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The History of The Homestead 1867 |
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The homestead 1867 at 36 Melville Street is a fine
example
of limestone
construction and architecture
typical to
Dundas,
enhancing the Melville
streetscape.
The most
distinctive feature
is the very attractive
porch.
It reflects
the ideals of an English
interior
designer who invented this
popular decorative style
of ornamentation for houses of
various styles.
The
house
has gothic, classical and very
decorative
elements. This
house can
be classified
as
'Picturesque'.
The house is constructed of
finely cut
stone
on
the
front facade giving a very solid appearance.
The sides
and
raised basement are of irregular and rough stone finish.
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The first owner of the house was Thomas Wilson and his
wife
Agnes
Jardine. In 1843 he immigrated from Scotland
to Canada
and settling
in Dundas a year later. Thomas
Wilson was very
active in many town
organizations,
serving on the Town Council
for many years, being
mayor
in the years 1876 to 1878 and again
in 1885. In the mid
1860's
Thomas
and his wife journed back to
their
native
Scotland where they
commissioned an architect to
draw
up
plans for the home that now
stands at 36 Melville Street.
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When entering the house from Melville Street, the front
foyer
has
an
inner door of stained and etched glass. In
1867 the
central hall
was
flanked by a large room on
either side at
the front and another
two
rooms at the
back. These were
four bedrooms with fireplaces
and
centre ornate medallions
in the front room of the ceiling.
A
centre
stairway descended
down to the kitchen and
dining areas.
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Today the Valley bedroom and elegant living room are
at
the front,
with the dining room and Garden bedroom
at
the back, while the
centre stairways has been removed.
In 2015 two modern bathrooms were installed.
The ground
floor has
now a two bedroom apartment with a large
kitchen
and
dining area and a living room with fireplace. The brick
side
addition contains nowadays a modern kitchen which will
be
used
to serve the Bed & Breakfast guests.
Courtesy Clare and Shirley Crozier
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