Description of Historic Place

The Camille Bordage Pharmacy is a two-storey Boom Town style building. The main floor is reserved for commercial uses and the second floor houses an apartment. It is located on Main Street in Richibucto.

Heritage Value

The Camille Bordage Pharmacy is designated as a Local Historic Place for its association with the businessman Camille Bordage and its association with a family of entrepreneurs. It is also representative of the evolution of a small business in the town of Richibucto.

The operation of the pharmacy goes back to around 1933 when the lot on which the building stands was acquired by Auguste Bordage, father of Camille. An oral tradition says that the original building was moved to its present site.

The building underwent at least three expansions. In 1937, Camille added a few feet to the lot, on the north side and at the rear. This is possibly an indication as to when a small addition, used as an ice cream parlour, was added on the north side of the building. Some time later, this small addition was itself enlarged and a second storey added over the whole building. This second floor housed an apartment in which lived Camille Bordage and his family. In spite of the several additions and renovations, the building still retains its Boom Town appearance. Its fenestration is essentially the same as that which existed in the 1940's.

Camille Bordage was born in Saint-Louis-de-Kent in 1905. He studied at the Collège Sacré-Coeur in Bathurst, N. B. He married a second time to Audrey Graham, daughter of Jack Graham Esquire of Richibucto in 1938. Camille represented Kent County at the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick from 1964 to 1967. Camille’s father, Auguste Bordage, was a general merchant in the neighbouring village of Saint-Louis-de-Kent.

The property on which stands the pharmacy was that of the old Phinney tinsmith shop. This enterprise was operated by Zaccheus Phinney in the 1870's and later by his son, Robert Phinney, also a tinsmith, until the early 20th century. The tinsmith shop building was no longer in existence in 1932.

Sources : Richibucto Town Hall - Richibucto Local Historic Places files; Centre d'études acadiennes Anselme-Chiasson, Université de Moncton

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements of the Camille Bordage Pharmacy include:
- the Boom Town style of the main façade, created in part by the parapet and the very low angle of the gable roof;
- the 1940's fenestration;
- the axe-hewn sills of the original main floor;
- the mill-sawn joists of the main floor of the additions;
- the floor joists cut with circular mill saw;
- the square machine-cut nails used in the building’s construction.