The John Cook House is located mid-block on the east side at 65 Moore Street. It is set well back and was built around 1880 in the Gothic Revival style. The building was owned by the Cook family for many years. Originally, a series of sheds ran along the south side of Joseph Street from Moore Street almost to the houses on Barrie Street. These sheds were owned by John (Jack) Cook. He ran the local livery business and he was also a seed merchant. Fred (the son of Jack) lived in this house after his father’s death. Fred was an insurance agent, town politician, school board member, and a lay minister. The Fred C. Cook Elementary School in Bradford is named after him. The 1½-storey, ‘L’-shaped building has large window openings with high floor to ceiling heights and a steeply-pitched, gable roof. There is an elegant, shallow-pitched, hip roof at the porch. It has elaborately-carved, wooden brackets at the support posts. There are (replacement) sash windows with wide, wood trim and projected, wooden hood moulding above the windows. The entrance door has the original transom and sidelight. Wood frame construction is clad with stained board and batten siding and the house has a stone foundation. The original cladding was stucco. According to the 2000 inventory, the house has been maintained well and it is pleasingly renovated. It also notes that although the shutters are not original, they are a tasteful (and not inappropriate) addition. (1, 2, 3)
The mid-block building located at 51 Moore Street was built post-1900 in the Ontario Vernacular Cottage style. The one-storey, three-bay ’cottage’ has a rectangular plan and a medium-pitched, gable roof. It has a simple form with a symmetrical façade and a centre hall plan. There is a simple, gabled awning above the entrance door. The 2/2 wood, sash windows have plain, wood lug sills and trim. Metal storm windows, the door, and the shutters are later additions. The cornice return at the gable ends may be an original detail. Wood frame construction is covered with shiplap siding and the structure has a parged, stone foundation. A one-storey addition was built at a later time. According to the 2000 inventory, this modest dwelling has been maintained well. (1, 3)
This house is located at 28 Letitia Street. The street was named after Letitia Magee, the founder of the original subdivision in Bradford in the 1830’s. The name was later changed to Frederick St. to avoid confusion during emergency calls.
Early research notes on this home from George Jackson lists Jim McKinstry (Bob), a lumber mill worker, as an early owner of the property. The house on this property was built by Henry Bell, with assistance from some of his family members, in 1951, and the Bell family moved into the house in September of that year. Mr. Bell resided here until his passing in 1987. The home was inhabited by the Bell family until 2000.
The Thorpe House is located at 33 Joseph St. (on the northeast corner of Joseph and Moore Streets). It was built pre-1900 in the Ontario Vernacular style. The two-storey, two-bay house has a simple, rectangular plan, a side hall, and a medium-pitched, hip roof. A large addition has been added to the rear. The original, wood trim is still apparent around the replacement windows and door. Wood frame construction is clad with vinyl siding. The original cladding was shiplap siding. According to the 2000 inventory, the modern, metal awning over the entrance is not sympathetic with the remainder of the building. It also notes that this modest house probably had few decorative details originally and that few existing building elements (other than the building’s form) appear to be original. (1, 3)
The mid-block building located at 25 Joseph St. was built pre-1900 in the Ontario Vernacular style. The 1½-storey, three-bay ‘farmhouse’ has a modified, ‘L’-shaped plan with an off-centre hall. It has low and medium-pitched, gable roofs. The enclosed porch was probably open originally. There are discontinuous eaves line. The entrance is raised slightly above grade level and the steps are not original. Originally, there was probably only a single entrance door via a porch. An entrance door with metal awning may be a later modification. The building’s 2/2 sash windows with plain, wood trim may be original, but the metal awnings at the windows and the door are not. Wood frame construction is covered with vinyl siding. The original cladding was probably wood cove siding. This structure has a parged, stone foundation. According to the 2000 inventory, the modest house has had cosmetic, and some minor, organizational modifications over time. (1, 3)
The mid-block building located at 21 Joseph St. was built around 1880 in the Gothic Revival style. It is a 1½-storey, ‘L’-shaped building with a steeply-pitched, gable roof. The house has large window openings with high floor to ceiling heights and large replacement windows. It has wood frame construction and new, board and batten siding. The original cladding was stucco. According to the 2000 inventory, all early wood siding in Bradford was either cove or shiplap siding. This new siding is not historically accurate and it would have been painted a colour. A replacement porch, while generally in keeping with the original building style, does not reflect historically-accurate detailing and finishing. It also notes that little of the original building is visible except for the basic form. (1, 3)
This one-storey, cove-sided house is located on a hill at 207 John St. West. It was built well and has been maintained well over the years. Originally, there were stables and a woodshed behind the house. It was once the home of the Robert Spence family. Daughters, Kay (a hairdresser) and Isabel, lived here. After Mr. Spence died, the house was sold. The family inherited, and then moved to Bertha Sinclair’s house on Holland Street. (1, 2)
This house is located at 187 John St. West (on the northwest corner of John and Toronto Streets). The 1½-storey, frame building was originally clad in stucco and it had a kitchen and rooms upstairs at the rear. There was also a garden and lawn at the back of the house. George Mapes and daughter Ella (wife of Jack Gapp), Curly Madian (?) and their daughters (Vivian and Margaret) lived here at one time. George was a retired farmer, dealer, and buyer. Years later, carpenter Joe LeBlanc and his family bought the house. He remodeled it and built a porch on the east side of the kitchen. Originally, there was a long barn (with a frame loft above) at the rear of the property. Joe’s daughter eventually had a nursing home built where the barn had stood. (1, 2)
This bungalow located at 157 John St. West originally had a woodshed on the east side. It was once owned by Bill Semenuk, until he and his family moved to Barrie. He was considered to be a good electrical, radio, and watch repairman. The house was also owned by Harold Iceton, who purchased it after his time serving in the military during WWII. Harold Iceton spent five years in various hospitals, including Sunnybrook where he contributed to the hospital paper, which helped fund the purchase of the home. Joe Leblanc completed most of the renovations after this purchase. Additionally, it is notable that the house was the main building of the Kirkpatrick estate, that encompassed the area west to Toronto street.
