The Thomas Armstrong Residence is recognized for its Maritime Gothic Revival style, its role in St. Andrews' heritage, and its time as the residence of Thomas Armstrong.
 
The Thomas Armstrong Residence is a somewhat unusual adaptation of the Maritime Gothic Revival style. The house's southern façade, facing towards Montague Street, is in the Gothic Revival style with twin cross-gables with Gothic Revival windows beneath them. In contrast, the narrow eastern façade facing Augustus Street is a vernacular version of the Classical Revival style. As such, it can appear to be a very different building depending on which side of the corner lot you look at it.
 
Over the years, the Thomas Armstrong Residence has had several owners. It is believed to have originally belonged to boat builder William Edwards, who sold it in 1864. In 1868, the house was sold by surveyor Mr. Robert Melville Jack to its namesake occupant. Thomas Armstrong was a longtime employee of New Brunswick Railway and ran the New Brunswick machine shops. He briefly moved to McAdam when the machine shops moved there, but retired with a full pension shortly afterwards and returned to St. Andrews. Though he died in 1930, at the age of 90, Thomas's estate did not sell the house until 1953.
 
The Thomas Armstrong Residence is one of the many heritage buildings in St. Andrews, which has one of the best collections of heritage buildings per capita in all of Canada. This residence, as well as all the rest, help create the serene seaside atmosphere the town is known for.