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Former St. James United Church

1291 West Riverside Drive, Perth-Andover, New Brunswick, E7H, Canada

Formally Recognized: 1991/05/16

Former St. James United Church - front façade; PNB
Former St. James United Church
Former St. James United Church - rear elevation; PNB
Former St. James United Church
Former St. James United Church - side elevation; PNB
Former St. James United Church

Other Name(s)

St. James United Church
Église unie St. James
Former St. James United Church

Links and documents

Construction Date(s)

1837/01/01

Listed on the Canadian Register: 2006/08/30

Statement of Significance

Description of Historic Place

The former St. James United Church, the oldest surviving building in the community of Perth-Andover, is a rectangular 1-1/2 story Neo-Classical church building in white clapboard with a central 3-story tower on the façade. It is located near the St. John River on West Riverside Drive.

Heritage Value

The former St. James United Church is designated a Provincial Historic Site for its architecture and its social and cultural value in relation to this part of Victoria County.

Built originally as a Methodist meeting house in 1837, the former St. James United Church is noted for its architectural qualities. They are preserved as Perth-Andover’s oldest surviving building, an unpretentious example of vernacular interpretation of Neo-Classical forms. It is a small, rectangular, white-painted clapboard, wood-frame building located in the centre of the former village of Andover.

The social and cultural value of the former St. James United Church resides in its use by the community of Perth-Andover, one of the earliest settlement sites along the St. John River. The former St. James United Church has been used as a church, a community hall, a school and, since 1988, has been the home of the Southern Victoria Historical Museum. The museum celebrates the heritage of the local area through the preservation of the church itself as well as through its collection. The museum houses a collection of tools, farm implements, dishes, clothes, maps and photographs and by preserving and exhibiting the material history of the vicinity, it helps to interpret the local heritage.

The church also serves as a commemorative site marking the establishment of the First Women’s Institute of New Brunswick in 1911, by Alma Jane Porter of Andover. Her aim was to find practical means to address the needs and concerns of rural women. Her work had an impact across New Brunswick and beyond. Today, the Women's Institute of New Brunswick is part of the largest non profit women's organization in the world, the Federated Women’s Institutes of Canada, with over 9 million members in 70 countries on 5 continents.

Source: Department of Wellness, Culture and Sport, Heritage Branch, Historic Site File

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements that relate to the heritage value of the former St. James United Church include:
- small rectangular massing;
- wood frame construction;
- clapboard siding;
- front gable roof facing the street;
- pediment with a projecting central tower, with no belfry or projections;
- Neo-Gothic window motif fashioned in a trefoil design and placed on each side of the square tower;
- three-stage tower including an entrance doorway, with applied corner boards;
- cornice and pediment;
- rectangular window above with distinctive lintel;
- large trefoil window design repeated in four locations at the top of the tower;
- each side of the building featuring four rectangular windows with lintels, eaves and applied corner boards to finish the composition;
- small chancel-like addition at the back.

Recognition

Jurisdiction

New Brunswick

Recognition Authority

Province of New Brunswick

Recognition Statute

Historic Sites Protection Act, s. 2(1)

Recognition Type

Historic Sites Protection Act – Historic

Recognition Date

1991/05/16

Historical Information

Significant Date(s)

1911/01/01 to 1911/01/01

Theme - Category and Type

Building Social and Community Life
Religious Institutions
Building Social and Community Life
Education and Social Well-Being

Function - Category and Type

Current

Leisure
Museum

Historic

Religion, Ritual and Funeral
Religious Facility or Place of Worship

Architect / Designer

n/a

Builder

n/a

Additional Information

Location of Supporting Documentation

Department of Wellness, Culture and Sport - Heritage Branch - historic places site file. File number 47.

Cross-Reference to Collection

Fed/Prov/Terr Identifier

47

Status

Published

Related Places

n/a

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