The old grounds of Pickering College at Pickering were eventually sold at a distressed price of $11.00 per acre (for a total of $550.00) to a man by the name of Ernest L. Ruddy. Mr. Ruddy, who hailed from Toronto, also bought the surrounding lands for approximately $4320. 16. Ruddy converted the former gymnasium into a large, lavish summer home, complete with mezzanine, four bedrooms created in part by splitting the original single storey building into two. An artesian well was placed close by. Mr. Ruddy called the property 'The Hermitage', and it would continue to serve him and his family until 1960, when it was sold.