More than a century in the making
Historic Hillier House undergoes a respectful rebirth by its third steward
It took Noreen Kalman more than a year to make an instant decision.
She’d driven past the property numerous times, peered into the windows of the empty house and adjoining store, and mused about the historic landmark’s potential.
Finally, she called the real estate agent to see inside.
“I walked in the front door and hadn’t even seen anything when I said to the agent, ‘I’ll take it,’ ” Kalman recalls. That was 2001 when she became only the third owner of the 150-yearold building in the hamlet of Hillier, in southeastern Ontario’s Prince Edward County.
Family and friends “thought I’d flipped out,” admits Kalman, who was living in a 15th-floor condo in Burlington, and operating a successful interior design business.
But tired of urban highrise living, she was lured by the County’s “feeling of the prairies” where she grew up. The area — less than two hours east of Toronto — was already familiar from trips to Sandbanks Provincial Park when her children were young.
Part of the old homestead’s appeal was its storied past in a village that once included a blacksmith, three hotels, a cannery and carriage-maker. Hillier, on Loyalist Parkway, is now home to 100 residents.
The L-shaped building had been assembled in stages, starting with a house built by Quakers in 1858 that was then expanded on one side with a small general store. Later, an old house was hauled in and hipped to the front of the store to provide more commercial space.
In 1913, the property was bought by the Lloyd family, who raised six children and ran a thriving general store, with post office. Among its patrons was Canada’s first prime minister, Sir John A. Macdonald, who had relatives nearby and lived in the county in his early years. These days, the neighbourhood celebrity is chef Jamie Kennedy whose farm is just down the road.
It took Kalman a year and a half of gutting and rebuilding to transform the “scary,” long-empty store into her bright, spacious retail shop and office.
The original general store, established around 1868, was reborn as “Hillier House, purveyor of fine goods,” which is proudly proclaimed on the large rooftop sign.
Updating and refurbishing the home was another18-month project.
“I tried to keep the integrity of the building and the Quaker style and look,” Kalman says of the house, which was structurally sound and boasted “beautiful work” by its 19thcentury builders.
She kept such features as the painted plank floors and front door, but replicated other historical details as needed. For example, windows and shutters were added or replaced in their original style and trim was reproduced from pieces found onsite.
Built-in bookcases and custom cabinets, including one that hides a modern convenience — the kitchen fridge — were crafted to look like they’ve always been there. A former summer kitchen and wood storage area was converted to a multi-purpose room that includes laundry facilities, cupboards, copper sink and counters. It also connects the house with the studio.
Kalman completed the home’s revitalization by sourcing period pieces such as light fixtures and decorative elements.
“This house, the feeling,” she says, “it wraps its arms around you.”
The recently retired designer hopes someone else will feel that embrace as she makes a “soft transition” to another home in the Blue Mountains.
The versatile building could serve as just a residence, with the 975square-foot studio used as living space, or both a home and business, suggests broker Iris Andrews of Sotheby’s International Realty Canada. “A lot of people come to the County from the city with the vision of having an artist’s or photographer’s studio or gallery,” she points out.
Hillier House is a “much admired and known destination” in the heart of wine country, says Andrews, commending Kalman for her “respect and huge appreciation” for the property’s historical significance and character.
With top-notch work done by local trades and craftspeople, the building “will go on for another 100 years, easy,” adds the owner.
Carola Vyhnak is a freelance writer living in rural Ontario. She can be reached at cvyhnak@gmail.com.