This 2-storey Second Empire style dwelling was erected during the late 19th Century. The structure is located on a substantial lot on the west side of McKeen Street, immediately below the Walking Trail.
Heritage Value
The heritage value of this dwelling resides not only in its architectural style but in the significance of its ownership. This Second Empire style dwelling had been the first erected on the west side of McKeen Street between Union Street and the CPR tracks. The dwelling is situated on a large, open lot which once sported a tennis court on the southern portion of the property.
Lawyer Whitman A. Haines and his wife, Inez, resided in this house for many decades. Mr. Haines, who served as Town Clerk for Devon, operated his law office out of the former St. Mary’s Departmental Store, located at the foot of Cliffe Street. Mrs. Haines would pen a short history of St. Mary’s Ferry, now known as North Devon on Fredericton’s northside, which she delivered to the York-Sunbury Historical Society in 1933.
Character-Defining Elements
The character-defining elements related to this Second Empire Style dwelling located at 123-125 McKeen Street include:
-
2-storey wood frame construction with painted wood clapboard and wood trim siding
-
manicured lawn and grounds
-
situation upon large lot
-
Second Empire design, featuring a mansard roof
-
Lower real ell
-
regularly spaced rectangular windows
-
projecting bay window on front façade
-
open, pillared front entry porch topped with a gable roof