The Fred P. Elkin Residence was likely built in the early 20th century, given the style of the home and the happenings in Saint John at the time. Lots of homes were being built for employees of Manchester Robertson Allison (MRA), a prospering department store in the area that was responsible for stabilizing the employment rate at the time.

It is a Queen Anne Revival residence with some Craftsman influence clearly demonstrated. It features an off-centre entrance, a semi-octagonal bay window, an asymmetrical roofline, and a pedimented portico. Craftsman influences can be seen in certain elements of the building, including the roofline over the porch, which comes down in a bell-cast shape frequently seen in this style. It also has a Craftsman-style dormer with three windows.

The first resident of this building was Everett P. Jones, who was a clerk for MRA. At this time, MRA was Saint John's leading department store. From its beginnings in 1868, MRA grew rapidly, helping to boost Saint John's employment. Many of the new houses built in the early 20th century in Saint John were created for MRA employees. Though they dominated Saint John's economy for the first few decades of the 1900s, they gradually declined and were dissolved in 1973.

Jones left the house after a few years, and in 1925 it was sold to Fred P. Elkin. F. P. Elkin was the son of RC Elkin, who was the founder of the prominent ship broker firm RC Elkin Ltd., which owned and operated several sailing vessels that regularly travelled on trade routes from the Maritimes to the West Indies. In 1907, Fred joined the company and eventually became its president. RC Elkin Ltd. would later be passed onto Fred's son and grandson before disbanding in 1979.

Interestingly, Elkin's house prior to moving here, located at 107 Leinster Street, is also a heritage building under the name Frederick P. Elkin Residence.