Marine Hospital
126 Princess Royal Street, St Andrews, New Brunswick, E5B, Canada
Formally Recognized:
2010/04/06
Other Name(s)
n/a
Links and documents
Construction Date(s)
1873/01/01
Listed on the Canadian Register:
2011/05/31
Statement of Significance
Description of Historic Place
Built in 1873, the Marine Hospital is a wooden, two-storey Second Empire residence with a central entry frontispiece and distinctive flared Mansard roof. It is located on the corner of Princess Royal Street and Parr Street in the Town of St. Andrews.
Heritage Value
The Marine Hospital is designated a Local Historic Place for its architecture, for its association with past occupants and for its former use as a hospital for sick and disabled mariners.
The Marine Hospital is recognized as an excellent example of the Second Empire style. This style is characterized primarily by the distinctive flared Mansard roof. The residence exhibits a symmetrical arrangement of curved dormers and main level windows which flank a projecting two-storey entrance frontispiece. The frontispiece has a horseshoe arch with artistic moulding supported by heavy returns and paired brackets. The tall windows in the main entry are also a characteristic of the Second Empire style.
The Marine Hospital was designed and built by architect Angus Stinson in 1873, replacing the original hospital which was destroyed by fire in 1872. It served as a hospital for sick and disabled mariners, local or foreign, from 1873 to 1896 under the direction of Collector of Customs Charles M. Gove. The long time attending physician was Dr. Samuel T. Gove, whose residence neighboured this property. In the last years of the hospital’s operation very few people received treatment, so the government policy was to board any sick or disabled sailors at the general hospitals. The widow of Charles M. Gove willed this residence to her daughter Kate Grimmer in 1914 who in turn conveyed the property to William F. Craig in 1927.
This residence served as a central element of a specific period of St. Andrews history. The residence is located next to the Charlotte County Gaol and old gallows. During the execution of Thomas Dowd in 1879, some 40 persons gained access to the roof of the hospital, which was once crowned by a cupola, overlooking the yard where Dowd was hanged. The cupola was built for the signal service and was used as an observatory as it commanded a view of the surrounding country for several miles.
Source: Charlotte County Archives, Old Gaol, St. Andrews, NB
Character-Defining Elements
The character-defining elements of the Marine Hospital include:
- flared Mansard roof;
- rounded dormer windows;
- tall windows on first storey;
- central entrance frontispiece with horseshoe arch and decorative moulding;
- entrance with a wood-paneled door, sidelights and a transom window;
- shiplap cladding;
- paired brackets below the eaves;
- window placement and proportions.
Recognition
Jurisdiction
New Brunswick
Recognition Authority
Local Governments (NB)
Recognition Statute
Heritage Conservation Act
Recognition Type
Local Historic Place (municipal)
Recognition Date
2010/04/06
Historical Information
Significant Date(s)
n/a
Theme - Category and Type
- Expressing Intellectual and Cultural Life
- Architecture and Design
- Building Social and Community Life
- Education and Social Well-Being
Function - Category and Type
Current
- Residence
- Multiple Dwelling
Historic
- Residence
- Single Dwelling
- Health and Research
- Hospital or Other Health Care Institution
Architect / Designer
Angus Stinson
Builder
Angus Stinson
Additional Information
Location of Supporting Documentation
Charlotte County Archives, Old Gaol, Town of St. Andrews, NB
Cross-Reference to Collection
Fed/Prov/Terr Identifier
2067
Status
Published
Related Places
n/a