Description of Historic Place

The Frank Godsoe Residence is a two-storey multiple dwelling of wooden Queen Anne Revival architecture built in 1895-1896. It is located on the northeast corner of Leinster and Wentworth streets in a residential section of the South End of Saint John’s Central Peninsula.

Heritage Value

The Frank Godsoe Residence is designated a Local Historic Place for its architecture and for its association with Frank Godsoe.

The Frank Godsoe Residence is a good example of a Queen Anne Revival multiple dwelling in a conservative idiom typically found in Saint John, with its conservative massing and dentillated, bracketed cornice ornamentation. The conservative massing is reflected in the building’s basic box shape with less prominent protruding building elements than in the high Queen Anne Revival style and the use of a flat roof which, along with the cornice ornamentation, reflects the popular earlier Italianate style. The building features a semi-octagonal two-storey bay window and a ¾ round tower at the corner, which, along with the hipped roof edge and sloped hoods at the window levels give the building its Queen Anne Revival appearance. The paired entrance doors with transom windows and shared bracketed hood also add to its architectural value.

Frank Godsoe, who lived at this address for close to forty years, was the longest-standing resident in this building. He was a dentist with an office on Sydney Street and later on King Street until after 1930. During WWI, he was with the army Dental Corps.

Source: Planning and Development Department – City of Saint John

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements of this Queen Anne Revival home include:
- window placement and proportions;
- original two-storey massing;
- flat-topped roof with hipped edge following contours of the top of the corner tower and bay window;
- round tower with brackets and dentil ornamentation at the roof-line;
- semi-octagonal two-storey bay window with brackets and dentil ornamentation at the roof-line;
- irregular front façade;
- sloped shingled hood dividing corner tower and bay window between storeys;
- single bracketed hood with dentil ornamentation encompassing dual entrances;
- transom window over each entrance.