"River Bank", 93 Church Street, c. 1870

93 Church Street was originally the residence of John McMillan, a prominent Main Street Antigonish merchant; he was one-time storeowner, and superintendent of the Way Office and Post Office in St. Andrews. McMillan purchased this lot from Donald Mackenzie in 1870 and had the present house "River Bank" built. The site afforded an expansive view of Antigonish's Salt Ponds.

Like its stylistic counterparts at 134 Main Street and 27 Hawthorne Street, McMillan's residence, built c. 1870, embodies both Classical and Gothic Revival traditions. The 1 1/2 storey clapboard structure features a prominent, steeply pitched centered dormer. In keeping with its Gothic roots, this style of dormer served both aesthetic and functional purposes; in the latter instance, the steep pitch shed the heavy rain and snowfall of Nova Scotia's often harsh climate. The symmetrical 3-bay facade, the sheltered pedimented entrance with side-lights and rectangular transom, and the pediment-style window hoods are borrowed from the standard classical architectural vocabulary. The most distinctive detail of this house is its tall ogee-shaped window, a Gothic Revival elaboration.

Carolyn Lewis