Description of Historic Place

The Arthur M. Clarke Residence is located in the subdivision of Duncraggan Court above Mount Pleasant Avenue in an exclusive residential area of Saint John. This Cape Cod Colonial Revival residence is two storeys high and of wooden construction.

Heritage Value

The Arthur M. Clarke Residence is designated a Local Historic Place for being part of the between-wars suburb of Duncraggan Court. It is also recognized for its architecture.

The Arthur M. Clarke Residence is recognized for its location and context within Duncraggan Court. Duncraggan Court was originally the grounds for Fred Burpee’s elaborate 1876 home. Burpee’s home, sometimes known as the “castle” and rivalling that of Robert Reed further along the ridge, was known in the newspapers as the “centre of society” in the 1890’s. It was demolished in 1928 by Richard Wright, who converted the grounds into an exclusive suburb, leaving only the well house standing, which still forms the centrepiece for Duncraggan Court today. Wright subdivided the property into lots which were built up over the next couple of decades. The stones from the old residence have been reused in some of the newer buildings, and others are wood frame houses reflecting the suburban fashions of the day. Most of the houses have an element of English or Tudor styling in their architecture, following the court’s picturesque layout and the Tudor Revival style of the earliest new house there, Wright’s own residence. The Court retains a private, exclusive feeling, following the same paths and picturesque layout that served the now-demolished stately home whose grounds the area once formed.

Built in 1934, the Arthur M. Clarke Residence is a good example of a tall Cape Cod Colonial Revival home with Greek Revival elements. It has the roof pitch and dormers, broad profile, fenestration, and shingle siding of a typical Cape Cod, but its triple-wide shed dormer interrupts nearly all of the front roof pitch, giving it a full two storeys of useable space while retaining the typical one-and-a-half storey appearance of the style. A small pediment at the entrance and returned eaves, as well as simple entablatures over the windows represent a typical blending of the elements of different Revival styles in mid-20th century suburban home architecture. The white picket fence and picturesque landscaping also give it status as a handsome and fashionable North American suburban home of the time.

Source: Planning and Development Department – City of Saint John

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements relating to the Cape Cod Colonial Revival architecture of the Arthur M. Clarke Residence include:
- rectangular two-storey massing;
- steeply-pitched gable roof with returned eaves;
- flush gable eaves;
- wide triple shed dormer providing a near-full second storey;
- elliptical fanlight transom and pediment supported by pilasters at entrance;
- wooden door with multiple moulded panels;
- wooden shingle siding;
- placement and proportions of rectangular windows with simple entablatures;
- wooden 6/6 windows and storms windows;
- decorative shutters.