Description of Historic Place

Built in 1951-1952, the Dover Road School is a one-storey red brick building that is currently home to the Saint-Anselme Golden Age Club. The building is an example of the Post-war institutional architecture.

Heritage Value

The Dover Road School is designated a Local Historic Place for its role in the growth of French-language education in the area. Owing to the war effort and the baby boom during this difficult period, New Brunswick, like many other provinces, offered its communities new schools designed in the style of the time. The area that is now Dieppe received four new schools, including the one in question. Work on the Dover Road School, the third to serve Acadians in the southern part of Dieppe, started in 1951, and the school opened its doors the following year. It had four classrooms, along with a gymnasium in the basement. It served the community for only 16 years, until the late 1960's, when students started to be bussed to larger facilities as a result of school reform. The structure has since been renovated and is now home to the Saint-Anselme Golden Age Club.

The importance of schools is unquestionable. The struggle waged by local Acadians to have their children taught in their own language and not to be thrust into an English-speaking school in the neighbouring community of Dover magnifies this importance considerably. Also, this school is a good public-sector example of the Post-war architectural style, which made extensive use of brick.

Source: City of Dieppe, Historic Places file (2), F11

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements that describe the Dover Road School include:
- Post-war architecture that made extensive use of brick and a more varied fenestration, with stone frames and a new approach to window proportions and materials;
- location on a site that had been part of the former property of Docithée LeBlanc; it is on somewhat higher ground with a view of the small valley that used to be lined with the very first residences;
- four classrooms; the partition between those on the right was partly removed to make more space.