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Front view of the Williams farm house.

"Farm home owned by Frank and Mima Ritchie. This picture was taken during the 1930's by their son-in-law, Reginald Coker. The farm was owned by the Ritchie family and was worked and operated as a dairy farm first by father Frank Ritchie, and then by his son Milton Ritchie. The farm consisited of 188 acres of land and during the Ritchie era was worked mainly with horses. In 1954, the farm was sold by Milton Ritchie to Elmer Stong. The house was built by Davis Stoddart in 1879. Off the main hall there was an oak circular staircase with an oak banister, which was fun to slide down on in the morning for us kids. There were approximately twenty-five rooms in the home with twelve foot ceilings. It was heated with wood and at time coal, but needless to say, in the real winter of yester year, one always wore sweaters indoors. Window shutters kept it cool in the hot summer months. Inside plumbing was not part of the home during the Ritchie era. The floors of the home were maple. The parlour hosted many events from Saturday night dances to weddings, wakes and funerals. Located off the main upstairs hall, stained glass double doors opened to a balcony overlooking the flower gardens adorning the front exposure. Many garden parties were held in the gardens during June, July and August. Sadly, the buildings fell into disarray after Mr. Stong sold the farmland to developers in 1971. The dairy barn built by Frank Ritchie in 1918 burned in the early 1980's and the house was allowed to deteriorate until it became only the shadow of what it had once been, which is now portrayed in some paintings. Mercifully, it was finally put to rest a few short years ago and another chapter of Bradford West Gwillimbury history became a distant memory." Written by their grandson, Alan Ritchie.

Description : See "Davis Stoddart / Frank Ritchie farm house" for more information on the home.

"The Pines" a few years later. It is still well maintained.

"Whatever becomes of this grand old lady, her colourful history will not be soon forgotten.

When the Recreation Facilities Committee was formed consisting of Chairperson Ann Currie, Jim Culbert, Steve Boland, Ellen MacKenzey, Bill Germayne and Sharon Sinclair, Director of Parks and Recreation, one of their first commitments was to find the "ideal" location to house the new Recreation and Cultural Complex. After a considerable amount of investigative work and discussion by this Committee, the favorite choice was the old convent.

While the convent certainly fits the "centralized" location criteria, an added attraction is the history which surrounds this 112-year old structure.

In 1876, John MacLean Stevenson built this masterpiece (named Masonic Lodge) and lived in it a short 10 months before selling it to the Robert Bingham family. This family stay was a little longer (16 years) before it, once again, changed hands. In 1893, James Boddy became the proud owner and renamed the house "Fairview". He resided there until 1903 when the property was purchased by Rev. Egerton Ryerson Young (noted missionary and publisher) who again renamed the house this time she was labeled "Algonquin Lodge". Upon the death of Rev. Young in 1910, his family sold the house to Sam Lukes who ran the Bradford Flour Mill. Lukes pet name for the home was "Luxalean". The house stayed in the Lukes family until Gilbert Lukes sold it in 1949. At the time of this sale, the plot of land was divided in two; on the plot south of the house was built St. Mary's Catholic School. The house was occupied by a group of teaching nuns of the Ursuline Order of the Diocese of London in Ontario.

In 1969, John and Maria Moniz bought the stately mansion and turned it into an apartment house. Contrary to the zoning by-laws, Town Council closed their eyes and allowed this grand home to be a multiple family dwelling for 12 years.

From the moment John Moniz' sale was accepted by Fred Picavet's cash offer, which in turn, nullified the offer made by the Town's agent, the convent had been cloaked in a shroud of controversy.

No sooner had the new deed owners, Fred and Betty Lou Picavet begun the extensive renovation work to the upstairs wings, than Bradford town council issued a "stop work order" and filed a Lis Pendents with the County Courts in Barrie (Feb. 26, 1981). This order was subsequently honoured by the County Court Office which necessitated an immediate halt on the renovation work by Picavet. While workmanship was in "pending", taxes continued to be paid by the owner (Picavet).

It wasn't until 1987 when an out-of-court settlement was reached between Fred Picavet and the Town that the convent became the legal property of the town of Bradford.

While the "legal hagglings" were underway, the old convent sat empty for five consecutive winters. Pampering can oft times help to slow down the natural aging process. Unfortunately, pampering the convent during that turbulent time was not a top priority item; henceforth, the building was vandalized on a fairly regular basis.

For someone like Jim Culbert, "the furniture doctor", it was nothing less than a mortal sin that such a fine building should have been so readily accessible to vandals. At the time Jim, personally, approached Town Council and Pat Storey to see if the building could be boarded up to discourage further destruction. He was basically told that the Safety Standards Bylaw which was in place to deal with this situation was unable to be looked after due to the lack of a by-law enforcement officer.

Incensed by that line of reasoning, Jim decided to "go to bat" for the convent. Through public awareness and letters to various newspapers, the convent was eventually boarded up which helped to minimize the continued vandalism.

With the endorsement of the Master Plan Recreation Study and the Facilities Committee, to renovate a part of the convent for the new Recreation and Cultural Complex, Jim Culbert is, once again, appealing to the town's people to "get on board" with regard to bringing this matter to the forefront. The decision on the fate of the convent has "gone on far too long" in Culbert's opinion. "Let's get it resolved one way or the other, either tear it down or renovate it and make it into a beautiful piece of property."

As Jim recalls, "A year ago Town Council promised a public meeting to discuss the convent issue which was never carried out. Hopefully, the newly-elected Council will stick to their electoral views on this issue."

A building with such Italianate design is rare in today's society. By restoring it, a two-fold purpose will be served; firstly, it will provide a complex to house programs such as the arts, drama, brownies, cubs, moms and tots etc. Secondly, and ideally, a room in the old wing of the house will be set aside for a "museum" of sorts to provide past history on the convent and Bradford itself".

IF RESTORED, this spectacular mansion will serve as a memorial to the previous owners."

The Stoddart House is located at 250 Barrie Street. It was built around 1870 in the Eclectic Neoclassical style. Some of the early settlers in the Bradford area were members of the Stoddard/Stoddart family. John Stoddard settled along the Bond Head Road in 1829. In later times, Major George W. Stoddart was the reeve of Bradford.
The two-storey building has a rectangular form and a centre hall plan. There is a symmetry in the large window openings (with high floor to ceiling heights). The double-hung windows with painted-wood lug sills are also neoclassical features. The medium-pitched, hip roof, wrap-around porch (with original turned wood post supports), and remaining wood brackets and decorative trim are Regency Revival features. A projecting, bay window at the ground-floor living (or dining) room is a Gothic Revival feature. The house has solid, brick construction and a stone foundation. According to the 2000 inventory, the metal screen door at the entrance is unsympathetic to the original design. It was also notes that the porch needed repair. (1, 3)

This house is located at 232 Barrie St. (on the southwest corner of Barrie and Fletcher Streets). It was built around 1890 in the Eclectic Gothic Revival style. The two-storey, ‘L’-shaped building has a medium-pitched, gable roof and large, symmetrically-placed openings. The basic form is a Gothic Revival feature. The front corner porch with slender Doric columns and a decorative front pediment is a Classic Revival feature. There are coloured-glass transom lights above the main-floor, end gable windows. The structure has loadbearing, brick masonry construction and a parged, stone foundation. According to the 2000 inventory, the replacement doors and aluminum storm windows, as well as the porch floor, foundation and railing are unsympathetic with the original design. (1, 3)

The house located mid-block on the west side at 226 Barrie St. was built around 1880 in the Gothic Revival style. It is a 1½-storey, ‘L’-shaped building has large window openings with high floor to ceiling heights. The house has a medium-pitched, gable roof, an asymmetrical plan, and a wrap-around porch. Original 2/2 wood, sash windows with wood lug sills have modern aluminum storm windows. The large, ground-floor window is a replacement. There is elaborately-carved bargeboard trim at the front gable and brackets at the porch. The house has load-bearing, brick masonry construction and a stone foundation. According to the 2000 inventory, the balcony handrail, replacement doors and windows, and the garage addition are unsympathetic with the original design. (1, 3)

The mid-block building located on the west side at 214 Barrie St. was built around 1880 in the Gothic Revival style. The 1½-storey, rectangular building has a medium-pitched, gable roof. There are large window openings with high floor to ceiling heights and a projecting bay window. Also noteworthy are the large, 4/4 double-hung windows. The house has dichromatic brick quoins, brick lintels and a gable decoration. There is a wide entrance with sidelights and a transom. The building has load-bearing, brick masonry construction and a stone foundation. According to the 2000 inventory, the replacement porch (with a deep support beam, concrete floor slab and stylized bracket decoration) is an unconvincing substitute for the original. It also notes that the property has been maintained well. (1, 3)

The Hulse House is located mid-block on the west side at 208 Barrie Street. It was built post-1900 in the Eclectic Edwardian style. The two-storey, ‘L’-shaped building has a hip roof. A projecting, two-storey wing has a gable roof. Edwardian features include the large window openings and transom lights over the principal windows (which appear to be original) and the precast, concrete sill and lintel and projecting keystone at the main-floor front window. A variety of materials and textures, including rusticated block and wood siding (at the gable), is a Queen Anne feature. The moulded roof curb in the hip roof with broad eaves is an Italianate feature. The house has its original windows, block masonry construction, and a block foundation. According to the 2000 inventory, the metal siding and trim at the gable and soffits conceals the original wood trim. It also notes that the original porch at the entrance has been replaced by a metal awning that is not sympathetic with the original design. (1, 3)