Description of Historic Place

The Detective John Ring Residence is a wooden two-storey Italianate residence with flat roof and central entranceway. It is located on Pitt Street within the Orange Street heritage Preservation Area of Saint John.

Heritage Value

The Detective John Ring Residence is designated a Local Historic Place for its location, for its architecture and for its association with one of its former occupants.

The Detective John Ring Residence is recognized for its location. The Great Saint John Fire of 1877 destroyed two-thirds of the City of Saint John in 1877 but this block survived the fire. Construction in this area was sparse at that time so few buildings from the pre-fire period exist in this area. The eastern end of Orange Street was occupied mostly by merchants and tradesmen.

The Detective John Ring Residence is also recognized for its architecture. It is a an example of Italianate residential architecture from the middle of the 19th century in Saint John. There are two possibilities for the construction date: either circa 1890 or circa 1883 if it was originally built for George Murphy. It was remodelled in circa 1918.

The Detective John Ring Residence is also recognized for its association with the occupant of the home through the 1890's. Detective John Ring, a native of New York, served with the police and detective force in Saint John for 27 years. In 1901, he was suspended from the police force after it was alleged that he received money from an illegal liquor establishment in understanding that the police would not interfere with her business. This incident was part of a major investigation that uncovered many similar instances. After his release from the police force in 1901, he gained employment with the Intercolonial railways as Chief Detective between Saint John and Sydney.

Source: Planning and Development Department - City of Saint John

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements that describe the Detective John Ring Residence include:
- similar set back with neighbouring buildings;
- square two-storey massing;
- entrance porch with sidelights and leaded glass transom window;
- bracketed entablatures over the windows ornamented by dentils;
- wide roof-line cornice with brackets and dentils;
- vertical sliding wooden windows;
- triple windows in the lower storey with leaded glass in the central upper panes;
- double windows in the upper storey;
- single window in the second storey over the entrance;
- cedar shingle siding.