Description of Historic Place

The Amon Wilson Residence is a brick two-storey Italianate residence with a large square bay on the front façade and an off-centre entrance. It is located on Queen Street within the Trinity Royal Heritage Preservation Area in Saint John.

Heritage Value

The Amon Wilson Residence is designated a Local Historic Place for its architecture and its association with its former occupants.

The Great Saint John Fire of 1877 destroyed nearly the entire Central Peninsula of the City of Saint John. Although the commercial district of the city was quickly rebuilt, many of the residential lots to the south were not immediately built upon. Built in 1890, the Amon Wilson Residence is a good example of Italianate residential architecture from the delayed building boom which occurred at the turn of the 20th century in Saint John following the fire.

The Amon Wilson Residence is also recognized for its association with some of the building's earliest occupants. This residence was built as the retirement home for George Travis. In his early years, he was a lumber surveyor. When Canada was formed in 1867, he was appointed to a position in the Inland Revenue Department and later promoted to the position of Collector of Inland Revenue for the Saint John Division. He retired in 1890, had this home built, then died less than 4 years later in 1894.

This residence was purchased in 1916 by Amon A. Wilson. He came to Saint John from the Village of Cambridge and read law with Silas Alward, becoming an attorney in 1876. Through most of the 1890's, he practised law with A. H. Hannington. In 1899, he was named a Queen's Counsellor. In 1912, he was appointed lecturer in the King's College Law School. He also acted as President of the Saint John Law Society. In 1914, he was appointed High Sheriff for the city and county, a position he held for 20 years. He was the treasurer of the eastern section of the Canadian Foreign Mission Board, and president of the United Baptist Convention of the Maritime Provinces.

Source: Planning and Development Department - City of Saint John

Character-Defining Elements

The character defining elements that describe the Amon Wilson Residence include:
- asymmetrical two-storey plan with a two-storey square bay on the front façade;
- brick exterior walls;
- rectangular vertical sliding wood windows;
- corbel bands forming the cornice;
- sandstone sills and lintels;
- sandstone entrance entablature;
- segmented arch transom window over paired wooden doors with glass panels;
- brick pilasters at the entrance;
- sandstone plinth band;
- cast iron rails;
- sandstone steps.