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Amsterdam House With digital objects English
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89 Holland Street East - Saint/Marks House

The two-storey, frame house located at 89 Holland St. East was the home of Tom and Mary (Harman) Saint for many years. The structure was moved across the river to this site from the Thompson Smith Saw Mill (at Amsterdam) after it closed. A crawl space under the back kitchen was replaced in 1936 by a cellar under the front part of the house. It was dug by Jim (Dummy) Peters, Donald Campbell, and Joe Saint using pick-shovels. They then poured an 8” concrete wall. An oil furnace was installed after the front cellar was completed. It replaced the wood-fueled cooking stove previously used as a heat source for the house. Tom owned the property from Holland St. through to John Street. There was a lane behind the house that led to a woodshed. At the bottom of the lot there was a shed for a wagon, buggy, implements, etc. Upstairs was a loft for hay and on the east side there was a horse stable. Tom was a stone mason, brick layer, plasterer, and cement layer. He used a horse to haul his materials. Six children (William, John, Sadie, Leonard, May and Jane) were raised in this house. Sadie married Walter Reeves, a lacrosse player and a one man/one dog police force. Sadie lived at home and Dorothy married Harvey Marks and stayed in the family till 1989. A front porch and a car port at the back were eventually added. The lot at the back was sold to William Smith. (1, 2)

George Jackson

28 John Street East

The house located mid-block at 28 John St. East was built in the Edwardian Classicism style around 1850 in Amsterdam (on the east side of the Holland River). It was moved to its current site in Bradford around 1890 by Sam Lukes to provide housing for the staff of his flour mill. His mill was in its heyday at the turn of the century (1890-1910). This structure was the home of Stewart and Ina McKenzie (editors of the Bradford Witness newspaper) in the 1930-60’s.
The rectangular, two-storey building with a centre hall plan has simple details and a hipped, ‘Pedlar’ metal roof (made by Oshawa Roofing). The original porch was significantly altered after the move from Amsterdam. The simple form and composition of the house was then highlighted with a large, classically-inspired porch that has a pediment-type, porch roof addition. A space between the brick pedestals at the porch has been infilled and the original half columns have been replaced by glazing and infill framing. The house has large window openings and the windows are metal replacements. Shutters on the second-floor are not original. The smooth, brick veneer on the wood frame construction was also added after the house was moved from Amsterdam. There is a parged, block foundation. According to the 2000 inventory, the building is well-maintained l. (1, 2, 3)

George Jackson

34 John Street East

The house located mid-block at 34 John St. East was built in the Ontario Vernacular style around 1850 in Amsterdam (on the east side of the Holland River). It was moved to its current site in Bradford around 1890 by Sam Lukes to provide housing for the staff of his flour mill. His mill was in its heyday at the turn of the century (1890-1910). McClary (a high school teacher) once lived here. Bert and Margaret Hunt raised their children (Phyllis, Art, Oscar, George and Lorna) here. Bob Veale, a WWI veteran and banker, lived here after WWII until his death.
The two-storey, two-bay house has a rectangular plan with a side hall, an asymmetrical façade, and a medium-pitched, hipped ‘Pedlar’ metal roof. An enclosed, entrance porch with a shallow, gable roof was added after the house was moved to Bradford. It is raised slightly above grade and has a single door and windows on three sides. The house has small window openings and double-hung windows (not original) with plain, wood trim and sills. Wood frame construction is covered with horizontal metal siding and there is a parged, stone foundation. The original cladding was probably wood cove siding. According to the 2000 inventory, the house likely had few decorative details originally. It also notes that other than the building’s form, few existing building elements appear to be original (1, 2, 3)

George Jackson

44 John Street East

The mid-block structure located at 44 John St. East was built pre-1900 in Amsterdam (on the east side of the Holland River) in the Ontario Vernacular style. It was later moved to this site. This house was once the home of George Ogilvie, a tailor on Holland Street. He had moved here from Bond Head. After his death, it became the home of Dave Ogilvie and his family. When the house was remodeled, the bathroom was redone and stuccoed by Dick Saint, the carpentry work was done by Art Saint, the plumbing was done by Oswald Davey, and Ted Gapp did the wiring.
The two-storey, two-bay house has a rectangular plan with a side hall, an asymmetrical façade, and a medium-pitched, hip roof. An enclosed, entrance porch with a truncated, hip roof is raised slightly above grade. It has a single door and windows on three sides. The porch appears to be a later addition. The house has small window openings, double-hung windows (not original), and plain, wood trim and sills. Wood frame construction is covered with vinyl siding and there is a parged, stone foundation. The original cladding was probably wood. According to the 2000 inventory, the house has few building elements (other than the form) that appear to be original. It also notes that the house probably had few decorative details originally. (1, 2, 3)

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

Durham House

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Durham House

The Durham House - built circa 1860. Photographed here circa 1920. It was actually originally two houses joined together.