Description of Historic Place

The Arthur S. Chesley Residence is a two-storey Second Empire corner residence with a central entrance tower projecting a storey above the primary roof-line. It is located on the southwest corner of Wentworth and Princess streets in the Central Peninsula of the City of Saint John.

Heritage Value

The Arthur S. Chesley Residence is designated a Local Historic Place for its architectural value, for its association with its past owners, as well as for its association with the rebuilding of the city after the Great Fire of 1877.

The Arthur S. Chesley Residence is an elaborate Second Empire corner residence. The most common characteristic of this style is the mansard roof with large overhanging eaves and brackets. Also typical of the Second Empire style is the elaborate covered entry porch. The entrance is a Roman arched recession into the central square tower that extends above the roof-line and has a typically uninterrupted base on all four sides. The heavy wood carved doors with glass panels are also Roman arched. The Mansard roof is equipped with dormer windows with wide ornately shaped surrounds. The high paired Roman arch openings with elaborate hoods and ears are striking characteristics of the home.

The Great Fire of 1877, which destroyed two-thirds of the City of Saint John, would prove to be one of the most catastrophic in the history of Canada. The resilient architecture of this building, built circa 1877-1880, symbolizes the strong will of the residents of Saint John to rebuild the city.

Built for John Dearborn, a wholesale grocer with a wife and two children, this house changed hands soon after it was built when Dearborn died suddenly in 1886. The residence was next occupied for 27 years by Charlotte White who left her home at 71 Sydney a year after the death of her husband, Vincent S. White. Her husband came from a large and very well respected family descended from Loyalist William White, whose son Philip, born in a log hut in the early settlement of the city. Charlotte White’s husband, grandson to William White (and nephew of Philip), spent his early adulthood in the lumbering trade on the Saint John river and later began a successful trading and commission business on South Wharf. Charlotte and Vincent had one son, W.W. White, who was alderman for Wellington Ward.

The Chesley family began their long residence here in 1927. Arthur S. Chesley was born in 1897. One of New Brunswick's most prominent physicians, he devoted his career to the practice of urology, with a particular interest in prostate disease research and prostate cancer awareness. A native of Saint John, Chesley served as Staff Urologist at Saint John Regional Hospital and St. Joseph's Hospital for more than 40 years. He was also instrumental in establishing the city's first post-graduate training program in Urology. The founder and president of Prostate Cancer Detection Inc., a Saint John-based charitable organization dedicated to the advancement of prostate cancer research, Chesley held a number of distinguished positions throughout his career.

Source: Planning and Development Department – City of Saint John

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements of this Second Empire residence include:
- rectangular two-storey massing;
- window placement and proportions;
- bracketed mansard roof with scalloped shingle band;
- paired dormer windows with ornately moulded casings;
- paired windows on the front façade with ornate hoods, floral motif and scrolled ears;
- plinth band.

The character-defining elements of the projecting central tower include:
- centrally located and rising a storey above the primary roof-line;
- elevated entry within close proximity to the street;
- stone steps with moulded stone rails;
- recessed Roman arched entry;
- draping Roman arched hood moulding with drop finials;
- diamond-shaped keystone with floral motif in hood mould;
- outstanding carved Roman arched door with glass panels and finished wood casing.

Tower window:
- paired 1/1 wood framed windows with large draping moulded hood and ears;
- floral motif in open face of hood mould above window;
- stone sill.

Tower roof:
- 4-sided flat-topped roof with brackets at cornice and at base;
- wide overhanging eaves;
- base of tower roof with central pediments on all four façades.