This architecturally significant, well-preserved and maintained heritage building was initially constructed as a higher educational facility, designated in 1875 as a Collegiate Institute, it was one of the first five such designations in the province.

In the years since, the building has had several transformations.

In 1902, the Collegiate was sold as private property to a single owner who managed the building as two semi-detached homes.

In 1923, the building and property were again sold, this time to an American family from Pittsburgh as a summer home for themselves, part of the then wealthy American Summer Colony that vacationed in Cobourg at that time.

Major renovations were made to the Collegiate building as a result to create a large single-family residence but also to remodel the façade to a Georgian style by changing the windows, removing Victorian attributes (i.e. gable trim, roof cupola) and where the cupola had been, adding a dormer third storey.

In 1941, an Austrian Cabinet Minister, who was sponsored locally to come to Cobourg, purchased the property, modifying some exterior access while converting the building from a single-family home into five distinct apartments, creating the building’s interior configuration of to-day.

Further details on this unique heritage property and Cobourg’s intriguing history can be found through the Cobourg Public Library, municipal documents, local historical, and architectural groups.