GENERAL
Type / PurposePrivate Residence
50 Orange Street, Saint John
The Haley and Smith Residence at 50 Orange Street, Saint John, is a large brick Queen Anne Revival building with circular corner tower.
The Haley and Smith Residence is a Saint John building recognized for being home to two well-known Saint John businessmen. This brick Queen Anne Revival residence was built in 1911 on Orange Street and is a good reflection of the homes owned by Victorian-era Saint John's elite. It features an asymmetrical front façade with an impressive cylindrical corner tower.
The original owner of this residence was businessman Rupert G. Haley, head of the highly successful Haley Brothers Co., which was a planing and moulding mill that later expanded into the lumber merchant industry. A wealthy Haley retired in 1919, passing on the business to his two sons, W. Kenneth and Raymond R. Haley. At this time, he sold the residence to J. Willard Smith.
Smith was a prominent figure in his own right. In 1874, Smith became an accountant for the commission merchants of the firm Masters & Paterson, using his experience from working in the shipyards of Eatonville in his younger years. In 1877, he established his own commission merchant business. He proved to be an excellent leader, as at its peak, the company had over 150 employees and a fleet of 40 ships.
However, Smith is better known for his work as a prohibition advocate. Serving as the president of the New Brunswick Temperance Federation and the Saint John Temperance Alliance and additionally being a member of the Anti-License League of New Brunswick, though severe illness limited his political involvement from 1916 onward, he nevertheless engaged in several efforts to limit the sale of liquor in the province. During the plebiscites of 1898, 1920, and 1921, he served as the leading speaker, advocating for restrictions on liquor sales. He also led several delegations to the licensing commission, the City council, and even the Provincial government to promote the cause. His activism paid off in 1917, when New Brunswick decided to enact its own prohibition laws. In May of that year, Smith was even called in to assist in the drafting of these laws.
Municipal Heritage Preservation Act (1982/03/18)
ARCHITECTURE
Date of Construction1911
- Asymmetrical two-storey massing
- Italianate brick structure
- Flat roof with projecting cornice
- Windows, some single and some triple, with painted segmented arches and pronounced keystones
- Archivolt with Doric columns above entrance
- single-panel wooden door with brass knocker, transom window, and sidelights
- Two bays, a single-storey one on the east façade and a two-storey square bay on the front façade
- Large circular tower on northwest corner that bends roof shape
OWNERSHIP HISTORY
Notable Historic OccupantsRupert G. Haley, J. Willard Smith
SOURCES AND DOCUMENTS
Photos![](https://ahnb-apnb.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Haley-and-Smith-Residence.jpg)
Photograph by the City of Saint John, taken from the Canada's Historic Places website
Sources Contributors
Gabrielle Byrne