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"It's graced Barrie Street for over 118 years, but last week, the "Old Convent" met the fate it had evaded for so long and fell to the wreckers.
Built in 1876, as the home of attorney and Reeve of Bradford, John MacLean Stevenson, it was one of the few Italianate villa-style Victorian buildings left in Canada. ..."

"OTTAWA, Aug 5-The Honourable Jean-Paul Deschatelets, Minister of Public works, today announced the award of a $101,600 contract to the Gorsline Construction Limited of Weston, Ont., for the construction of a Federal Building at Bradford, Ont.
The firm was the successful bidder of four in response to advertising for public tenders which closed on June 10, 1964. The highest bid was $106, 396. The work is scheduled for completion in 10 months.
The one storey building, measuring 72 feet by 62 feet, will be located on the northwest corner of John and Barrie Streets. It will be of concrete and steel construction with an exterior finished in brick and the base covered with Canadian granite. The main entrance canopy will be of reinforced concrete and steel construction.
The interior partition will be of masonry construction and the finished will include plaster, terrazzo, ceramic tile, acoustic tile ceilings and linoleum floor covering.
The windows will be sealed, double glazed units, installed in aluminum frames. Lighting will be fluorescent and heating will be from a gas fired hot water system.
The parking area at the rear and side will be asphalt covered, while the north, west and south boundary lines will be closed in with a chain link fence.
Accommodation will be provided for the Post Office Department and the Department of Agriculture.
Plans and specifications were prepared in the Toronto District Architect's Office of the Department of Public Works. I.M. Saunders, District Architect of Toronto, Ont., will be responsible for supervision of the work."

An article about the history of the Campbell family in Bradford, written by Luanne Campbell Edwards.

BRADFORD - Life-long Bradford resident and lawyer C.T.S. "Charlie" Evans last week shed further light on the history of the old convent on Barrie St.

The convent it currently the object of a legal tussle over ownership between the town and the contractor Fred Picavet.

Mr. Evans said he recalls being told by Kate Stevenson, the daughter of 19th century Bradford lawyer John MacLean Stevenson, that her father constructed the house based on plans of a Scots castle.

A CASTLE
"I recall her telling me that at one time he had gone to Scotland and had come back with plans of a castle and that he had this house built according to that plan," Mr. Evans said.

According to his personal records, Mr. Evans noted that Mr. Stevenson had been a Master of the Masonic Lodge in Bradford in 1877, a post usually held by older men.

"So hazarding a guess I would have to say that that house would be 150 years old," he surmised.

FIRST WAR
He said that the Lukes family, who owned the Bradford flour mill in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, likely moved into the house around the beginning of the First World War.

"Dick Crake bought the Lukes' house (where the Anzil Plaza now stands) around that time and the Lukes moved into what everyone now knows as the old convent."

Mr. Evans said a check could be made in the registry office in Barrie to determine when the property was originally purchased by Mr. Stevenson.

It was used as the Methodist Manse until 1970. Located on the corner of Barrie and Frederick Streets. Built around 1885.

Photograph from 1929 of Marjorie Blanchard Campbell, wife of William L. Campbell with son, Lewis Blanchard Campbell. Photograph taken in their home on Barrie Street in Bradford, Ontario.

Photograph of Lieut-Gov. David Onley and his wife, Ruth Ann Onley, on the corner of John St. East and Barrie St. for the unveiling of the Elizabeth Gwillim Simcoe statue.

"To celebrate Canada's 125th birthday, why not take a walking tour of some of the oldest streets in Bradford, four of which date back 162 years!" ...

Image of a bill from Keith Kilkenny from July 5th, 1957 for the repair of a radio. Addressed to Lewis Campbell.

"This is the location of the new Bank of Commerce the way it looked in 1915. At this time the bank was named Standard Bank and was located a bit further west. Around 1920, the bank branch moved to the corner of Barrie and Holland Streets. The buildings in the picture are a laundry and the post office."