Description of Historic Place

The Deacon-Surette Pharmacy is a wooden 2-storey vernacular Classic Revival store located on Main Street in Shediac.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of the Deacon-Surette Pharmacy as an important local historic place lies in its association with the pharmaceutical sector in Shediac for over a century, from 1878 to 1990. William B. Deacon (1836-1906) was one of the first pharmacists in the region. The pharmacy was then managed by the Deacon family and Phillias Bourgeois until 1918, when W.A. Flowers took over as owner. From 1954 to 1984, Adrien Surette owned the property. Finally, in 1984, the Shoppers Drug Mart group bought the property and operated a pharmacy there until 1990.

The heritage value of the Deacon-Surette Pharmacy also resides in the architecture of the building. The structure is known for having been made from the first Presbyterian Church in Shediac, constructed in 1860. In around 1875, the building was moved to 334 Main Street and was converted into a pharmacy in 1878 by William B. Deacon. Its Georgian style religious architecture is very austere in nature and compliments the overall Classic Revival architecture of the building. Only the upper front part of the former church was preserved and integrated into the converted building in 1878.

Source: Shediac Town Hall, Historic Places file No. 16

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements of the Deacon-Surette Pharmacy include:
- upper front portion of the building originating from the Presbyterian Church;
- rectangular 2-storey massing;
- wood frame;
- clapboard siding;
- steeply sloped gable roof;
- moulded cornice;
- location of the windows dating from the last quarter of the 19th century;
- simple entablature window trim;
- fieldstone basement.