The house at 16 Prefontaine Street was either built or purchased at around 1915 by Andrew Johnson, an immigrant from Stockholm, Sweden who had landed in Montreal in 1883 with his wife and young son. His jobs as a day labourer and then a night watchman took him and his growing family to several locations around Montreal, until they settled on this quiet residential street in the suburbs.
Andrew's second-youngest daughter Clara was married in 1923 to John William Mayo, himself an immigrant from Manchester, England. Soon after starting their own family, they bought the house from her father in 1928, and it has remained in the Mayo name since.
Originally the building was a single-story house, but in the early 1930s a second floor was added in order to accommodate the increasing needs of the family. A long-running story claims that enough wood was used in the construction to build two similar houses. In the mid 1960s the house was divided into two apartments, upstairs and downstairs.
As with many present-day families, the current generation of Mayo children who grew up on Prefontaine Street now have their own homes and lives. The old homestead is in need of a great deal of restoration, but sadly there isn't the money to do it. As of this writing the house has been put on the market, and it's likely that a new owner will decide that instead of fixing it, it would be cheaper to tear the house down and build new.
The home that sheltered four generations might soon be destroyed but it will not be forgotten.
Here's an article about the history of Montreal South.
I love hearing the stories behind the history of homes. I hope this one is able to be restored instead of torn down.
ReplyDeleteSo interesting. But yeah, it's really expensive to renovate really old homes so sometimes that history is lost.
ReplyDeleteIt would be nice if the home could be saved for historical value. Where whomever purchases it must restore it and can not tear it down.
ReplyDeleteIt is sad when an old family home becomes disused and derelict but if it is in a dangerous state then the most sensible solution would be to demolish it - unfortunate but necessary.
ReplyDeleteThe house isn't derelict, but it does need repairs and improvements that the family just can't afford. It's unfortunate that few people nowadays see houses as multi generational investments.
DeleteMy childhood home is set to come down in January. My parents still live in it for now, but a state university has been expanding towards them for the last 30 years and it is finally time to go—the university has purchased the neighborhood and will be razing all the homes for student housing. I'm so sad, but you're right—I'll never forget it!
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