Sunday, June 4, 2023

Just outside of the GTA in Brantford is one of the most unique houses in Ontario. We decided to make the excursion to see this “bottle house” and share it with our readers. There are several things that make this home so unusual and one of them is the name Crystal Cottage. This title is created using shells that have been embedded in the fine stone work below the front gable.

The cottage was built in 1876 and is a classic example of the Ontario vernacular home. It has a one-story rectangular plan with three symmetrical bays. The image below is from the Brant Historical Society and shows how the cottage looked a few years ago with the front porch and chimneys still intact. They were removed and are in storage waiting for the day when they will be added back to the cottage to return it to its original splendour.

It originally stood at 35 Chatham Street until that property was bought up along with several others by a developer who plans to build a ten story, 200 unit rental apartment. The cottage is protected as a heritage property designated by the city on January 21, 1985. The ornate bargeboards on the front gable are still intact but the home looks a lot less fancy without the front porch.

One of the reasons that this cottage is so unique is the row of beer bottles that form a line below each window and along the full length below the red brick trim that stands under the roof line. These beer bottles are largely intact although several have been broken. Considering that these bottles are around 150 years old it’s too bad that they haven’t all survived. This is believed to be the only home in Ontario from this era to have incorporated beer bottles in the construction as a trim element.

In 2020 the developer sold the home to the Brant Historical Society for $10.00 and agreed to pay an estimated $300,000 to have it moved to a vacant lot adjacent to the Brantford Museum. The city put out an additional $100,000 to have the site prepared and a new concrete foundation poured.

The house was lifted off of its original brick foundation and placed on a set of metal beams where it sat for months waiting to be moved. Eventually it was brought and relocated onto its new foundation. A new furnace was installed and the home has sat vacant ever since. From the rear of the house you can see the two windows above the rear door which are adorned with stained glass. There’s also two oval windows on the back which have “spider-web” glazing in them to decorate the small panes of glass.

The original home is 900 square feet in size and has red brick accents to add colour to the tan brickwork. The addition of a basement has increased the available floor space. Two dormers cut the roof line to add some space and light to the small upper floor.

The Crystal Cottage is currently for sale as an heritage home. Under the designation, the outside can’t be changed but the interior isn’t protected and could be renovated to suit the new owner.

Google Maps Link: The Crystal Cottage

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