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P5664

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ID Number: P5664
Item Name: Image
Title: Francois Baby House / Maison Francois Baby
Title (Fre): Maison Francois Baby
Date: 1958
Description: Black and white photograph of the two-storey brick Francois Baby House in 1958; the house is on the right side of the photo; it has four chimneys, five windows with open shutters on the top floor and four windows on the main floor; there is a small roof built above the front door and there is a plaque posted beside the door; a man and a woman are standing on the stop in front of the building; on the lawn in front of the building is a signpost that reads: "Hiram Walker Historical Museum 254"; there is a white picket fence running in front of the house that extends out of the photograph to the left and the right; the Detroit River and Detroit waterfront are visible to the left of the house; there are two small sheds visible behind and to the left of the house and two women can be seen walking along the waterfront; two cars (and the headlights of a third) are parked at parking meters in front of the building.
History: Francois Baby (1768 - 1852) was active in local life as a politician, militia officer, justice of the peace, business man and office holder. He married Frances Abbott on September 5, 1795 and had eight sons and four daughters. During the 1840s Baby operated a government-leased ferry to Detroit and ran an Inn. He died on August 27, 1852. Jacques Duperon Baby, François’ father, owned about 20 slaves (Black and Indigenous) and upon his death in 1789 some were inherited by François and his brother Jacques (James). Francois Baby began construction in 1812 on land that he had been occupying for some years. Construction was interrupted when the American Army commandeered the property for use during the beginning of the War of 1812. The house was completed in the summer of 1812 and was similar to other Georgian mansions in Upper Canada at the time. The house underwent many renovations over the years. In 1835 a full-width Regency veranda was added. A fire on October 8, 1850 destroyed a large portion of the house and Baby did little besides repair the worst of the damage. When Baby died in 1852 the house was passed to Edmond Baby who renovated the building and began the reorientation of the house toward Pitt Street. The house passed through a number of borders and by 1890 it had been converted into a duplex. The building was abandoned in 1930. By 1940 ownership of the property had reverted to the City of Windsor because of non-payment of taxes and a committee was appointed to restore the building. In 1956/57 Hiram Walker & Sons donated $37,000 to the project and the Hiram Walker Historical Museum was opened in May of 1958. The museum was renamed "Windsor's Community Museum" in 1996. In February 2016, the museum completed a major expansion project and was renamed Museum Windsor. Museum Windsor consists of the Francois Baby House and Chimczuk Museum. The Francois Baby House has National Historic Site designation for the role of the house during the War of 1812 and the Battle of Windsor in 1838, which took place in the orchard (now parking garage adjacent to house) of the Baby property.
Place made: Canada - Ontario - Windsor
Collection Name: Museum Windsor