the 8th Line). His largest catch of fish was five tons of carp. He fished in the spring and fall and put nets under the ice in winter. Carp was caught (when in season) and had to be kept alive for the Jewish market. He employed about eight men all year round. Later he had old cars cut down to make tractors. Ben and another man broke (worked?) Col. Bar’s marsh land at the north end of Federal Farms Rd. (Bathurst Street). The Newmarket Canal started and died on this property.
The two-storey, commercial ‘row’ building has second floor offices (or living space), a wide, rectangular plan with symmetrical organization, and a flat, built-up, tar and gravel roof. The ‘Main Street’ frontage with a typical, storefront façade is located at the street line. The Drury Street façade on the north portion of the building (fronting Holland Street) has a more informal façade with openings placed as required to suit the building’s requirements. The Drury Street building has a plain, symmetrical façade and is dominated by a wide, segmented, arch entrance raised slightly above the sidewalk. A loading door to the rear portion of the Holland Street building has a segmented, arch opening and a concrete sill raised above street level. The existing doors and windows are not original. There are several window openings with segmented, arch openings and concrete lug sills. Several basement windows (all topped with segmented arches) have been fully, or partially, blocked in. This suggests that the building was built before the existing road or town services were installed. The building has masonry construction, brick cladding, and a parged, stone foundation. According to the 2000 inventory, this modest, commercial building is in good condition with some original details. (1, 2, 3)
Please contact the Bradford West Gwillimbury Public Library (905-775-3328) if you have any other information about this photo.