Brubacher House, University of Waterloo, north campus
Originally the home of John E. Brubacher and his wife Magdalena, the Brubacher house was built in 1850 in the Mennonite version of the Georgian style. Note the asymmetrical façade. This site was used for farming until 1965, when it was sold to the University of Waterloo. On April 2, 1968, a fire caused by sparks from a nearby bonfire resulted in $15,000 damage to the house. A new roof, window frames, and doors were put on, and hand-hewn beams were provided, by local Mennonites. The University of Waterloo and the Mennonite Historical Society then began to restore and furnish the interior of the house to the era in which it was built. Once this process was complete, the house was opened as a museum. It was the first house in Waterloo to be designated under the Ontario Heritage Act. One of only four stone houses (in addition to a school and a few outbuildings) remaining in Waterloo. Its walls are around 20 inches thick.
