Description of Historic Place

Thomas Bell Residence is one of a pair of similar two-storey brick Queen Anne Revival residences with curved two-storey bay windows. It is located on Germain Street within the Trinity Royal Preservation Area of the City of Saint John.

Heritage Value

Thomas Bell Residence is designated a Local Historic Place for its architecture and for its association with Thomas Bell.

Thomas Bell Residence is recognized for its architecture. Many of the buildings in the residential district of Germain Street were constructed in the latter part of the 19th century or early 20th century as all the older buildings were destroyed in the Great Saint John Fire of 1877. Built along with the adjoining residence for Frederick A. Peters in 1896, Thomas Bell Residence is a good example of brick Queen Anne Revival row housing from the reconstruction period in Saint John after the fire. The Queen Anne Revival style is evident in such details as the two-storey curved bay window creating an asymmetrical front façade, the variety of window and door opening shapes, as well as horizontal elements that interrupt the verticality of the building.

Thomas Bell Residence is also recognized for its association with Thomas Bell, a prominent businessman and politician of the city. Thomas Bell purchased this dwelling around 1900 and took up residence here in 1903. Thomas Bell began in business with W. H. Thorne and Co., Ltd., within its hardware establishment. A strong supporter of the Conservative Party, Bell entered politics in 1925. After his successful election to the House of Commons, he continued on in politics and was elected for two more consecutive terms in 1926 and 1930. Bell rented the Germain Street address for several years to some highly reputable individuals, including R.B. Kessen, the General Manager of the Bank of New Brunswick, H. Holland, a prominent brewer in Saint John, and Frederick C. MacNeil, a leading member in Bell’s lumber business. Bell maintained ownership of the Germain Street residence until 1916.

Source: Planning and Development Department - City of Saint John

Character-Defining Elements

The character defining elements that describe the Queen Anne Revival architecture of Thomas Bell Residence include:
- similarity to adjacent building;
- rectangular two-storey massing;
- brick exterior walls;
- moulded cornice ornamented by brick dentils;
- two-storey, curved bay windows creating an asymmetrical front façade;
- vertical sliding, one over one, wood windows with sandstone lintels and sills;
- horizontal bands of sandstone joining the sills of both the first and second storey windows;
- horizontal brick courses below the cornice and between the first and second storeys;
- Romanesque window with stained glass in the Roman arch transom;
- projecting segmented arch entrance;
- segmented arch transom window over decorative pair of two paneled wood doors;
- sandstone steps descending from entry;
- brick plinth band;
- basement level segmented arch wood windows.