Description of Historic Place

The building at 955 Century Drive, commonly known as the Van Norman-Breckon House, is situated within an industrial park in the City of Burlington. The one-and-a-half-storey red brick building was built in the Classical Revival style by William Van Norman in 1848.

The exterior of the building and the scenic character of the property are protected by an Ontario Heritage Trust conservation easement. The property is also designated by the City of Burlington under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act (Bylaw 7-1986).

Heritage Value

The Van Norman-Breckon House is located amidst an industrial park at Burlington's eastern border and remains one of the few heritage buildings in close proximity to the city's Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW) corridor. Despite the overall industrial atmosphere of the area, the property on which the building stands continues to support a number of the maple, spruce and black walnut trees that flourished when the land was first settled. Of particular interest is a large black walnut tree slightly southeast of the building. This tree, which is believed to be over 200 years old, stands nearly 20 meters in height and has been listed on the “Honour Roll of Trees” by the Burlington Horticultural Society.

The Van Norman family, one of the first families to permanently settle in Nelson Township (now the City of Burlington) first arrived in 1806, after Ephraim and Elizabeth emigrated from Pennsylvania with their son Isaac. One year after arriving, Isaac and his wife Catherine Cummings became parents to a son named William. The Van Norman-Breckon House was constructed by William Van Norman in 1848 to replace a log cabin that his family had previously lived in. The new house was built oriented towards an old Aboriginal trail (now Harvester Road) and enjoyed a setting sheltered by a number of large maple, spruce and black walnut trees. William died only two years after the completion of the house and in 1867 it was sold by public auction to Isaac Horning for $7,200. Mr. Horning's relationship with the home was also short-lived, as he passed away soon after acquiring the property. In 1870 the house was bought for $8,000 by John Breckon and it remained in the Breckon family for over 100 years until it was expropriated by the City of Burlington for industrial development.

The Van Norman-Breckon House is an example of a Classical Revival residence with a Federal influence derived from the American post-revolution period. While houses of this style are common in Eastern Ontario and Upper New York State, they are quite rare in the Greater Toronto Area. The red brick of the building's exterior was reputedly hand-made using clay from the creek on the easterly side of the property and the stones that comprise the foundation were collected from the lands that surround the house. Although the Van Norman-Breckon House is relatively unadorned, its well-proportioned exterior results in an understated elegance and quiet simplicity.

Source: Conservation Easement Files, Ontario Heritage Trust

Character-Defining Elements

Character defining elements that contribute to the heritage value of the Van Norman-Breckon House include its:
- simple and cleanly-executed Classical Revival style
- overall layout with the main house accented by a rear wing
- composition of all elevations in red brick on a fieldstone foundation
- double-hung sash windows with jack-arched openings and six-over-six or six-over-one glazing patterns
- brick stringcourse extending across the central house and the rear wing
- five-bay design of the main (east) façade with windows flanking the central entrance
- glazed door of the main (east) façade with rectangular transom and sidelights
- main (east) façade front porch containing a simple shed roof, squared pillars, and brick piers
- side porch of the north elevation containing a classically detailed but simple pediment with slender, tapered wood columns
- low-pitched gable roof with returned eaves on the north and south elevations
- location near an old Aboriginal trail (now Harvester Road)
- positioning within a growth of maple, spruce and black walnut trees