Description du lieu patrimonial

The Dr. Freeman Brockenshire House, located at 1142 Kildare Road, is a two-and-a-half storey Tudor Revival style home that was built in 1937. It is situated on the east side of Kildare Road between Richmond and Ontario Streets, in the former Town of Walkerville, now east Windsor.

It is recognized for its heritage value by the City of Windsor By-law 370-2004.

Valeur patrimoniale

The Dr. Freeman Brockenshire House is of heritage value because of its association with Dr. Freeman Brockenshire, a renowned orthopaedic surgeon, and because it is a well preserved example of a Tudor Revival style home.

Dr. Brockenshire was one of Canada's best known orthopaedic surgeons and was very active in the medical community throughout his career. He helped develop the basic concepts of our nation's socialized medical plan; he was the chairman of the committee that developed Windsor Medical Services - the first pre-paid medical plan in Canada; and he served as the president of the Essex County Medical Society, the Ontario Medical Association, and the Canadian Orthopaedic Association. Dr. Brockenshire also held the title of Chief of Orthopaedics at Windsor's three hospitals and was made honorary Chief of Staff at Hotel Dieu Hospital in Windsor. After Dr. Brockenshire's death in 1961, the house was passed on to his son John, a judge, and his family. It remained in the Brockenshire family for some sixty-two years until 1999.

The Dr. Freeman Brockenshire House is architecturally significant because it is a well-preserved example of the Tudor Revival style home. The two-and-a-half storey brick home was built in 1937 by Lawton-Bilt Homes whose designer/contractor, George Lawton, worked closely with Brockenshire in the design of the home. It is made of red brick with half-timbering applied over the stucco cladding on the front gable end, reflecting the typical mixed materials of the Tudor Revival home.

The Dr. Freeman Brockenshire House is a good example of the stately homes being built in Windsor during the first half of the twentieth century. It sits among a number of gracious homes that were constructed during the former Town of Walkerville's expansion south of Wyandotte Street. Lots in this fine residential neighbourhood were sold only to those who could build homes at least 3500 square feet, which guaranteed the grandeur of the neighbourhood. The Dr. Freeman Brockenshire House sits in the heart of Walkerville's, and later Windsor's (in 1935) upscale neighbourhood, and is a remnant of the former Town's grand past.

Sources: Building Analysis Form, April 1, 2004; Designation Report, April 14, 2004; City of Windsor By-law 370-2004.

Éléments caractéristiques

Character defining elements that embody the heritage value of the Dr. Freeman Brockenshire House include its:
- two-and-a-half storey structure
- red brick construction
- half-timbering embedded in stucco
- asymmetrical massing
- steep gable roof with finials, prominent gables, and large, ornate chimneys
- stepped stone surround at the front entrance and its other cut stone on the south corner of the front façade
- location among a number of stately homes built in the former Town of Walkerville, now east Windsor