Description of Historic Place

202 Dufferin Street is located on the north side of Dufferin Street, west of Central Avenue in the district of Bridgeburg in the Town of Fort Erie. The two storey house was built in 1897.

The property was designated by the Town of Fort Erie in 2005 for its heritage value under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act (By-law 2-05).

Heritage Value

Built in 1897 by Thomas Schofield, this two storey house is located steps from the Niagara River on a small lot with mature trees and beautiful landscaping. The building is located in a historic area of Fort Erie more commonly known as Bridgeburg because of its proximity to the International Railway Bridge. The bridge, built in 1873, spans the Niagara River and was the primary route that connected Fort Erie with Buffalo, New York.

The architectural value of 202 Dufferin Street lies in its modest interpretation of the Gothic style of architecture. The building is a two storey, single detached home featuring a front gable design with a steep pitched roof. The main entry is enhanced with a classically inspired pedimented portico supported by two paired pilasters. The wooden clapboard exterior is painted Henley Blue and the six inch wide window trim, which surrounds the single pane double hung windows, stands in marked contrast. The east side of the house features two unique narrow, rectangular windows, which are hung horizontally. An attractive first floor polygonal bay window, also indicative of the Gothic Revival influence, is finished in matching clapboard and also painted a bright white to match the trim work and front entrance elements. Key interior elements include: the original pine plank flooring, the main staircase with cyma and fillet handrail, and newel post with inlaid panels on each side, raised moulded cap, and dentils.

Source: Town of Fort Erie, By-law 2-05

Character-Defining Elements

Character defining elements that reflect the heritage value of 202 Dufferin Street include its:
- location in Bridgeburg and proximity to the International Railway Bridge
- front gable design
- steep pitched roof
- pedimented portico
- paired pilasters
- polygonal bay window
- horizontal rectangular windows
- original clapboard siding
- wide window trim
- interior staircase