Wallace Twins Houses

GENERAL

Alternate Titles

Bryant Residences

Type / Purpose

Private Residence

Location

376 and 380 Main Street, Sussex, New Brunswick

Description

The Wallace Twins Houses are two side by side Queen Anne Revival houses at 376 and 380 Main Street in Sussex.

Heritage Value

The Wallace Twins Houses are a pair of Sussex residences known for their former owners and Queen Anne Revival-style architecture.
 
The residences were originally owned by twin brothers George and Fenwick Wallace, having been erected by their father George H. Wallace in 1875. The twins both worked as carpenters before later entering the undertaking industry. In 1893, Fenwick Wallace founded the Wallace Funeral Home, which would remain in the Wallace family before being sold to Steve Baldwin in 1994. He would then go on to help found the New Brunswick Funeral Directors Association in 1907 and create the Canadian Funeral Directors Magazine. Outside of undertaking, Fenwick also served as mayor of Sussex in 1915 and 1916.
 
The house at 376 Main Street was later occupied by Harold Russell Bryant, MD. Dr. Bryant also purchased the next-door property, which became his medical office. He had a fifty-year-long career in medicine. Byrant was also regularly involved in various public matters, such as helping organize projects such as the Anglican Church Homes and the Kiwanis Nursing Home and serving the town's mayor from 1965 to 1966.
 
Architecture-wise, the Wallace Twins Houses bear similar Queen Anne Revival-style designs and mainly diverge in terms of their entrances; while 380 Main Street has a small gable-roofed porch, 376 Main Street has a rounded roof over its fanlight. For both buildings, a skirt is built over the second storey set of windows with shingle siding on the gable end, while the rest of the front façade features clapboard siding. The buildings' windows, still present for the original construction, bear a postcard-style etched design on the upper sash glass.

Heritage Recognition

Municipal Register of Local Historic Places (2008/08/25)

ARCHITECTURE

Date of Construction

1875

Character Defining Elements

For both:
- One-and-a-half storey rectangular massing
- Front-gabled roofs with central chimneys
- Regular fenestration
- Off-center entrance
- Decorative skirt above upper storey windows, forming a triangular gable end with shingle siding inside
- Clapboard siding on rest of front façade
- Retained original front windows with etched postcard-style design in the upper sash glass

For 376 Main Street only:
- Fanlight over front entrance
- Curved porch roof covering entrance

For 380 Main Street only:
- Small front porch with a pediment, balusters, and spindles

Builder/Building Company

George H. Wallace

OWNERSHIP HISTORY

Notable Historic Occupants

George Wallace:
Originally a carpenter, he later became an undertaker. He founded the Wallace Funeral Home in 1893, co-founded the New Brunswick Funeral Directors Association in 1907, and helped to create the Canadian Funeral Directors Magazine. He also served as mayor of Sussex from 1915 to 1916.

Fenwick Wallace:
Twin brother of George and another carpenter turned undertaker.

Dr. Harold Russell Bryant:
Occupied 376 Main Street. Had a fifty-year-long career in medicine. Played a role in organizing local projects such as the Anglican Church Homes and the Kiwanis Nursing Home and served as mayor of Sussex from 1965 to 1966.

SOURCES AND DOCUMENTS

Photos

380 Main Street, photo by the City of Sussex, taken from historicplaces.ca

Sources Contributors

Gabrielle Byrne

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