Description of Historic Place

The McCurdy Residence is a wooden two-storey, Georgian residence with a side-gable plan and a five-bay façade with a central entranceway. It is located on William Street in the Town of St. Andrews.

Heritage Value

The McCurdy Residence is designated a Local Historic Place for its architecture, for its association with past occupants and for being a contributing element to the array of heritage buildings in the Town of St. Andrews.

The McCurdy Residence is recognized for being a good example of Georgian residential architecture. This style is characterized by its five-bay symmetry and central entranceway. The lack of projection in the gable ends and close proximity of the windows with the eaves suggest that this property may have been built in the late 1700’s, or early 1800’s. The entrance has a transom window and sidelights.

The McCurdy Residence is also recognized for its association with its past occupants. The property was part of the Church Block until 1904 and was owned by the Anglican Diocese. For many years through the late 1800’s the home was leased to the McCurdy family. Carpenter Thomas Alexander McCurdy resided here from 1870 to 1896. Thomas’ brother, George, resided here as an invalid from 1874 until his death in 1895. The following year Thomas moved to Oregon. Thomas and his wife Ellen (Gilley) McCurdy were in charge of the Marine Hospital.

The McCurdy Residence is also recognized for being a contributing element to the array of heritage buildings in St. Andrews. St. Andrews has one of the best collections per capita of heritage buildings in Canada that range from the early thriving loyalist days of the late 1700’s to the Maxwell designed homes of the town’s early tourism era in the late 1800’s, early 1900’s. As of 2001 the population of St. Andrews was less than 2,000 inhabitants. Much credit is due to the inhabitants of the town for maintaining this collection and preserving the town’s serene and relaxed atmosphere.

Source: Charlotte County Archives - Old Gaol, St. Andrews, New Brunswick – St. Andrews Historic Places File, “McCurdy Residence”

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements of the McCurdy Residence include:
- rectangular two-storey massing;
- side-gable plan;
- medium-pitched gable roof with flush eaves;
- five-bay symmetry with central entranceway;
- wood cladding;
- transom window and sidelights in entranceway;
- window placement and proportions;
- close proximity of upper storey windows to eaves.