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George Jackson fonds Historic Homes
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Historic Buildings Album

This folder contains photographs of various historic buildings in Bradford and accompanying descriptions on each. The photographs are found in the Bill & Erica Marks Archive Room and were originally compiled by George Jackson and Joe Saint. The text accompanying each photograph was researched and written in 2015-2017 by Janice Hopkins, a long-time library volunteer. She utilized many library resources in her research which are noted at the bottom of each description. See below for information on each reference.

George Jackson

107 John Street East

The mid-block building on the north side at 107 John St. East was built around the 1880’s in the Gothic Revival Cottage style. The main house was moved to this site from the saw mill in Amsterdam during the early 1900’s. It was the home of Arthur “Mike” Saint and his wife Alice and children (Russell, Eric, Ralph, Zella, Rita and Archie). He had immigrated to Bradford from London, England in 1871 with his parents (William and Sarah) and siblings (Thomas, Harry, Frank, George, Annie and Maria). William died in 1875. All of his sons were in the building trade. Mike was a well-known brick layer and he also raised and showed chickens. There once was a 1½-storey frame barn at the back of the house that was used to store feed, a horse, and a cow. A chicken house was attached to the barn. A huge, old well was found (beyond the back fence) that was thought to belong to the first hotel (located on the only street) when Bradford was first founded.
The 1½-storey, three-bay house has a rectangular plan, a centre hall, a symmetrical façade with a centre gable over the entrance, and a medium-pitched, gable roof. A porch with a hip roof supported on wood posts and brick pedestals was added after the building was relocated. The enclosed porch was open originally, with only the brick pedestals remaining visible. Small windows have high floor to ceiling heights. Double-hung windows are set into rectangular openings with plain, wood frames and sills. The 2/2 windows are original. Wood frame construction is covered with vinyl siding and there is a parged, stone foundation. Originally, the cladding was stucco. According to the 2000 inventory, the building’s form is unmistakable despite the new cladding. (1, 2, 3)

George Jackson

79 John Street East

The mid-block structure located at 79 John St. East was built around 1860-1890’s in the Gothic Revival style. Originally, there was a shed and garage attached to the house at the rear and a vacant lot on the east side. This building was the home of Charles Aitcheson and his wife Carol for many years. He was a painter and decorator and he worked for Bill Sutton. Cyril Mestagh was the next owner of the house. He and his wife Jennie and their daughters (Vera and Gladys Irene) lived here. Cyril was a small, market gardener and a well-known grower. He hauled vegetables to the Toronto market. The house was sold when Cyril retired.
The 1½-storey structure has an ‘L’-shaped plan with a centre hall, a one-storey, rear, kitchen wing and a medium-pitched, gable roof. The asymmetrical façade has an off-centre, front gable above the façade projection. There is a raised, front porch with a shed roof set onto wood posts on brick. The steps, door, windows, and enclosing walls of the porch are not original. This building has small windows with high floor to ceiling heights. A wide, Regency-style, ground- floor window has a wide, centre opening flanked by narrow lights. It is set into a rectangular opening with a plain, wood frame and sill. An upper window is centred above the lower window in the projecting bay. It is also set into a rectangular opening with a plain, wood frame and sill. Only the 2/2 windows in the structure are original. The building has wood frame construction, vinyl siding (not original), and a parged, stone foundation. According to the 2000 inventory, some original details still remain. (1, 2, 3)

George Jackson

78 John Street East

The structure located at 78 John St. East was built by George Saint in 1900. The two-storey, frame house had a kitchen at the rear. When George moved to Toronto (around 1916), it became the home of Miss Minnie Parkhill for many years. She finally married James Ferguson, who was from western Canada. She died in World War II and James returned to the west. After the war, it became the home of Harold Gwyn (a veteran) and his family. He owned a plumbing and heating business. (1, 2)

George Jackson

61 John Street East - Vic Turner House

The house located at 61 John St. East was built on what was originally the west lot of Miss Hayes’ property. It was built in 1949 by Vic Turner. He was a retired farmer from the Scotch Settlement. The structure became the home of Vic and his wife (Irene) in February, 1949. Vic sold fertilizer and worked for Holland River Gardens. The small, 1½-storey, frame house had a garage underneath on the east side of Nelson Street. (1, 2)

George Jackson

15 John Street East

The mid-block building located on the north side at 15 John Street East was built around 1890 in the Eclectic Neoclassical style. It was the home of Miss Arnold, a well-respected member of the community, during WWI. Dick Saint had part of the house before and during WWII. The building is currently (in 2014) owned by Giuseppe (Joe) Campagnola. It has been his family’s home since the mid 1950’s.
The two-storey, rectangular building has symmetrical openings and a centre hall plan. A medium-pitched, hip roof with a curbed deck above is a Regency Revival feature. It is reminiscent of construction before a belvedere or cupola is added and it accentuates the horizontal roof-line. The upper-floor windows are narrower than the lower ones (neoclassical features). This suggests late nineteenth-century construction. The full-width, front verandah is another Regency Revival feature. Elaborately-carved, wood brackets and turned wood posts at the verandah are original. The typical low porch railing and wood newels at the stair railing are more Gothic Revival features. This building has rusticated, loadbearing, cement-block construction and a cement-block foundation. These blocks were made by William Turner during WWI. The block pattern is considered to be interesting. According to the 2000 inventory, this unique house has been well-maintained and many original features remain. It also notes that the ground-floor replacement windows with sliders, screen door, and window A/C unit are unsympathetic with the original design. (1, 2, 3)

George Jackson

129 James Street - The Old Presbyterian Manse

The Old Presbyterian Manse is located at 129 James St. (on the northeast corner of James and Essa Streets). It was built around 1875 in the Neoclassical style. It was being used as a manse at the turn of the century and has since been converted into duplex units.
The two-storey, rectangular building has a symmetrical façade, a centre hall plan and a medium-pitched, gable roof. It has large window openings, high floor to ceiling heights, and large, 6/6, double-hung windows. The original entrance probably had sidelights and a transom. There appears to have been a broad verandah at the front entrance and identical chimneys at both ends of the gable roof at one time. The building has sculptured, curvilinear, soffit brackets, solid brick construction (Flemish bond), and an exposed, stone foundation. According to the 2000 inventory, the existing entrance and many windows and doors do not reflect the original design intent. It also notes that the existing duplex unit arrangement suggests major interior modifications. (1, 3)

George Jackson

117 James Street - The Isaac Coburn House

The Isaac Cobourn House is located mid-block at 117 James Street. It was built in the Arts and Crafts style in the 1920’s by a good carpenter for his family.
The 1½-storey bungalow has an asymmetrical, ‘L’-shaped plan. There are wide, window openings with low, floor to ceiling heights. The steeply-pitched, gable roof has some eclectic features. It extends down to reduce the scale of the building from the street. There is an off-centre, hall entrance from a covered, open porch. The roof over the porch is supported on wood posts. The porch is raised and has a simple, wood handrail. Wood lattice encloses the underside. A wide band of windows across the front of the dormer emphasizes the horizontal lines and massing of this house. Wide, triple windows at the ground and second floors, and the front door are set into rectangular openings with plain, wood trim and sills. The second-storey windows are offset from the ground-floor windows. A mix of exterior cladding materials and the wood fascia band expressing the line of the floor structure between the ground and second floors is common to this style. There is a truncated, hip roof on the dormer over the front porch. The base of the dormer and front, bay window splay out at the bottom. There are returned eaves at the roof of the projecting, front bay. The house has wood frame construction with wood siding, and painted, wood shingles on the roof, dormer, and bay window. A concrete foundation is also painted. According to the 2000 inventory, the house is in good condition with many original features that have been maintained well. (1, 3)

George Jackson

48 James Street

The mid-block building located on the south side at 48 James St. was built in 1840-60 in the Ontario Vernacular style. The one-storey cottage was once the home of Mrs. Peterman.
It has a rectilinear plan, a medium-pitched, gable roof and an asymmetrical façade. There is no porch addition. The glazed entrance door has a transom above and a more recent awning addition. All the original windows have been replaced, but the plain, wood, lug sills and trim remain. The shutters are not original. Wood frame construction is covered by vinyl siding. The structure probably had wood cove siding originally. There is a parged, stone foundation. According to the 2000 inventory, this building is very old. (1, 3)

George Jackson

138 Hurd Street

The house located at 138 Hurd St. (on the southeast corner of Hurd and Essa Streets) was built in the Ontario Vernacular Cottage style around 1860-90. It was the home of Howard Bowser many years ago. He worked for Dennis Nolan.
The one-storey, three-bay ‘cottage’ has a simple, square plan and a pointed, hip roof. It also has a symmetrical façade and there is a lack of decoration or a porch addition. The entrance door has a transom above. Narrow windows (replacements) have plain, wood lug sills and trim. This modest house has wood frame construction and a parged, stone foundation. The original stucco is now covered by wood cladding. According to the 2000 inventory, the building once had a small porch at the front entrance and a large verandah at the rear. (1, 3)

George Jackson

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