Description of Historic Place

The Joshua Turner Residence is a two-storey, brick, Italianate residential building. It is a single unit of a two-unit complex located in a handsome residential section of Princess Street in Saint John's Central Peninsula.

Heritage Value

The Joshua Turner Residence is designated a Local Historic Place for its architecture and for its association with its past occupants.

The Joshua Turner Residence is recognized as an excellent example of Italianate architecture in Saint John that resulted from the rebuilding of the city after a devastating fire in 1877. It is a single unit of a two-unit complex, well-built of quality materials with original features intact. This property has a handsome cornice with high-profile, elaborately ornamented brick corbel bands and segmented arch openings in keeping with the Italianate style. Each unit of the complex has a full-height, semi-octagonal bay window. The variety of forms in the ornamental brick masonry, along with the tooled sandstone detailing, add architectural merit to the building.

The Joshua Turner Residence is also recognized as an expression of the significance of the rebuilding of Saint John after the Great Saint John Fire of 1877. This building is one of a collection of residential and commercial Italianate and Second Empire buildings that were built between 1877 and 1881 after two thirds of the City of Saint John were destroyed by the fire. The Great Saint John Fire was catastrophic and this building serves as a reminder of that fire and the strong will of the residents of Saint John to rebuild the city. The elements and design in this building as well as the rest of the collection demonstrate that the city was going to be rebuilt as well or better than the city that was lost.

The Joshua Turner Residence was built shortly after the Great Saint John Fire for Joshua S. Turner. Mr. Turner was born in Charlotte County, New Brunswick in the 1820's. After spending a few years in Australia, he moved to Saint John and became a prosperous fruit merchant. Like many others, he suffered heavy losses as a result of the Great Fire. After the fire, he engaged in different enterprises and at the time of his death in 1895 he was a grocery store manager for Puddington and Merritt. He was a strong supporter of the Methodist denomination and housed Methodist ministers in a portion of this two-unit complex.

For many years this was the home of George Waterbury. He lived here through the 1920's and 1930's. Mr. Waterbury learned the shoe manufacturing business early in life and later became a partner with the firm of Waterbury and Rising Ltd. In 1878, Mr. Waterbury and his half brother, E. L. Rising, founded the firm of Waterbury & Rising and within three years their success led them to open a second store. In 1907 the firm opened a wholesale shoe establishment and a third retail store. Mr. Waterbury retired in 1912 and died in 1945.

Source: Planning and Development Department - City of Saint John

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements of this Italianate residence include:
- window placement and proportions of the openings;
- symmetrical image of adjoining unit in the complex;
- slightly projected cornice with corbel bands;
- segmented arch openings;
- vertical sliding windows;
- decorative brick work throughout the front façade;
- headers with keystones;
- sandstone details including keystones, lower level lintels, plinth band and sills at all levels;
- paired wooden door with glass upper panels;
- segmented arch transom window over the entrance.