Historical Reasons:
Constructed during a period of expansion and growth in the community of Petrolia, this structure was built under a Federal commission awarded to the architect, Thomas Fuller of London, Ontario from a design he had submitted. As a result of being awarded this government contract, a number of similar structures built during this same period can be found in towns throughout southwestern Ontario.

Original design called for the Post Office and Offices of the Inland Revenue and Customs on the main floor, the residence of the Postmaster on the second, and the residence of the caretaker above that on the third. An annex on the south side of the building housed an examining warehouse for Customs purposes and for the collection of Provincial and Federal taxes. In later years the second story was converted to office space and only the caretaker continued to live on the premises. Following World War One, one of the small back rooms was taken over and used as a “Militia Room”. The Petrolia Legion also used space in this building until moving to its new facilities on King Street.

The structure served as Petrolia’s Post Office from 1894 to 1964 at which time new facilities were built and the Post Office operations were relocated. The contract for construction of the old Post Office was signed under the direction of the Department of Public Works in January of 1892 and the premises became functional in the spring of 1894. Joshua Garrett of Petrolia was the principal contractor. From 1964 to the present a number of commercial establishments have operated on the premises.

Architectural Reasons: 
This structure was built to reflect a “Romanesque” style of architecture. It is one that is uniquely North American, and made popular by the American architect, H.H.Richardson. One of the prominent features of this style is the bold use of masonry and what has been termed the “Romanesque Arch” (round headed arches over doors and windows). The use of rough cut stone and red brick were popular building materials used in this style of construction as well as the use of smooth, wide brackets under the eaves. Buildings constructed in this manner projected a sense of heaviness and solidity, and the old Petrolia Post Office is an excellent example of this style. Romanesque remained popular until the late 1800’s when it eventually merged with other architectural styles of the late Victorian period.
 

Reasons for designation (April 30, 1975)

Historical reasons:
The Grand Trunk Railway constructed the depot after the town built the railway. On January 23, 1923 the Grand Trunk railway amalgamated with the Canadian National Railway. The station continued to be used as a depot until railway services were discontinued in 1930. For the next seven years the depot served as a civic centre, playing hostess to dances, socials, and town meetings. The station's transformation into a library is probably the first example of railway station being preserved for an appropriate use. The C.N.R. agreed to lease the building to the town of Petrolia for an annual fee of $125.00.

On September 18, 1961, the C.N.R. sold the property to the town for $1.00. March 15, 1937 marked the opening of the new Petrolia Library.  The Lions Club sold 300 – 400 memberships for one dollar each in its first two weeks of operation. Before its establishment in the railway station, the library had a variety of homes. Churches provided library facilities for their Sunday school children. Other townspeople formed literary societies and reading groups to satisfy their literary needs. The Hospital Guild members donated books and set-up a distribution center in 1927. Books were housed in the Union Gas office, a candy store, and later, at Mrs. Sterne’s flower shop, until their relocation to the railway station.

Today, the library stands as a monument to the extravagance and pretentiousness of the oil boom era, while providing an excellent center for children's programs, art classes, reading and research facilities for the people of Petrolia and area. 

Architectural reasons:
The Petrolia Public Library distinguishes itself as one of the most superb examples of early railway architecture. Its styling reflects the eclectic Queen Anne features which were popular during its time of construction in 1903. The structure boasts two turret rooms, the west end turret housing a ladies’ waiting room, and the east end turret a gentlemen's waiting room. They were furnished with dark leather upholstered seats that followed the curve of the walls. The rooms were originally gas lighted, but were later replaced with electric light fixtures, which still illuminate the turret rooms. The beveled glass windows, pine floorboards, and slate roof are still architectural facets of the former railway station. 
 

Reasons for Designation (Sept. 9, 1991)

Historical reasons:
Built in 1893, the property was owned by Patrick and Margaret Barclay. Patrick was Petrolia’s first postmaster, who originally built and lived in the old post office in the east end of Petrolia. Barclay was one of the four men who gave Petrolia its name in 1861. In 1893 the property was sold to Victoria and Alexandrina Clark, who only a few months later sold it to John McAlpine, an oil operator.

It stayed in the McAlpine family until 1925, when it was sold to John H. Fairbank, the eldest of four brothers. On John’s death the estate was eventually sold to Maurice and Ida Fisher in 1944. In 1958, the Fishers sold it to John and Isabella McLeod, who in turn, sold it to Glen Francis later the same year, and finally to James and Valerie Cassin in 1960. James Cassin occupied the house for twenty-seven years, and sold it in 1987 to John and Rebecca MacLachlan. 

Architectural reasons:
4058 Petrolia Street is a three story Victorian home, constructed of red pressed brick, which is rare in this area. The home has Italianate influences. The south façade features a low gable with wide returned eaves, which are decorated with a wooden frieze and detailed brackets. Originally, a beautifully ornate porch enhanced the façade of this home. A transom of colored glass graces the front entrance. The home has flat windows and  flat roofed bay windows on the east and west side.

Reasons for designation (March 25, 1985)

Historical reasons:
Samuel Stokes was born in Sarnia in 1848.  He settled in Petrolia in 1866, the year it achieved village status. The “boy boss” of a construction crew, built underground tanks for the fledgling oil industry, and later, established himself as a contractor for a new company, which would become Canada’s largest oil corporation, Imperial Oil.  He became an oil operator, and invested in the Wagon Works Plant, and the Pork Packing Plant.  In 1891, he worked on the construction of the St.Clair Tunnel.

At various times, Samuel Stokes was a town councilor, a deputy reeve, a county councilor and school trustee. His wife, Margaret, was also active in community service, and the local chapter of the IODE was named after her. One of his children, John, went to California as an oil driller.  The history and growth of the Stokes family paralleled the development of the town.

Architectural reasons:
Samuel Stokes had the house constructed in 1883.  It illustrates many of the architectural features of the period.  A steeply pitched roof, gables decorated with intricate barge board, verandahs crested in iron, and a front gable dormer with “gothic window” are particularly noteworthy.  The yellow brick exterior is of “stretcher bond” design, and two chimneys include decorative brick details.  Tall narrow windows and slender ionic style columns emphasize the vertical proportions of the Gothic Revival. This house is one of very few brick examples of this once very popular architectural style.

Reasons for designation (February 13, 1984)

Historical Reasons:
The Ella street property was developed and surveyed by Henry Warren Lancey, who named the street after his daughter.  Mr. Lancey was a prominent surveyor, builder and entrepreneur who played an important role in the history of Petrolia. The original occupant was Lemuel Cole, an important oil operator who lived in the house from 1876 until 1880.

After a short period of ownership by Elisah H. Pinery, a local merchant, from 1880 until 1882, it was sold to Robert Morris, a respected banker, whose family lived in the house until 1905. Between 1905 and 1940 it was the property of Albert Jones, an Ontario land surveyor. During the Second World War, it became the home of Clara Fairbank Ranney, widow of the distinguished Dr. Charles Oliver Fairbank. In 1948 Adam Paton Robertson, manager of Detroit Gasket, purchased it. For over one hundred twenty years, 429 Ella Street has occupied its site overlooking Crescent Park.

Architectural Reasons:
429 Ella Street is an excellent example of Victorian Gothic Revival, a style that was most popular in Canada in the period 1850 to 1870. It has retained its original wood façade (east, front view). The decorative details include intricate barge boards, a sharply pitched roof with finials and pendants at the peaks, and an exceptionally fine glassed verandah/conservatory with ogee patterned panes. The façade also features a bay with paired brackets and iron cresting. Its architectural details add interest to its streetscape and contribute to the visual attractiveness of Crescent Park.
 
 

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4172-4174 Petrolia Street
Present owners- Ron and Diana Racher

Reasons for designation (August 23, 1993)

Historical reasons:
This site was part of the entire block of buildings constructed for Andre Elliott, a court clerk. Along with two other local businessmen, J.M. Williams and W.E. Sanborn, they formed the Black Creek Plank Road Company in 1861. Crude oil had to be transported from Oil Springs, then known as Black Creek or Victoria, to the railhead at Wyoming, over an eleven mile stretch of mud called the canal, a ditch 18 inches below grade and five feet wide. Above it ran the Black Creek Road, a muddy forest trail that 73 years later became Highway #21. This road was impassable after the mildest rain. In dry weather the mud dried to a tangle of ruts so unyielding that stages and wagons were wrenched apart. Obviously the survival of the oil industry required an all weather road from Oil Springs to the Wyoming railhead. By late 1862, the Black Creek Plank Road Company graveled the road three miles south of Wyoming, with the balance planked by early 1863. Today this building is a Craft Store.

Architectural reasons:
Constructed in 1866, the building is two stories tall and of red brick construction. Its main feature is an ornate three sided bay window on the second floor. The building has Italianate influences, as seen in the arched windows. Two groups of three windows flank the bay window. The center window of each of these groups has stained glass over two clear lights. Metal cladding covers the entire façade to imitate wood ornamentation, moldings, cornices, and windowsills. The cornices are mounted atop columns of brick with stone sections. The recessed center doorway is flanked with brick columns that also have stone sections. Heavy metal clad brackets adorn these columns and form the support for the bay window. Stone sills stretch across and under each of the window groups on the second floor.
 
 

Reasons for proposed designation (Aug. 11, 1980)

Historical reasons:
Jacob L. Englehart, one of Imperial Oil’s founding fathers was an important figure in the economic and social history of both the Town of Petrolia and the Province of Ontario.   He built a spectacular home for his wife, Charlotte, as a wedding gift, in 1891. The home became known as “Glenview”.  It featured a large circular turret, and extensive gardens.  Glenview showcased a nine hole golf course, a conservatory, and separate brick servants quarters.

When Charlotte died in 1911, she bequeathed Glenview to the residents of Petrolia, to be used as a hospital upon Jacob’s death.  Jacob Englehart decided to vacate the home immediately, and donated the funds necessary to finance the operation of a new hospital.  Over the years renovations and additions have insured a more functional facility for Petrolians.  The boardroom, the former study, has remained intact as a tribute to Jacob Englehart.

Architectural reasons:
Included in this designation are the oak woodwork, door, wainscoting, paneling, moldings, arches, bookshelves, the cast iron fireplace, porcelain tiled hearth, and stained glass piece over the fireplace, stained glass fire screen, the lincrusta frieze around the ceiling, and the bronze plaques over the door.
 
 
 
 

Reasons for designation (June 28, 1976)

Historical reasons:
Nemo Hall, built  ca.1878 by John J.Kerr, a prominent builder, lumber mill owner and oil man. The home is an excellent example of the Second Empire Style, and the only remaining building of this architectural type in Petrolia. The original property was three acres in size, and included the house, a coach house, an orchard, exotic gardens, and five oil wells. Fuel from the wells heated the home, making it highly energy efficient for its time. Insulation was provided with three layers of brick, with air spaces between each layer, in the exterior walls.

Nemo Hall has three floors, twenty rooms, and five fireplaces. The front room white marble fireplace won first prize at the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893. Enormous mirrors, 2 x 3 meters in size, trimmed in beautiful wood, grace a wall in each of the living room and den. Local carpenter, Tom Bicknell did all of the woodwork throughout the three-story home. The fountain and the coach light on the front lawn are original to the home.

Architectural reasons:
The bell cast mansard roof, crest tiling, chimney dormers, and semi elliptical window openings best illustrate the Second Empire styling and design. The home's interior displays beautiful oak woodwork, high ceilings, and floor to ceiling windows and ornate double doors with acid etched glass in the entrance. 
 

Reasons for Proposed Designation (March 25, 1996)

Historical reasons:
The original owner, Thomas Bicknell, built 421 Warren Ave. in 1893.  Mr. Bicknell, a noted artist of the time, constructed many artifacts such as doors, cabinets, etc., for the locals.  Thomas’ son Fred was born at 421 Warren Ave.  Fred was also a local artist; he made musical instruments such as violins and base violins.  As well, he played in the Sarnia Port Huron Symphony.  His business was that of a painter and wallpaper hanger.  421 Warren is now owned by Fred's son, Glenn, a third generation Bicknell.

Architectural reasons:
421 Warren Ave. is a typical Gothic Revival Victorian home.  This two-story house proudly displays a gable facing north and east adorned with decorative gingerbread.  A small decorative porch enclosure leads to the front entrance.  The front door, built by Thomas Bicknell, is a viewing pleasure with its beautiful fan shaped detail.  Front and side first floor windows are graced with small square stained glass pieces, typical of the era.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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