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George Brown House

325 MacDonald Avenue, Oromocto, New Brunswick, E2V, Canada

Formally Recognized: 2009/06/18

Front view of the residence; Town of Oromocto
George Brown House
Side view of the house; Town of Oromocto
George Brown House
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Other Name(s)

n/a

Links and documents

Construction Date(s)

Listed on the Canadian Register: 2011/05/03

Statement of Significance

Description of Historic Place

Erected circa 1840, the George Brown House is a three-storey wood-frame Carpenter Gothic house situated on a parcel of land at 325 MacDonald Road in the Town of Oromocto.

Heritage Value

The George Brown House is designated a Local Historic Place for its architectural features and for its association with a prominent early settler of Oromocto.

While the builders of the original house are not known for certain, it is very likely that George Brown, an early general merchant in Oromocto, built the main part of the house between 1834 and 1840.

It is one of the oldest homes in the town and one of the finest and best-preserved Carpenter Gothic residences in the region. A single-storey side addition was added in the early 20th century for use as a doctor’s office and surgery room.

Source: Town of Oromocto, Town Office, Historic Places File, “George Brown House”

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements of the George Brown House include:
- the overall approach of the structure with Carpenter Gothic design arrangements, distinguished on the exterior by its three-bay symmetrical façade centered around the front door (with later single storey additions to the side and rear); the rectangular massing; the steeply pitched gable roof; the ornately carved roof finials and bargeboard pendants with eave brackets; and the fenestration details with Gothic label trim atop all the openings;
- the exterior materials, including the horizontal wood clapboards, painted Gothic window trim and soffit trim;
- the original entry door with its sidelights and wood panels, and partially original etched glass panes. The door is sheltered by a small overhanging roof with similar finials and pendants as the main roof;
- the main floor entry hall, adjacent to the original front door along the central axis of the house, featuring a stained wood staircase with a finely crafted Gothic newel post, thick wood door trim, and a pair of narrow Gothic-styled wooden fireplace surrounds;
- the stone rubble foundation walls;
- the 4/4 single-hung wood windows throughout with their unique mullion arrangement of thick vertical mullions and thin horizontal mullions;
- the central gable window at the second storey along the main façade, with its pointed design.

Recognition

Jurisdiction

New Brunswick

Recognition Authority

Local Governments (NB)

Recognition Statute

Heritage Conservation Act

Recognition Type

Local Historic Place (municipal)

Recognition Date

2009/06/18

Historical Information

Significant Date(s)

n/a

Theme - Category and Type

Expressing Intellectual and Cultural Life
Architecture and Design
Peopling the Land
Settlement

Function - Category and Type

Current

Historic

Health and Research
Clinic
Residence
Single Dwelling

Architect / Designer

n/a

Builder

George Brown

Additional Information

Location of Supporting Documentation

Town Office, 4 Doyle Drive, Oromocto, NB, E2V 2V3

Cross-Reference to Collection

Fed/Prov/Terr Identifier

2147

Status

Published

Related Places

n/a

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