Description of Historic Place

The Frank Gilman House is a two-storey, wooden, residence that exhibits a Four Square form with Italianate and Neoclassical elements. It is located on Queen Street in the Town of St. Andrews.

Heritage Value

The Frank Gilman House is designated a Local Historic Place for its association with Frank E. Gilman and for its architecture.

The Frank Gilman House is recognized for its association with Frank Gilman. Frank E. Giman built this home circa 1910. Frank started a building and contractor business in St. Andrews and became a well known contractor and builder, building many buildings in and around St. Andrews. He built the large Conley’s Lobster Plant and the semi-circular St. Andrews Arena, which have both been destroyed by fire. Mr. Gilman’s style is apparent in the similarities between this home and many other private homes he built in St. Andrews. Mr. Gilman served for 10 years on the St. Andrews Town Council. He passed away in 1948.

The Frank Gilman House is also recognized for its architecture. Many Four Square homes were built in Maritime Canada around the latter part of the 19th century and early 20th century. Many of the earlier homes of this style were of a simple functional design and lacked any ornamentation. This home has the simple functional massing of the Four Square style which typically has four rooms on each of the two floors, arranged one on each corner with no through hallway. These early elements are enhanced by tri-part windows, an upper storey bay topped by a classical pediment and cornices decorated with ornate brackets, reflecting a progression in the style.

Source: Charlotte County Archives – Old Gaol, St. Andrews, New Brunswick – St. Andrews Historic Places File, “Frank Gilman House”

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements of the Frank Gilman House include:
- two-storey square massing;
- hipped roof;
- clapboard siding with corner boards;
- window placement and proportions;
- central entranceway flanked by large elongated tri-part windows;
- front veranda with roof supported by pillars with ornate scrolled capitals;
- single-storey central bay projection in upper storey, crowned by a pediment;
- lunette window in tympanum of the pediment;
- paired brackets under the roof-line cornice;
- ceramic-like face adorning chimney.