Description of Historic Place

Belleview Hotel is an imposing two-storey Italianate residence located on Station Road, just across and to the south of Rothesay’s Historic Station House in Rothesay.

Heritage Value

Belleview Hotel is designated a Local Historic Place for its historic contribution to the town as the first residential hotel and its architecture.

Belleview Hotel is recognized for its history as Rothesay’s first residential hotel, and for its connection to the Lieutenant Governor William Pugsley, who lived there from 1915 until his death in 1925. Belleview Hotel’s transition from hotel to private residence in 1915 mirrors Rothesay’s growth as a community, from its days as a small, scattered collection of a few summer estates to a year round residential suburb. In 1915, Lieutenant Governor William Pugsley purchased the Belleview Hotel and Duart Hall. In 1919, during the visit of the Prince of Wales to Canada, a formal gala was hosted at the residence to receive him. The house is also located on the first paved road in the province from Rothesay to Saint John.

Belleview Hotel is also recognized for its architecture. It serves as an example of the picturesque Italianate style for which Saint John is nationally recognized. It became quite popular in the area after the Saint John Fire in 1877.

Source: Rothesay Living Museum, "Belleview Hotel"

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements that describe Belleview Hotel include:
- square 2-story massing;
- symmetrical façade;
- hipped roof with triangular pediment;
- decorative cornice and brackets;
- proportioned and trimmed paired windows;
- veranda on left side of house, with quatrefoil pattern in the eaves;
- covered entrance porch.