Description of Historic Place

St. Andrew's Manse is a two-storey limestone house, built in the Regency style, in 1841-42. Located adjacent to St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church it provided housing for the associated ministers and their families. It is located 146 Clergy St. East, on the southwest corner of Clergy and Queen Streets, in downtown Kingston.

The property was designated, for its heritage value, under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act, by the City of Kingston, on July 28, 1975 (By-law 8497).

Heritage Value

As part of the St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church grounds, St. Andrew's Manse contributes to the surrounding context of downtown Kingston. Its front façade is visible from Clergy and Princess Streets, helping to define the character of the intersection. Its Clergy and Queen Street façades make important contributions to their respective streetscapes.

This two-storey stately Regency style house was built in 1841-42 to accommodate the ministers of the adjacent St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, and their families, who had previously been housed in rental accommodations. It is a credit to the clergymen and to the members of successive congregations of this church that the building and its setting has remained unaltered and in excellent condition. St. Andrew's Manse is set at one end of the long expanse of lawn, broken by trees and a circular driveway, and contributes to the overall context of the church grounds.

Notable Kingston architect George Browne designed this residence with a sense of proportion and great attention to detail. The contrast of rough and smooth textures in the stonework serves to accent the architectural details and the symmetry. The kitchen and stable wing to the west, with its attached high stone wall, balance a Regency style porch on the Clergy Street façade. The wrought iron balustrades, fanlight and wooden porch all serve to add an air of refinement to the building. It is among the finest houses in Kingston.

Source: Kingston Heritage Designation By-law 8497.

Character-Defining Elements

Character defining elements that support the heritage value of St. Andrew's Manse include the:
- square plan, three bays wide with front façade facing south to Princess Street
- two-storey construction
- hammer dressed limestone
- kitchen and stable wing to the west of the main house
- high stone wall attached to the west wing
- smooth ashlar base, string course and fascia under the eaves, unifying the two sections of the front elevation, with the string course and fascia continuing around the Clergy and Queen Street sides of the house proper
- hip roof over the main section of the house
- chimneys grouped to form a strong central stone element on the main roof
- gable roof on the wing, with small brick chimney at the end
- surviving original sashes with distinctive glazing of full panes, half and quarter panes on the three main elevations
- smooth stone architraves surrounding the rectangular sash window on the front elevation, those in the lower storey resting on top of the stone base while those of the upper storey continue down to meet the string course and enclose a plain smooth stone below the sill
- narrow bracketed balconies decorated with low iron railings emphasizing the two side windows of the upper storey
- main entranceway with a semi-circular arch with smooth stone architrave to match that of the windows, and plain capitals at the springing of the arch
- simple fanlight above the front door
- continuous series of semi-circular and elliptical arches in the lower storey of the kitchen wing and wall, visually linking the two. The arches in the wing enclose casement windows while those in the wall are blind
- casement windows in the upper storey of the wing
- series of shallow projections along the whole of the front façade, embracing the house proper, wing and garden wall
- two pairs of French doors on the ground storey of the Clergy Street façade
- Regency style porch running along most of the Clergy Street elevation, protecting the French doors
- two windows on the second storey of the Clergy Street façade, with similar detailing to those of the front façade
- rectangular windows of the Queen Street façade, without any decorative architrave
- small attic dormer window facing west
- repetition of the two shallow projections of the front elevation in the west elevation
- two-storey projection at the join between the main part of the house and the west wing, containing an entranceway facing Queen Street and triple windows facing west
- fenestration of the wing, including four casement windows with two lights each, one of them having two narrow side lights
- stucco garage and storage building of later date, attached to the rear of the garden wall, with a shed roof and parapet wall facing Queen Street
- fence of fine spiked wrought iron railings with limestone base and square end pillars dividing the garden from Clergy Street
- painted board fence defining the property on the Queen Street side
- setting at one end of a long expanse of lawn broken by trees and a circular driveway with island planting close to the house
- contribution to the streetscape of Clergy Street, and to the context of the St. Andrew's church grounds, as well as to its neighbourhood in downtown Kingston
- relationship to its surrounding garden and outbuildings