Description of Historic Place

This one-and-a-half storey dwelling is located on the south side of George Street between Carleton and Regent Streets. The house, which was constructed about 1896, overlooks the Old Burial Ground.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of this house is associated with the life and career of James A. McAdam. This well-proportioned dwelling was likely built by James McAdam, who had been involved in the local building trade before focusing upon carpentry and cabinet making. Undertakers traditionally employed or were themselves skilled carpenters, and such occupational plurality marked James McAdam’s career. McAdam had long been associated with local undertaking establishments, from building funerary wagons to filling cabinet orders. Finally, in 1899, James A. McAdam opened one of the first funeral homes in Fredericton. Originally located on Carleton Street, the family-run funeral home moved first to King Street before locating to York Street in 1961. More than a century after James McAdam established this business, McAdam’s Funeral Home continues in operation. The McAdam family resided in this house on George Street for more than half a century.

Source: City of Fredericton, Historic Places Files, “522 George Street”

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements identified for the dwelling at 522 George Street include:
- manicured lawn;
- one-and-a-half storey wood frame structure;
- steep-pitched gable roof;
- moulded returned eaves;
- fluted corner pilasters with capitals;
- gable dormer that breaks the eave, mirroring the front gabled bay;
- large, rectangular window openings with pediment entablatures and fluted surrounds;
- triangular pediment surmounts open front veranda entrance.