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75 Ontario Street
- Plan 282, Part Block K, By-law No. 83-45
The quaint stone house at 75 Ontario Street has been the site of the Anglican Rectory since 1878. The plans obtained were based upon the Reverend Mr. Foster’s wooden rectory near Creemore at the request of the Collingwood rector, Reverend L. H. Kirkby. He had previously been rector at Batteau and was later the second Rural Dean of West Simcoe. The construction was completed in October of 1878, possibly under the supervision of Robert Burdett, a well known contractor who resided across the street at 74-76 Ontario Street. Total cost for the building was $2,200.
The site for the church had been acquired in the early 1850’s from the McMaster Estate as a free grant. The parish purchased the south part of the lot at a cost of $900.
The house is more fairy-tale like than many 19th century homes. Its style is Picturesque, a combination of Gothic influences and Ontario vernacular decoration that was popular in the mid-Victorian period.
It was constructed of coursed stone that was originally parged, although through the years most has worn off to let the field stones show through. At each corner the house is decorated with tooled stone quoins. Gothic windows on the second story compliment the moulded Gothic entrance door. The front bay window and corresponding lower floor are decorated with Venetian glass. The decorative wooden bargeboard under the gable is original.
This two-storey structure was originally a rectangular shape. The double gables are not the same size, while a small gable projects from the west wall. The first story windows are lintel-headed and lugsilled with surrounding quoins, all of worked stone. The upper storey windows are of the Gothic centre-pointed style. There are six panes in two sashes, the top two being pointed with a small shaped pane filling the top opening.
The roof over the entrance is not original, but is of a shed type with a triangular dormer-like projection. The east side door has a small cement block patio that is screened from the busy street by a wooden wall.
There have been a variety of small changes in the house. A verandah that ran the full extent of the east wall was removed and replaced by the patio. A front balcony in the second storey is gone. Crenulated wood cresting once traced the roof peaks, ending in wooden finials at the gables. There was a covered porch with stained and leaded glass windows and a flat-headed door protecting the front entrance. The shutters have been removed, while the Gothic windows, now completely glazed, originally were partially boarded with a flat-headed window closing the opening. The east wall once had a window that is now filled in. A garage and small office have been added to the rear. The whole property was surrounded by an ornately decorated wooden fence.
This house is one of the few stone buildings in the area. Though some changes have been made to both the interior and exterior they have been minor and the building is very close to the original. For over one hundred years this house has been a source of pride and a landmark in the town of Collingwood.