Month: January 2025

The home of the Whitby Dance Academy at 58 Baldwin Street was once known as the Balfour Building. Since its construction in 1878, it’s been a cornerstone of Brooklin’s history. Built for prominent merchant Robert Balfour (1848–1898), it became a central hub for local commerce, not only

providing goods and services to the community but also playing a significant role in the economic development of Brooklin. At the time, it was the largest store in the village, showcasing impressive brick arches above the windows and doors that combined structural integrity with visual appeal. Immediately north of the store, Balfour built his two-story brick home which was demolished in 1995.

On September 8, 1881, the Whitby Chronicle reported: ‘The large and handsome new store of Mr. Balfour is completed and occupied. It has quite an imposing appearance.’ From its construction onward, the main floor was used as a dry goods and grocery store. In December, 1950, high winds damaged the brickwork, necessitating the complete removal and rebuilding of the third floor’s front facade.

 

Balfour operated the store for only four years. From approximately 1884 to 1912, the business was subsequently run by various proprietors, including Thomas J. Holliday, William Holliday, William Lawrence, Fred Ormiston, artist and sign painter Harry Lade and his son, butcher Arthur Cook. Merchants Wes Piatti, and Fred Brown (Brown’s Marketeria) both occupied the building at separate times during the 1950s and early 1960s. Another business, Kennedy’s, was in operation there around the same time. In the mid-1960s, Mrs. Bibeau and her mother, who both lived on Way Street, operated a Stedmans store at the location, then Brooklin Pro Hardware, followed by The Video Image.

The building’s upper floors also had an interesting history. In 1884, it became home to the Beethoven Lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF), which used the space until 1954, when they constructed their own building on Bagot Street. Those floors also housed the Whitby Council Chambers and Municipal Office prior to 1920 and the Patterson sisters operated a dressmaking and millinery shop. Eventually the upstairs rooms were renovated into apartments.

 

 

The building is situated within the Brooklin Heritage Conservation District, established by Bylaws 6085-08 and 6086-08 and is recognized for its historical significance. It is listed in the Town of Whitby’s Municipal Heritage Register, which includes both designated and non-designated properties of cultural heritage value. This district designation, enacted in 2008, aims to preserve the unique heritage character of Brooklin’s main street and surrounding areas. While the Balfour Building itself may not have an individual designation date, its inclusion in the Brooklin Heritage Conservation District provides it with heritage protection under the Ontario Heritage Act. Today, it reflects Brooklin’s deeply rooted commercial heritage with the architectural style and community spirit of the late 19th century.

In the late 19th century, many tradespeople began their careers through open apprenticeships. This type of vocational training involved learning a trade directly from an experienced master tradesperson. For some apprentices, this journey often began in their teenage years, as was the case for Roy James Delong, Brooklin’s last licensed tinsmith. Delong apprenticed at Pedlar Products, a manufacturing company in Oshawa known for producing tin products for the building and construction industries. Over the course of several years, he honed his skills until he was able to work independently.

 

After completing his apprenticeship, Delong set up a shop in a building he purchased from the Brooklin train station. When the ‘Nip and Tuck’ railway line was abandoned in 1941, he moved the building to his property at 150 Baldwin Street North. There he produced tin roofing sheets for residential and agricultural buildings. His work also included making decorative and functional tin shingles for weather-resistant roofs, gutters and flashings, chimney linings, stovepipes, chimney caps, ductwork and vents, embossed ceiling panels, and decorative trim such as cornices and moldings for both interior and exterior use. He also provided tin sheets to his older brother, Clifford Delong, a house painter and artist, for use in some of his oil paintings.

Several tinsmiths worked in Brooklin before Delong. These include Richard Brennan, who operated a tin and sheet metal shop on Baldwin Street in the late 19th century; James Griffith, who served the local farming community with tinware and stove repairs in the mid-1800s; George Leith, who had a shop in the downtown area in the late 1800s; and John McFerson, active in 1880. Other tinsmiths include Albert Mills, Frank Robinson, and John Samuel Jephson, who owned the hardware store at 47 Baldwin Street.

 

Delong was born into a family deeply rooted in Brooklin, dating back to as early as 1836 with James A Delong. His father, John, born in 1861, married Jessie Colby in 1904, and together they established their homestead on the Baldwin Street property. Their sons, Clifford, born in 1905, and Roy, born in 1908, grew up there. In 1933, Roy met Reta Whitney, who ha

d moved to Brooklin from Uxbridge to be a childcare provider for this author’s father, Eugene Bailey. The Baileys lived in a house across the road on Baldwin Street. Roy and Reta married in 1934 and their son, William (Bill) was born in 1936. Tragically, Bill passed away at the age of 26, leaving behind his wife, Joan, and three young children, Patsy, Gary, and David. The couple were active members of the Brooklin branch of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF) known as Beethoven Lodge #165 and Rebekahs, located at 42 Bagot Street. Both are interred at Groveside Cemetery with their son Bill.

Due to the changes in manufacturing and construction practices the tinsmithing trade in Brooklin came to an end, though throughout North America the trade hasn’t entirely disappeared. It has become a niche profession, with some tinsmiths continuing to work in restoration, art, and specialized metal fabrication, often focusing on heritage and traditional techniques.