329 Canada Street

GENERAL

Type / Purpose

Private Residence

Location

329 Canada Street, Fredericton, New Brunswick

Description

The building at 329 Canada Street in Fredericton is a two-storey Italianate-style brick residence with twin front-facing full-height bay windows. It was erected in the late 19th century by Alexander “Boss” Gibson and is believed to have housed one of his high-ranking employees

Heritage Value

The residence at 329 Canada Street in Fredericton was built by and is associated with famous historical figure Alexander “Boss” Gibson. Gibson was a businessman and entrepreneur who is credited with kickstarting the industrial development in the historic town of Marysville, now a part of Fredericton. This house and numerous other buildings were erected to house his employees of all ranks. The town was split between the working-class residents' homes, which were relatively simplistic in scale and located near Gibson's factories and local amenities, and those people with high-level positions such as supervisors and managers, which were larger and more elaborate and stood a bit further away.

Two stories and constructed of brick, this imposing residence is an example of the Italianate residential style. It has a distinctive front façade with a pair of symmetrical full-height bay windows and a recessed entrance within a veranda. Though it is unknown who occupied this residence, its large size, extensive brick detailing, and the presence of homes that were known to have been owned by Gibson’s supervisors and managers in the neighborhood all suggest this was the home of a high-ranking employee.

Heritage Recognition

Local Historic Place (municipal) (2010/06/14)

ARCHITECTURE

Character Defining Elements

- Two-storey rectangular massing
- Surrounding houses of same quality, formerly belonging to other mill managers and supervisors employed by Gibson
- Low-pitched roof
- Symmetrical full-height bay windows on front
- Windows with segmented arches
- Detailed brickwork, including door and window moulding and roofline cornice
- Recess central veranda with pillars
- Later-added enclosed second-storey veranda

Builder/Building Company

Alexander “Boss” Gibson

SOURCES AND DOCUMENTS

Photos

Photograph by the City of Fredericton, taken from the Canada's Historic Places website

Sources Contributors

Gabrielle Byrne

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