Description of Historic Place

Built circa 1903, the Elmer Rigby Residence is a two-storey, side-gabled Queen Anne Revival residence with a unique combined cylindrical and square tower. It is located on Queen Street in the Town of St. Andrews.

Heritage Value

The Elmer Rigby Residence is designated a Local Historic Place for its architecture and for its association with past occupants.

The Elmer Rigby Residence is recognized as a good example of Queen Anne Revival residential architecture. By 1900, Victorian architecture was looked upon as wasteful, expensive and difficult to maintain. Early 20th century homes were more economical and concentrated on interior space as opposed to flamboyant irregularity. This residence appears to coincide with the closing end of the Victorian era as it is Queen Anne Revival but with restrained embellishment. In a deliberate attempt to adhere to the irregular architectural design of this style, a tower extends squarely from the side façade and continues along the front façade before rounding to a semi-cylindrical form. Although the tower is unique, it expresses the irregularity that characterizes the Queen Anne style. The square portion of the tower is crowned by a pediment and the cylindrical portion is crowned by a conical roof. Dog-tooth and scalloped shingling and pent roofs dividing the storeys also coincide with the Queen Anne Revival style.

The Elmer Rigby Residence is also recognized for its association with its past owners. The residence was built circa 1903 for William Sheehan. William Sheehan was born about 1848 and spent the early years of his manhood as a blacksmith in the railway shops at McAdam, New Brunswick. He moved to St. Andrews and acquired one of the best fishing weirs in the Penobscot Bay. He died suddenly in 1908 at the age of 60. A fairly accurate construction date can be ascertained through two sources; Mr. Sheehan obtained this lot in 1902, and his 1908 obituary states: “He had a comfortable home on Queen Street, which he built a few years ago”.

The home was sold to Elmer Rigby by William Sheehan’s widow in 1913. Elmer, a mechanic by trade, was once mayor of St. Andrews and was captain of the Biological Station in St. Andrews. Mr. Rigby sold the home to Lewis R. Day (1915-1990) in 1949. In 1948, Lewis became Scientific Assistant to the Director of the Biological Station at St. Andrews. From 1954 to 1963, he was Assistant Director of the station. His major duties were in the area of scientific administration. He authored or co-authored more than two dozen scientific papers, as well as a series of fisheries fact sheets during the 1940’s and 1950’s. After 14 years of ownership of this home he sold it to Alonzo Bishop and moved to Halifax, where he served as Executive Secretary of the International Commission for the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries until 1979. He was the first executive secretary of the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization.

Source: Charlotte County Archives, Old Gaol, Town of St. Andrews.

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements of the Elmer Rigby Residence include:
- irregular massing;
- side-gabled two-and-a-half storey plan;
- flared apron above 1st and 2nd storey;
- flared apron above 1st storey on the front façade;
- scalloped and dog-tooth shingling;
- unique combined square and cylindrical tower;
- pediment and conical roof with finial crowning the two sections of the tower;
- restrained in embellishment.