C.R. Hosmer House (Hillcrest)([1904-9])
130 Prince of Wales Street, Saint-Andrews, NB, Canada
Residential, Country house [basement, 2 floors, attic, 4 bedrooms, 4 servants' bedrooms]; wood; wall bearing

Client: C.R. Hosmer
Architect: E. & W.S. Maxwell

Description: The first country house the Maxwell brothers designed in partnership was Hillcrest for Mr. Hosmer. This country house in Saint-Andrews was an immediate commission to Maxwell’s firm soon after Edward finished the Hosmer House (106) in Montreal in 1902. Built in 1904, the house has the same steeply pitched roofs with gables, turrets, bow windows and piazzas that characterize the large mansions around Montreal and Hudson Heights. Though the massing resembles that of an urban house, the shingle treatment has livened the overall appearance appropriate for a summerhouse. The symmetrical elevation and plan show the influence of William in the design, and his preference for orderly compositions. Hillcrest’s interior design is symmetrical: a pergola echoes the service wing, and the garden elevation is similar to the principal façade. On the ground floor, the entrance porch supported by a large stone buttress leads to a large living room, which occupies the full width of the house. Opposite the entrance doorway, a prominent stone and tiled, fireplace occupies the living room. Two prominent circular bay windows are at the two ends of the living room, which open onto the veranda. This large veranda, supported by the sloping roof at first floor level, envelops the living room on all the three sides and is brilliantly treated with ornamented columns, pendants and flower boxes. A narrow passage containing the stairs separates the living room from dining and morning room. Both dining and morning room are mirror plans with similar fireplaces, and bay windows opening out onto a rear verandah. The stairs in the passage branches out on its first landing. One gives access to secondary stairs leading to two bedrooms at the intermediate level. The other leads to the first floor, which accommodates four bedrooms. The entrance porch on the ground floor becomes a terrace for the two bedrooms on the first floor overlooking the front landscaped garden. Edward’s involvement is apparent in the unexpected elements of the auxiliary buildings: the eyebrow dormers and narrow windows. The landscape design, planned by Frederick Todd in 1905, included a formal main drive. Other features were kiosks, arbours, pavilions and gazebos. The stable, stable yard and laundry yard, were separated from the house by decorative hedges. Although it has lost some elements of the original exterior and interior decor, Hillcrest is still a remarkable house set among beautifully maintained ground.

Holdings: Country house (basement, 2 floors, attic, 4 bedrooms, 4 servants' bedrooms); wood; wall bearing
46 Drawings: 23 ink on linen; 6 ink on paper; 5 pencil on paper; 12 blueprints
1 Sketch drawing: floor plan
15 Development drawings: site plan, floor plans, attic floor plan, guest room, section, fireplaces, lighting lamps
9 Working drawings: floor plans, attic floor plan, elevations, sections
21 Detail drawings: tool house, living room, entry, stairs, fireplace, mantelpieces, dormers, doors, fittings, fixtures, finishes, entry gates, porches, verandahs, pergola