Description of Historic Place

86 Milton Street is situated on the north side of Milton Street, west of Front Street, in the City of Stratford. The two storey, buff brick residence was constructed in circa 1874.

The property was designated, by the City of Stratford in 2004, for its heritage value, under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act, By-law 61-2004.

Heritage Value

86 Milton Street was one of the first residences to be constructed near the railway station and yards in Stratford. It helped to establish a standard of development for the area.

Former owners of 86 Milton Street have strong associations with the railway in Stratford. It was built for, or by, George McFadden, most likely in the summer of 1874. He was a teamster by trade and also built the houses at 80 and 90 Milton Street, at least one of which was rented to railway employees. Arthur Lansbury, another former owner, worked in the Stratford freight shed of the Canadian National Railway from August 1910 to his retirement in 1934. Lansbury is also notable as the brother of George Lansbury, who was the leader of the Labor Party in the British House of Commons and a famous pacifist. He was also the uncle of actress Angela Lansbury, star of the television show, “Murder, She Wrote”. 86 Milton was also owned by Russel Sarvis, who worked as a sheet metal worker with the Canadian National Railway.

86 Milton Street is a good example of a Gothic Revival style residence. Often referred to as an Ontario House, it is a two storey residence with a steeply pitched gable roof. Of note are the decorative bargeboard, original finial and original soffit detail.

Source: The City of Stratford By-law 61-2004.

Character-Defining Elements

Character defining elements that contribute to the heritage value of 86 Milton Street include its:
- proximity to Stratford's historic railways station and yards
- two storey, buff brick exterior
- gable roof
- bay window
- decorative bargeboard
- original finial
- original soffit
- 2-over-2 windows and sills