Description of Historic Place

Christie House is a one-and-one-half storey wooden home located on Main Street, in Wolfville, Nova Scotia. Located in the centre of the community on the Acadia University Campus, the home is situated very close to the road in a busy section of town. Only the building is included in the designation.

Heritage Value

Christie House is valued for its association to its former owner, John L. Brown, and for its architectural features.

John L. Brown, brother to Dr. Edward L. Brown, built the house around 1850. One of Wolfville’s most successful merchants of the nineteenth century, John L. Brown owned and operated a store next door to his home, at the corner of Main Street and Highland Avenue, which eventually became Porter Brothers grocery. In 1859, he became involved in politics and even raced against his brother, Edward. Edward was an early healthcare pioneer in Wolfville and the surrounding community, practising medicine at a time when sanitation conditions in the town were very poor. John won that election and became a member of the provincial parliament, a position he held until 1863.

Christie House is named after the Christie family, who lived in the home from 1912 to 1965, over 50 years. Though their continuity of ownership with this property is impressive, few details are known about the family.

Architecturally, Christie House has maintained its original Classic Revival architectural style. The details of this style include the home’s central gabled frontispiece with bargeboard design, returning eaves with cornice and wide frieze below front eaves.

sources:
- Town of Wolfville Heritage Property Program files, Christie House file.

Character-Defining Elements

Character-defining elements of Christie House include:

- located in the heart of Wolfville;
- medium-pitched roof;
- symmetrical five-bay façade;
- clapboard siding;
- central gabled frontispiece with bargeboard and an entrance on either side;
- verandah on each side of the frontispiece with moulded posts and railings;
- returning eaves with cornice on gable and roof;
- wide frieze below front eaves.