Today’s blog is about something different than houses – King’s Square. Some of the beautiful things in Saint John are the lovely squares that dot the city. I go to the farmer’s market at Queen Square on Sundays for eggs and cheese and other local goods, and I live near Victoria Square in the old…
Author: Carrie Stevenson
Windows – the eyes of a house
I am not a window expert but the Old House Guy is and he advocates for retaining historical windows and makes a strong case for return on investment re retaining our historical gems. When I weighed the costs to restore versus replace, there is an overwhelming economic case to retain our original windows. With colder…
Slipp desk – antique desk from a prominent New Brunswick family with a sad connection to a car accident
My husband needed a proper desk to work on. We scoured ads for antique desks for months but my husband is tall and sometimes the older desks just do not accommodate his long legs. Then this beauty came along. It’s a pretty cool desk made almost entirely without nails and all sort of snaps and…
Restoring our kitchen at 5 Alexandra St. – made possible by the great people of Saint Awesome
Our home is fairly accurate to what it looked like in 1910 so I decided the kitchen, as the one room that had been changed, should be redressed. We have no idea what the original kitchen looked like. The only neighbour’s house with a relatively intact kitchen is a 1930s remodel (and a fairly fab…
130 Princess – private home or museum in Saint John?
I was invited to see inside 130 Princess by a friend. He said I would like it. What an understatement. As soon as I walked in my jaw dropped and I started to take photos of the trompe l’oiel entrance. I know others exist in Saint John, like 110 Westmoreland Road and 62 Park St,…
80 Main St. – a beautiful gem in a lovely block of the old North End in Saint John
I love this house. From its finial, stained glass window, and decorative features, this house has everything. It represents the architectural glory of the old North End and I love that the homes around it, such as 90 Main and the Ferris Hotel (now apartments), are well maintained which makes this a beautiful block. Just…
5 Alexandra St Pocket Door – a snail without its shell
One of the things I love about our home is its flow and the ability to leave some doors open and create movement through rooms or close the doors and create quiet private spaces. I know open floor plan is all the rage but that has never been my thing – maybe it comes from…
Annunciator or Servants Bell at 5 Alexandra
As discussed in a previous post, day staff were expected to assist in day to day activities in 5 Alexandra, i.e. cooking and shopping. We heard that one of the Munro sisters used to have someone come in and prepare her meals while she was at work. I had not thought much about this until…
5 Alexandra – the staircase explains the entire ethos of the home (and some stained glass details thrown in for good measure)
As mentioned in the first post, 5 Alexandra St was one of five homes built at the exact same time by the exact same builders with the exact same floor plan. Our homes were meant to be modern which meant they had electricity, water, cement foundations, and were not intended for live in staff but…
My Dunlop Dream – 66-68 Coburg Street – originally owned by ship builder Joseph K. and Martha Dunlop
The first home I fell in love with in Saint John is 66-68 Coburg. Over a socially distanced drink I would be happy to share why we did not go ahead with making an offer. This home remains the one that got away from me. It may not be spectacular to look at outside now…