Description of Historic Place

The Foxwell Residence is one of a pair of two-storey wood vernacular residential buildings in the Italianate style. It is located on Duke Street within the Trinity Royal Preservation Area of the City of Saint John.

Heritage Value

The Foxwell Residence is designated a Local Historic Place for its architecture and for its association with Richard J. Foxwell and his family.

The Foxwell Residence is one of a collection of Italianate residential buildings that were built after two thirds of the City of Saint John was destroyed by the fire in 1877. Built in 1879, Foxwell Residence is an example of vernacular Italianate residential architecture from the rebuilding period in Saint John. Although it exhibits such Italianate features as a wide moulded cornice and rectangular massing, the lack of significant detail is a vernacular influence.

The Foxwell Residence is also recognized for its association with the Foxwell family. Richard J. Foxwell owned and operated a stonecutting business in Saint John in the 1880’s and 1890’s. This business was entirely family run and included Foxwell’s sons, Samuel and Richard Foxwell, Jr., who worked alongside their father. Shortly after the Great Saint John Fire, Foxwell and his wife Martha, began an ambitious real estate endeavor. The couple purchased several plots of land, particularly on Duke Street. By 1886, this residence was one of many within their collection. Richard and Martha resided on that street for several years with their family. The couple's daughter, Nellie, took up residence again in the early 1900’s following the death of both her parents and sister. Nellie first lived here along with her husband, Perry B. Rockwell, a Saint John photographer. She continued to reside following Rockwell’s death in 1910, and even after she remarried in 1926 to a well-known wood turner by the name of Robert B. Ross. By 1942, Nellie Foxwell Ross managed to outlive her second husband as well. She continued to reside at this address until 1948. The house remained in her estate until 1959.

Source: Planning and Development Department - City of Saint John

Character-Defining Elements

The character defining elements that describe the vernacular Italianate architecture of the Foxwell Residence include:
- rectangular two-storey massing;
- wide moulded cornice;
- window placement and proportions;
- upper-storey rectangular vertical sliding, 2 over 2 wood windows with entablatures supported by wood, scrolled brackets;
- off-centre entrance with entablature.