The house located at 39 Drury St. (at the southeast corner of Drury and Thomas Streets) was built pre-1900 in the Ontario Vernacular Cottage style. Bob (“Red”) Armstrong, a bachelor, once lived here. Jim Webb eventually bought the property and rented the structure to Victor Hunter (a carpenter) and his family. Frank Park (a handyman) kept his horse in the small barn on the property. Charles Hounsome (a railway section man) also lived here at one time. Lloyd Houston (a butcher) and his wife Jean lived here after the wars. The one-storey, three-bay cottage has a shallow-pitched, gable roof, a symmetrical façade, and a rectangular plan with a centre hall. A box hall was typical for this style. The simple entrance has a single door set into a rectangular opening. It opens directly into the house from grade level and there is no porch (or weather protection) to shelter the entrance. The windows have low floor to ceiling heights. There are double-hung, 2/2 windows on either side of the entrance that appear to be original. They are set into simple, rectangular openings with plain, wood frames and sills. Wood frame construction is covered with vinyl siding. The original cladding was wood. The house has a parged, stone foundation. There is a single, brick masonry chimney at the centre of house. According to the 2000 inventory, this simple cottage probably had few decorative details originally. It also notes that the concrete block chimney on the exterior south wall is a later addition. (1, 2, 3)
The mid-block building located at 43 and 45 Drury St. was built in the Neoclassical Duplex style in the 1860-1880’s. Leonard Saint bought the building in 1909 from Mrs. Garrett (mother of E. Garrett who owned the Bradford Witness newspaper). Len was in the building trade and he was a brick layer, a plasterer, and a cement worker in Bradford. In 1911, he moved the building twenty feet back from the street, raised it, and put in a cellar as well as a parged, stone foundation. He also added two rear kitchens. There was a garage on the back lot facing Elizabeth Street. The south side of the house was rented to various people. The building stayed in the Saint family until the 1980’s. The two-storey, four-bay, semi-detached house has a simple form with separated, side-hall entrances in the formal, symmetrical façade. It has a shallow-pitched, gable roof and gable end chimneys. The upper portion of the original, wood-panelled doors is glazed and has multiple lights at the top. This is reminiscent of the transom found in a more ‘’upscale” home of this period. There are large window openings with high floor to ceiling heights. Large, 6/6 wood sash windows at the ground floor are original. The upper-floor window openings align with the ground-floor openings and the windows have plain wood frames and sills. Wood frame construction is covered with vinyl siding. The original cladding was stucco on wood lath. According to the 2000 inventory, this building is a modest example of workers’ housing. It also notes that it is in good condition with some original details remaining. (1, 2, 3)
The mid-block building once located at 49 Drury St. was built in the neoclassical style around 1880. James Currie (a retired farmer, businessman, carpenter and noted gardener) and his wife lived here many years ago. Gilbert Lukes, his wife, and some of his family also lived here at one time. The two-storey, rectangular building had a symmetrical façade, a centre hall plan, and a medium-pitched, gable roof. It had large window openings with high floor to ceiling heights. The large, 2/2 double-hung, wood windows had wood lug sills. Aluminum storm windows were modern additions. The house had symmetrically-placed chimneys at both ends of the roof. The metal roof had minimal eaves projection. There were decorative brick dentils at the cornices and stepped brick corbels at the projecting, end gable walls (firewall-type construction). The building had solid, brick construction. At one time the house had a woodshed (with a toilet inside), a chicken run, and a chicken house attached to the barn (with a horse and cow stable), car garage (and loft above) on the laneway. The house was demolished in June, 1997. (1, 2, 3)
The corner building located on the west side at 68 Essa St. was built pre-1900 in the Ontario Vernacular Cottage style. It was once the home of Alex Sutherland. 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 covered porch has a hip roof supported on simple, wooden posts. It is raised a few steps above grade. The entrance is simple with a single-door opening. There are single windows (with low floor to ceiling heights) to the primary rooms on each side of the porch. Ground-floor windows are double-hung. The house has wood frame construction, wood siding, and a parged, stone 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 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 built before the street was paved or town services were installed. (1, 3)
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 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 former Anglican Church Manse is located at 81 Frederick St. (on the northeast corner of Church and Frederick Streets). The structure was built around 1880 in the Eclectic Neoclassical style. The two-storey, rectangular building has a medium-pitched, hip roof. The line at the front façade suggesting that the building originally had a full-width, front porch is another Regency Revival feature. The symmetrical window openings (with high floor to ceiling heights), a centre hall plan, and a wide entrance with sidelights and a transom are neoclassical features. Dichromatic brickwork at the quoins and window labels, as well as the ‘droopy’ label stops at the windows are Gothic Revival features. The house has solid, brick construction and a stone foundation. According to the 2000 inventory, the existing porch and entrance motif are unsympathetic with the original design. It also notes that, unlike the originals, the replacement windows have no muntins. (1, 2, 3)
This mid-block building is located on a sloping lot at 112 Frederick Street. The structure, which was once the home of the Chantler family, was built on a sloping lot pre-1900 in the Ontario Vernacular Cottage style. The existing Frederick Street appears to be built at a higher level than the lot, indicating that this house was built before the street was paved or town services were installed. The one-storey, three-bay cottage has a square plan with a centre hall. A box hall was typical for this style. It has a saltbox roof, a symmetrical façade, and a single door at the grade-level entrance. There are small window openings with low floor to ceiling heights and plain, wood trim and sills. Double-hung windows are not original. Wood frame construction is covered with vinyl siding. The original siding was likely wood. There is a parged, stone foundation. According to the 2000 inventory, few of the existing building elements appear to be original. It also notes that this modest cottage probably had few decorative details originally. (1, 2, 3)
The house located mid-block at 56 Hurd St. was built in the 1860-1880’s in the Gothic Revival style. The level of the sidewalk above the front yard suggests that this house was built before the street was paved or town services were installed. It was the home of the Gummerson family (before moving to 151 Church Street). Charlie Wilson and his family lived here in later years. The 1½-storey, ‘L’-shaped house has an asymmetrical façade, a centre hall, and a medium-pitched, gable roof. The roof has an off-centre gable at the front façade projection. The Regency-style entrance has a flat, narrow transom with multiple lights and sidelights set into a rectangular opening. Wide, wood framing is topped with a shelf projection. The house has tall, narrow windows with high floor to ceiling heights. They are set into narrow, rectangular openings with plain, wood frames topped by shelf projections and plain, wood sills. A ground-floor bay window has a shallow hip roof supported on brackets. The 2/2 windows are the only original ones in the structure. Wood frame construction is covered with vinyl siding which replaces the original cove siding. The house has a parged, stone foundation. When the house was inventoried in 2000, a single fragment of ‘gingerbread’ was found hanging from one corner of the eaves. This suggests that more elaborate decoration was original to the house. (1, 3)
The house located mid-block at 115 Hurd St. was built around 1920-1940 in the Gothic Revival Cottage style. It was once the home of Aldie Robinson. The Waldruff family lived here years later. The 1½-storey, three-bay ‘cottage’ has a symmetrical façade, a centre hall plan, a medium-pitched, gable roof and a steeply-pitched, gable dormer. The wide, ground-floor windows indicate twentieth-century construction. The openings are original, but the windows have been replaced more recently. They have cut-stone sills and steel lintels. There is a broad, brick header belt course. Long, narrow bricks which are not a standard shape are used. The house has brick veneer on wood stud construction. This indicates post-1920’s construction. There is a parged, block foundation and a wide, basement window with a window well. The use of a basement for ‘living’ space is a more modern concept related to improvements in waterproofing and insulation technologies. According to the 2000 inventory, this house incorporates modern-day construction materials, techniques, and detailing. It also notes that the entrance door and sidelight, metal awning, and wood porch are recent additions. (1, 3)
