Property For Sale: 59 Carleton St., St. Andrews, New Brunswick
THE MOST PHOTOGRAPHED HOME IN NEW BRUNSWICK $595,000 CDN
View Slide Show Property Info: Price: CDN $595,000 Bed: 5 Bath: 5 Full, 2 Half Sq. Feet: 5500 Lot Size: 160 ft. x 160 ft. Type: Residential or Commercial Category: Historic, In Town, Single Family Features: Ocean View, Landscaped, Fireplace, Dining Room, Commercial Kitchen, Hardwood Floors MLS®: SJ102274	View Larger Map View Larger Map

Property Description:

Offered at: $595,000

Built in 1912, this historically significant home, resembles a Normandy farm-house with a thatched-style roof, round turret and small-paned windows; it is said to be a copy of Jacques Cartier’s house in St. Malo, Brittany. With its stunning design, its beautiful grounds and colourful gardens, it attracts attention and is the most photographed home in all of New Brunswick.

Designed by Charles Sax, it was built by Kate and Hayter Reed. Being both artist and knowledgeable regarding interior design, Mrs. Reed was hired to do all the interior decorating for St. Andrews’ Algonquin Hotel as well as several other CPR hotels of the day. According to Willa Walker in her book, “No Hay Fever & A Railway”, Mrs. Reed had, “a flair for blending just the right colours and making the interior of each hotel unique and charming.” She brought that expertise fully to bear on her own home being built across the street from the hotel; affectionately known as the Pansy Patch.

Mrs. Walker writes, “ Pansies grew in two small beds by the front door, while a delightful small formal garden, with a stone well in the middle, separated Pansy Patch from Cory Cottage, also owned by the Hayter Reeds.” These and other gardens still exist today. Being an interior decorator, Mrs. Reed added several decorative touches to Pansy Patch - many of which still grace the home today. Perhaps the most enchanting is the poem carved into the heavy wood mantel over the huge fireplace in the living room. It reads:

Now faire betyde who here abyde and merrie they be
And faire befalle who in this halle repaire in courtesie
From morne till nighte be it darke or brighte we banish
Dole and dree. Come sit with me besyde our hearthe tis
Wide for gentle companie.

Much has been written about Pansy Patch and the prominent families who owned it subsequent to the Hayter Reeds, all of whom cared for this home and preserved it - keeping it as beautiful and as authentic today as it was when it was built nearly one hundred years ago.

As soon as you enter through the thick, plank door into the tiled receiving room, you have a sense of stepping back in time. The tiny paned soaring windows are set deep into the white stucco walls. The ceiling beams and doors leading into various rooms off the entry and living room are richly coloured and heavy - with the doors sporting the original hardware. From the entry, you take a step down into the enormous, low-ceilinged living room and if you can tear yourself away from the blaze in the wood burning fireplace, you can go from here into a cozy den/library with its own fireplace, or the dining room with its own fireplace or the large sun porch. The sun porch opens onto a deck which overlooks the sloping lawns, gardens and the sea beyond.

Also on this floor, in the opposite wing of the house is a multi-roomed kitchen area/office. The Pansy Patch was operated as a very popular B&B for a number of years and the “kitchen” area with its prep space, bulter’s pantry, commercial appliances and small office space reflects this earlier use, as does the two half baths for guests.

The curved stairway leading to the second floor from the entrance, is housed in the distinctive turret. There are four Master bedrooms all with ample closet space, four baths, linen and storage closets and a spacious sitting area on this level. One of the Master bedrooms is graced with a beautiful fireplace with exquisitely carved mantel.

The third level houses a large suite of rooms including a 17' X 10' bedroom, a sitting room with views of Passamaquoddy Bay, a kitchenette and a full bath with claw foot tub.

Situated at the top of the hill, near the famous Algonquin Hotel, this beautiful home enjoys one of the town’s best locations and lovely views of St. Andrews Harbour.