Description of Historic Place

Squires Barn and Carriage House are located at 315-317 Mount Scio Road in St. John’s, NL and are presently part of Memorial University’s Botanical Gardens. Built by Joseph Squires circa 1917, these structures are an important example of vernacular outbuilding design and are an integral component of the cultural landscape in the Pippy Park area. The designation includes the footprint of both buildings.

Heritage Value

Squires Barn and Carriage House have been designated because of their historical, cultural and aesthetic values.

Squires Barn and Carriage House have historical value because of their association with Newfoundland’s agricultural and horticultural history. The Mount Scio Road area was settled by farmers who produced food for local consumption, particularly for St. John’s and surrounding area. This section of the city is associated with a farming way of life that proved prosperous in the early twentieth century and allowed the colony a degree of self-sufficiency in terms of agricultural production.

Squires Barn and Carriage House have cultural value as they stand as physical reminders of agricultural St. John's in the early 20th century. The Mount Scio Road area was once a rural community of farmers on the outskirts of St. John’s. Above the bustle of St. John’s, farmhouses, outbuildings, gardens, fields and livestock peppered the landscape. Squires Barn and Carriage House remain as important components of the cultural landscape in an area quickly being developed as a residential zone.

Squires Barn and Carriage House have aesthetic value as they are among the oldest farm buildings in the St. John’s area still in their original condition and location. Dating from the early twentieth century, these structures were built to serve a utilitarian function and were thus constructed from rough materials with minimal detailing. The cellar made from rough field stone, and the variety of window shapes and styles used, speak to the purposes of such structures and the builder's practical concerns.
Source: City of St. John's meeting held 2004/11/29

Character-Defining Elements

All elements of the barn that reflect its simple vernacular design and utilitarian usage, including:
-wooden construction;
-original rectangular form;
-low pitch/ flat roof;
-one-storey construction with interior loft;
-narrow wooden clapboard with corner boards;
-various window sizes, styles, trims and placements;
-size, style, trim and placement of exterior doors, including upper loft doors; and
-dimensions, location in historically agricultural area and orientation of the barn, including its location facing its associated carriage house.

All elements of the carriagehouse that reflect its simple, vernacular design and utilitarian usage, including:
-wooden construction;
-original, rectangular form;
-shed roof;
-one-storey construction;
-narrow wooden construction;
-window sizes, styles, trims and placements;
-original, wide carriage door and its opening;
-other exterior doors, their sizes, trims, styles and placements;
-dimensions and overall small size, especially when compared to the bar; and
-location in historically agricultural area and orientation of the carriage house, including its location facing its associated barn.