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637 Hurontario Street
- Plan 163 Collins St. S. Pt. Park 1, By-law No. 85-31
Across from Collingwood’s High School sits a massive grand nineteenth century “Eclectic” mansion. It looks like something from a fairy tale dream.
The five acre property was surveyed during the 1850’s when the railway “forged its way” toward Collingwood. The land was granted to Sir Sanford Fleming in 1855. By 1872 it was officially registered to Mr. William Foster. It is quite likely that part of the home was built before this time, perhaps in the mid 1860’s. By 1876 Mr. Patrick Taylor from Stayner purchased the property for $2,505.00. During these early years this farm house expanded with additions constructed in a north to south and then in an easterly direction.
Mr. Donald McCaig, an educator and co-founder of the Rockwood Academy, purchased the home in 1886 for $2,250.00. He was in charge of all 118 schools in the Algoma District and his travels took him throughout Northern Ontario. His treatise A Reply to John Stuart Mill on the Subjection of Women received acclaim in North America and Europe.
Following Mr. McCaig’s death in 1905, Mr. Fred T. Hodgson purchased the property for his son Fred A. Hodgson at a price of $4,600.00. Although father and son were “local boys,” Fred T. Hodgson achieved fame in New York and Chicago by publishing numerous architectural technical books and editing architectural magazines. Not bad for a country boy from Duntroon, Ontario. In his later years he moved back home and set up a consulting architectural business involving many of the large building projects in this region. His son, Fred A., was a circus agent and owner with an office in New York. Fred A. and his wife, the only woman music publisher in New York City, moved to their Collingwood dream home in 1905 after the birth of their first child. Fred T. Hodgson remodeled the home before their arrival. Second storey bay windows were created, fireplaces were added and the elegant early Victorian porch, probably rotten at this time, was replaced with a “heavy” Edwardian porch with “thick bottle like” columns.
These were entertaining years for the community. A number of circus personnel including John Ringling spent “off season” time here. Many older community residents recall impromptu circus performances. Fred A. had also cultivated good business connections with Mexico. It was reported that General Porfirio Diaz, President of Mexico, who was exiled in 1911, visited with the Hodgsons.
Fred A. who was probably ill in 1921 sold his beloved property to William J. Stephenson for $8,300.00. Fred A. Hodgson died in 1922, three years after his father.
Mr. Stephenson sold the property in 1923 to the Sudan Mission for $8,5090.00. It was operated as the Gowans Home for Missionary children. In 1925, after two years of operation, Mary M. Telfer, wife of former Collingwood Mayor Frank Telfer and owner of the largest home in Collingwood, purchased the property for $8,500.00. The Telfer family orchestrated a realty deal involving the sale of their family home at 200 Oak Street in Collingwood to the “Gowans Home” and then proceeded to sell 637 Hurontario Street in 1927 for $7,500.00, a $1,000.00 loss. This was an important economic move as the Telfers and their biscuit company, located in Toronto, had fallen on hard times.
The onset of the Depression was particularly harsh on our community. The once majestic house in the south end fell on “tough times.” By 1972 it had changed hands several times and was quite “run down.” The Schaefers purchased the property and were committed to restoring the home’s splendour, operating a restaurant on the ground floor.
This 2 ½ storey eclectic brick mansion transcends a range of architectural styles. The expansions can be traced through interior window designs and trim work. The major windows and doors have arch radiating voussoirs. Bay windows seem to dominate the first and second storey window designs. Special window accents include an eyebrow on end and many fine examples of stained and cut glass.
The brickwork, laid in the common bond tradition, is highlighted by buff corner quoining. The remaining bargeboard roof trim is a treat for the eye. It covers a large area below the roof peaks and it reappears below the roof lines at the valley ends. The roof type is a history lesson in itself. Numerous valleys, flat portions, peaks and hips identify building additions. The roof material is wood shake and is original.
The interior of the house features some unusual wood trim and many styles of fireplaces, including a solid cherry mantle from Boston, Massachusetts.