Wren Residence

GENERAL

Type / Purpose

Private Residence

Location

327 Water Street, St Andrews, New Brunswick

Description

The Wren Residence in St Andrews is a burgundy colored Georgian / Queen Anne Revival-style home with yellow accents, two large two-storey semi-octagonal bay windows, and a central portico with a flat-roof which makes a upper-storey balcony with wooden balustrade.

Heritage Value

The Wren Residence is believed to have been built around 1822 at 327 Water Street in St. Andrews. The two-story wooden residence at its core is an example of Georgian architecture, but it demonstrates Queen Anne Revival flair through its semi-octagonal bay windows and the square posts of the portico.

Originally built for John Lowden, the house was acquired by shipbuilder Captain Thomas Wren Sr. in 1834. Capt. Wren occupied the residence up until 1894, four years before his death, when he passed it onto his son, Thomas Rudolph Wren Jr. Wren Jr. was among the earliest graduates of the Charlotte County Grammar School. Upon graduation, he travelled to Calais, Maine, and Boston to study pharmacy, then returned to St. Andrews in 1882 to establish his own pharmacy, Wren’s Drugstore. Wren's Drugstore quickly became known as the main pharmacy in town and continued to operate until the 1970s. He was notably also a Post Master at St. Mark’s Lodge and was inducted as a life member of the Red Cross for his service during the First World War.

When Wren Jr. died in 1931, his children, Jarvis and Freda, took over the house. Freda and her husband George Bishop owned the home until she died in 1956, and the house remained in the Wren family until 1969, ending an era of ownership spanning 135 years.

Heritage Recognition

Municipal Register of Local Historic Places (2009/05/04)

ARCHITECTURE

Date of Construction

c. 1822

Character Defining Elements

- Symmetrical front facade
- Side-gabled roof
- Ground to roof semi-octagonal bay windows with six wood framed windows
- Central portico held up by eight square wooden posts with capitals and decorative fretwork
- Second-storey balcony built on top of portico's roof between bay windows
- Singular window above balcony
- Wooden clapboard siding
- Twin wooden doors

OWNERSHIP HISTORY

Notable Historic Occupants

Captain Thomas Wren Sr., Thomas Rudolph Wren Jr.

Other Occupants

Jarvis Wren, Freda Bishop (née Wren)

SOURCES AND DOCUMENTS

Photos
Front view of the Wren Residence, photographed by the Town of St. Andrews, 2018. Image taken from historicplaces.ca

Sources Contributors

Gabrielle Byrne

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A Ginger Design