Description of Historic Place

The Knowles Residence is a wooden two-storey Italianate building with an off-centre entrance. It is located on Orange Street within the Orange Street Heritage preservation Area of Saint John.

Heritage Value

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

Built circa 1878, the Knowles Residence is recognized as one of a collection of residential Italianate and Second Empire buildings that were built between 1877 and 1881 after two thirds of the City of Saint John were destroyed by the fire in 1877. The design of this building represents the will of the city to rebuild, as well or better, after the fire. Orange Street consists of four blocks and displays many fine Victorian-era homes. Many of the residents on this street were connected to Saint John’s lucrative mercantile history or were connected to the sea. This residence is a good example of Italianate residential architecture from the rebuilding period in Saint John following the fire. It was built as a double home and the original families that occupied the home did so for many years. James McAuley was the first occupant of this residence and remained until the late 1920's.

The Knowles Residence is also recognized for being the residence of Edward T. Knowles and his son, Edward T. C. Knowles. Edward T. Knowles was born in Newport, Nova Scotia, in 1804. He entered the mercantile business as a clerk in a store at Granville, Nova Scotia, and came to Saint John in 1824. In 1836, he established the firm of Knowles and Thorne, dealers in West Indian goods. Edward was 73 years of age when the Great Saint John Fire destroyed the city and when his home was rebuilt, he shared it with his bachelor son, Edward T. C. Knowles. Edward, Sr. passed away in 1887. Edward T. C. Knowles was born in Saint John in 1850. He studied law in the office of Morrison and King. He was called to the bar in 1872 and specialized in patent law. For two years, Edward was a Saint John City Councillor for Queen's Ward. In 1915, he succeeded Judge Armstrong as Judge of Probate. He died in 1916.

Source: Planning and Development Department - City of Saint John

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements that describe the Knowles Residence include:
- similar set-back with neighbouring buildings;
- rectangular two-storey massing;
- wide bracketed cornice with decorative frieze band;
- bracketed entablatures over windows;
- rectangular 2/2 vertical sliding wood windows with shutters;
- double wooden doors with glass upper panels;
- entablature and segmented arch transom window over the entrance.