The History of High Acre
The story of High Acre dates back to the early 1800s when the Sirius family bought 100 acres of land. In the 1860s the Grightmire family bought the property and from 1865-1867 built “High Acres.” The house was a functioning farm for nearly a century, producing fruit. The current pool area used to be a pear orchard. It has one remaining pair tree on the upper porch, and the entire pool was designed around protecting the tree and honouring what that land had produced for decades. A massive barn sat to the right of the current pool with a well right outside of it. The house itself took 2 years to build. Multiple tradesmen lived on-site for the duration of the build. Each brick on the house was made on-site and took 2 years to hand make. The house is constructed in the balloon style (like a barn) massive 3×25 foot plants run vertically and the flooring joists hold them together. One of the wall joists had to be removed and was repurposed as the bar top. The original doors of the house were also repurposed to make the front of the bar. The exterior has only one layer of brick. The style of the house is known as Italiante.
In the 1940s, 60 acres of land was sold and a quarry was opened on it. The remaining 40 acres of land was turned into the “HIGH ACRE” subdivision in 1947. The Grightmires kept two lots for themselves directly to the east and west of the house and built the two homes neighbouring the property in the 1950s. The rest of the land was sold off through the 50s and 60s leaving just one acre of land for this house to sit on. Hence “High Acres” now becoming “The High Acre.”
The house remained in the Grightmire family until the Stotnick family bought it in 1950, almost immediately they turned the house into a 4-plex which they owned until the Eastmans bought the house in 1968. The Hudsons purchased the house from them until 1984 until it was sold to the Vansickles in 2017. The Vansickles kept it as a 4-plex for 5 years before a much needed massive renovation.
Then the story of “The High Acre” began.
It took nearly a year of planning and almost a year and a half of construction. Construction began September 1st 2021 and construction was complete January 1, 2023. The original staircase was hidden behind a wall. There was no central hallway left. One of the biggest goals was to restore as much as possible and bring back as much of the original charm. Great lengths were taken to preserve what was left to the original house. The front two rooms on the ground floor were the only two rooms in the house left with original trim and mouldings. Samples of that trim were sent to mennonities to be recreated so that the rest of the house could enjoy the same kind of grandeur that the ground floor has. The entire house now has the original style of trim on all its doors and windows. The crown mouldings are plaster and put everywhere possible. The original pine floors were refinished and sealed. The floor in the lounge was actually the floor in the studio. A pool and hot tube were also added in 2022. The back deck and porch were also added in the renovation.
High Acre is dedicated to health and wellness. They created a space where each guest could have their own custom and private experience. Enjoy the TikTok video which gives a glimpse into the beautiful details of the space.
Richelle Sibolboro 