Description of Historic Place

The John Bogart House was constructed in 1811 and is one of the oldest existing residential structures in Newmarket. This two storey is located at 16860 Leslie St., Newmarket, ON .

The John Bogart House has been designated for its historical and architectural significance by the Town of Newmarket By-law number 1987-40.

Heritage Value

John Bogart was a Quaker pioneer from Pennsylvania, who operated a saw mill and grist mill on the creek near the house. The residence is presently one of the oldest dwellings in the Newmarket area and is possibly one of the first two storey residential buildings constructed north of Toronto.

The Bogart family, as well as stimulating the settlement of this area now known as Bogarttown, were well known by the citizens of Newmarket and took a great part in the development of the town in both business and political fields.

The two storey frame dwelling is clad in narrow clapboard and rests on a stone rubble foundation. The four bay façade is offset by a single leaf front door. Although most windows have been re-sashed with sashes of two panes over two, an earlier window in the tail wing is twelve panes over eight. The shallow pitched gable roof is oriented with the gable ends on the sides of the house.

Below the plain fascia and soffit of the roof is a plain frieze. A single chimney remains at the peak of the south gable end of the roof. A one storey tail wing, constructed of red brick, projects to the rear of the building.

Sources: Town of Newmarket heritage designation by-law 1987-40, and Heritage Newmarket file: 16860 Leslie Street.

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements that illustrate the heritage value of the John Bogart House include:
- its simple lines and features representative of Ontario vernacular with Georgian style influences
- offset four bay façade
- narrow clapboard
- stone rubble foundation
- simple fenestration
- its two storey massing