Architect: Edmund Burke
Location: York Street
Style: Queen Anne style with design elements influenced by Classical and American Shingly style architecture
Materials: Stone foundation, olive sandstone, wood frame, and shingles
Opened: 1897
Hammond House was built by John Hammond, who in 1895 followed the Owens Art Institute from Saint John, New Brunswick, to its new home in the Owens Art Gallery on the Mount Allison campus. Himself an artist, Hammond was undoubtedly impressed with Edmund Burke’s Beaux-Arts design for the gallery because he engaged the architect to build a residence and studio for him further up York Street.
The site was originally part of a farm owned by Joseph B. Bowser. Hammond House was completed in 1897 in an extravagant and inspired blend of styles, and was designated Sackville’s first National Historic Site in 1990 in recognition of its heritage value as a prime example of the Queen Anne style. [1] The lavish ornamentation was not limited to the building’s exterior; John Hammond was himself an accomplished artist and painted a mural frieze in the dining room.
Mount Allison University Archives. Tracy family fonds, 2013.10/10. May only be reproduced with permission from the Mount Allison University Archives.
Mount Allison University Archives. Information Office fonds, 8805/6/3/9. May only be reproduced with permission from the Mount Allison University Archives.
Mount Allison University Archives. Information Office fonds, 8805/6/3/9. May only be reproduced with permission from the Mount Allison University Archives.
Mount Allison University Archives. Information Office fonds, 8805/6/3/9. May only be reproduced with permission from the Mount Allison University Archives.
Hammond House was purchased by Fred Ryan in 1909 and subsequently sold to Frank Black (mayor of Sackville and later member of Senate) in 1912. His long occupancy of the home is why it is sometimes referred to as the Hammond/Black House to distinguish it from other ornate Sackville homes that John Hammond himself designed.
The property was purchased by Mount Allison in 1958 and it served as the official residence for university presidents until 1975, when the university acquired the Cranewood residence on Main Street. At this time Hammond House was repurposed as offices for the External Relations and Alumni Office. Cranewood was eventually sold and after an extensive restoration process in 2013, Hammond House became the president’s residence once again.