Description of Historic Place

The Brookfield-Cupido House was built in 1875 in the Italianate style. It was rebuilt extensively, in 1906, in the Edwardian and Queen Anne styles. The house is identified by its square columned front porch and oriel bay window, and is located near Welland's historic downtown, on the corner of Division Street and Alexander Street.

The property has been designated under the City of Welland By-law No. 2005-97.

Heritage Value

The Brookfield-Cupido House is valued for its association with prominent owners, beginning with its original occupant, Charles McCarter, for whom the house was built, in 1875. McCarter was a carpenter and painter who later gained local fame, in 1872, for his patent to improve the folding wooden clothes dryer. In 1906, the house was extensively rebuilt, for Alexander Griffiths, a saddler and oil importing business owner, who served as Deputy Reeve, Alderman and Mayor of Welland, in 1897. The house was later owned by Lieutenant-Colonel James E. Morin, a Member of Provincial Parliament. William Wesley Brookfield, part of the family that owned and lived there the longest, was a descendant of the pioneer Brookfield family, of Crowland Township. William Brookfield purchased the home at the time of his appointment to Superintendent of County Roads, in 1912. The house now serves as the offices of chartered accountant James W. Cupido, and the house is named for both the Brookfield and Cupido families.

The Brookfield-Cupido House is designed in a mixture of architectural styles varying from its original 1875 Italianate style south wing, to the Edwardian Classical style in which it was rebuilt. Various elements of the original Italianate styling are still evident despite the 1906 renovations, including the two over two arched windows, the west door with fanlight and interior wood trim and the paneled doors with original hardware. The early 20th-century Edwardian Classical style design is featured in the main (north) wing, with its solid massing, square columned front porch and large front plate glass window. The Queen Anne style is exhibited by the decorative 'fish scale' shingles, stylized gothic windows under the gables and the oriel window with ornamental wood trim and supporting brackets.

Sources: Brookfield-Cupido House Designation Report, City of Welland, 2005; “Brookfield-Cupido House”, Nora Reid, Welland LACAC, 2005; City of Welland By-law No. 2005-97.

Character-Defining Elements

Character defining elements that reflect the heritage value of the Brookfield-Cupido House include its:
- location on one of Welland's oldest residential streets, Division Street, making it one of a collection of heritage properties in its surrounding area
- 1875 Italianate styling of the south wing including its two over two arched windows
- Italianate west door with fanlight
- solid massing of the Edwardian Classical style
- square columned front porch