Description of Historic Place

The Forbes Residence is a brick two-storey Greek Revival residence from the early 20th century with a gable roof and side bay. It is located on Essex Street in Sussex.

Heritage Value

The Forbes Residence is designated a Local Historic Place for its association with Leo Forbes and for its architecture.

The Forbes Residence is recognized for its association with Leo Forbes who was living in this house at the time of his death. Leo Forbes was born in Halifax and moved to Sussex at a young age. When he died in 1996, he left the bulk of his estate to the people of Sussex. As a result of his generosity, the Sussex Area Community Foundation was established in 2004 with an endowment of $1.2 million dollars. In accordance with the terms of his will, at least five $2,500 scholarships are awarded to graduates of Sussex Regional High School, with the rest of the proceeds granted to other charities, amateur athletics associations or governments.

The Forbes Residence is also recognized for being a good example of late Greek Revival residential architecture. This style is characterized by such elements as the gable roof with the end gable facing the street, the tall rectangular massing, the large sandstone window lintels and the returned eaves. The overall symmetry of the building, built circa 1915, is broken only by the classical two-storey bay on the south side façade.

Source: Town of Sussex, Historic Places file #S-8-08

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements that describe the Forbes Residence include:
- overall symmetry;
- tall, rectangular two-storey massing with a two-storey bay on the south façade;
- end gable facing the street;
- red brick exterior walls;
- moulded return eaves;
- rectangular windows with large sandstone lintels and sandstone sills;
- central chimney;
- single-storey veranda with low-pitched roof spanning the full width of the front façade.