55 Cochrane Dr., Brockville, Ont.
Asking Price: $2,239,000
Taxes: $12,860 (2025)
Lot Size: 0.82 acres
Agents: Natalie Sobhie, Re/Max Boardwalk Realty Ltd., Brokerage
The backstory
When Debbie Lafrance and her husband, Peter, walked through the Brockville home they would eventually buy in 2021 – the peak of COVID-19 bidding wars – its Georgian grandeur was there. It just needed to be uncovered.
The couple is originally from Gananoque and the Thousand Islands area – where the Woodfield Manor, 55 Cochrane Dr., sits – and they were looking for a place to retire. The curved driveway, the marble fireplaces, the light streaming through the windows and the in-ground pool appealed to Ms. Lafrance, who loves to swim in the summer.
“By the end of the weekend, we were putting in an offer,” said Ms. Lafrance.
The Georgian-style home is steeped in history. Built in 1855 for Samuel Keefer – the civil and railway engineer behind the Brockville & Ottawa Railway and the city’s railway tunnel – the estate later belonged to George Butterfield, whose family donated part of the grounds to create the close-by Butterfield Park. This is why the home is sometimes called Butterfield Manor, depending on who you talk to. Walking in, realtor Natalie Sobhie said, you can feel there’s a story behind it. The five marble fireplaces, soaring ceilings, and original woodwork have survived, as have reminders of an earlier way of life. There is a self-contained secondary suite with its own driveway and separate address that once belonged to the butler. There’s a bell for the servant. And outside, a hitching post where horses once waited by the stables.
But some parts of the home had not aged gracefully.
“The staircase when we moved in was all finished with pink carpet and peach tile, probably from the eighties,” Ms. Lafrance laughs. Rather than gutting and renovating the historic house, they set out to restore it to its original grandeur. With long hours dedicated to creating and mending a covered patio, an in-ground pool, a conservatory and a widow’s walk, she and her husband put in the work to make the house feel like a home.
“We said, ‘Okay, what can we save? What can we restore? What can we put back to its original?’” Ms. Lafrance said. “And then we worked from there.”
The house today
While the original stone façade and Georgian proportions were preserved, the couple thoughtfully reimagined the almost 6,000-square-foot home. They had the original pine floors refinished and added a custom chef’s kitchen, with a Dacor gas range and a waterfall island. Heated black-and-white porcelain flooring was installed in the entrance hall beneath a dramatic 16-light chandelier.
Ms. Lafrance designed the kitchen with entertaining in mind. In addition to the high-end appliances, large windows flood the room with natural light. A door opens onto the outdoor patio space.
The best feature
One of the couple’s favourite parts of the home is the widow’s walk that adorns the rooftop. It’s the ideal spot to see the boats coming in and out of the harbour.
Ms. Lafrance also loves the light-filled conservatory, which has been equipped with motorized windows. It has become a hub for visiting friends and family. At sunset, the covered conservatory brings in the view and leaves out the bugs.
“It’s a room where you can sit there and watch the sunsets with a glass of wine,” said Ms. Lafrance.