If you're in the process of looking for a home in Cobourg, you have probably heard the expressions "Jackson House" or "Jackson Style House" and perhaps wondered what they meant. If you have lived in Cobourg for any length of time, you have certainly heard these expressions, but still may not have a clear idea of what they are.
Jackson houses were built by a prominent Cobourg builder, Reuben Jackson, during the early years of the 20th century. While simple and modest in design, these houses have nevertheless earned a reputation for sound construction and comfort.
There are approximately 50 Jackson houses in Cobourg, all located in the downtown core and almost always built in groups of two or more. Jackson built two different models. While the two are very similar in appearance, one model is larger than the other and has a "bump out" of approximately four feet on the kitchen side of the house. This widened area, which is recessed from the front of the house, has a tall, narrow window facing the street. Whether the larger or smaller version, all of the houses when built shared certain features:
- solid brick construction (usually red, but some are buff coloured)
- 1 1/2 stories
-
narrow in width, with the gable end facing the street
- open front verandah
- side hall floor plan
- kitchen, living room and dining room on the ground floor, always in the same configuration
- three bedrooms and bathroom on the second floor, in several different configurations
There are also many houses which are referred to as Jackson style. These are houses which are similar to Jackson houses but were not built by him. Ironically, many of these houses actually predate Jackson's. While some of these houses are almost indistinguishable from Jackson houses, others bear only a passing resemblance.
Some of the features that indicate a Jackson house are:
- a poured concrete foundation. A stone foundation indicates an earlier house not built by Jackson.
- very plain front verandah. Gingerbread generally indicates an earlier house, although there are one or two exceptions.
- 1 1/2 stories only. None of the Jackson houses has a third story or walk-up attic. There are a number of houses in Cobourg which more or less fit the description, but are a little larger overall and have 2 1/2 stories. These were not built by Reuben Jackson, and are most likely to have been built by Roy Jex another prominent builder of the day.
If you would like more information or help determining if you live in a Jackson house, please feel free to contact me at any time.
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