Description of Historic Place

Guard Row House #6 is one of a series of single-family and duplex brick houses built for Dorchester Federal Penitentiary guards. This Tudor Revival-inspired two-storey residence is located on Main Street in Dorchester, with the rear façade dropping another storey in elevation.

Heritage Value

Guard Row House #6 was designated for its association with the Dorchester Federal Penitentiary, for its association with Dorchester’s first families and for its architecture.

Guard Row House #6 is recognized for its association with the Dorchester Federal Penitentiary. The expansion of correctional services in Canada had resulted in a nationwide system being in place by the end of the 1870’s. The construction of the penitentiary in Dorchester, which opened in 1880, had a great influence on the region’s local development, providing a source of employment and a market for local goods. The first houses for prison guards were built in 1881. They were three-storey, wooden double with semi-detached sheds and stables for livestock. In the 20th century these wooden buildings were known locally as the “Old Row”. In the 1920’s the first single-unit brick houses were built, known as the “New Row”. This residence was constructed in 1930-31. The collection of Guard Row Houses reinforces the institutional character of its penitentiary setting. The row of similar houses acts as a gateway to the conspicuous landmark which is the Dorchester Penitentiary. Being a prison guard was and still is a difficult but necessary profession. A condition for prison employment once stipulated that staff must live within a three-mile radius of the workplace. In a rural area such as Dorchester, no lodging was immediately available; therefore the penitentiary offered rental housing. The Guard Row as a community was an extension of the prison guard fraternity. Prison guard families played together and socialized together. Prison guards supported local businesses, attended one of the five churches and were members of local social clubs and cultural organizations. The proximity of these houses helped nurture this fraternal environment. The Guard Row Houses are now privately owned.

Guard Row House #6 is recognized for its association with some of Dorchester’s first families. The site of the Dorchester Penitentiary and the Guard Row Houses was originally occupied from the 1730’s to 1755 by members of the Acadian Landry family, which included brothers Paul, Alexis, Joseph and Jean-Baptiste.

Guard Row House #6 is also recognized for its architecture. As was the case for all of the guard houses, this residence was built by inmates supervised by craftsmen. All of the brick guard houses have a similar rectangular Tudor Revival-inspired architecture with a square bay creating an asymmetrical front façade. Like most houses in this series, this residence has an enclosed front porch. The exterior of the two storeys are fully covered with running bond bricks. The thick walls are two bricks deep separated by an air space. They all have truncated hipped roofs with no dormers and large front-facing cross-gables. These steep cross-gables are finished in the ornamental half-timbering and stucco. Most guard row houses, including this residence, have sun porches and underground garages at the rear of the house, accessed through a back alley. The interior spatial arrangement remains largely intact.

Source: Dorchester Village Hall, Local Historic Places file #6

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements of Guard Row House #6 include:
- rectangular two-storey massing, dropping another storey on the rear façade;
- off-centre square bay and enclosed front porch creating an asymmetrical front-façade;
- running bond red brick;
- truncated hipped roof with exposed rafter tails;
- original location and sizes of multi-paned windows and doors;
- large, steeply-pitched cross-gable on the front façade with ornamental half-timbering and stucco;
- brick chimney;
- rear sun porch over a concrete arcade;
- underground garage accessed through back alley;
- interior spatial arrangement largely intact.