Description of Historic Place

55 Daly Avenue is situated on the south side of Daly Avenue, east of St. Vincent Street South, in the City of Stratford. The two storey, stucco residence, originally clad in clapboard, was constructed in 1874.

The property was designated, by the City of Stratford in 1992, for its heritage value, under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act, By-law 148-92.

Heritage Value

55 Daly Avenue is associated with several prominent Stratford residents. The original owner was John Corrie Wilson Daly, who was the area's first Canada Company agent, the first Mayor of Stratford and the first Magistrate of the London region. Banker William Mowat later resided in the home. Mowat became the first editor for the Stratford Beacon newspaper and was a Justice of the Peace for Perth County.

55 Daly is a good example of the Gothic Revival architectural style. Typical of this style is the steep centre gable on the facade. Much of the residence has been altered but the original tri-coloured glass in the windows and their wood frames have survived. A distinctive feature of these windows is the hand painted birds. The original front door features rectangular sidelights and transom.

Source: City of Stratford By-law 148-92.

Character-Defining Elements

Character defining elements that contribute to the heritage value of 55 Daly Avenue include its:
- cross-gable roof
- “L” shaped floor plan
- steep gothic gable
- original windows with tri-coloured glass and wood frames
- entrance with sidelights and transom