Overview |
The property where Kings Gate is located was part of a parcel of land called the Belvedere Property. This property is also made up of two existing buildings, the Belvedere Convent and Belvedere Orphanage, originally called St. Michael's Convent and Orphanage, along with a number of significant heritage and cultural landscape features. It is the landscape feature known as Brother Brennan's Field. Kings Gate is on a rocky bluff that was at the rear of Brother Brennan's Field.
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History |
Constructed in 1826-1827, St. Michael's Convent is thought to be the second oldest building in St. John’s. St. Michael's Convent was originally built by Alexander Norris, as a single dwelling for Alexander Hugh Emerson, a lawyer and politician in Newfoundland. The Convent is significant as an example of a grand house for an elite member of the St. John’s community. The house was unusually large for a single dwelling featuring two kitchens, two drawing rooms, a dining room, study, and ten bedrooms. This size of the house is indicative of the affluence of Emerson.
Emerson sold the house to Bishop Fleming in 1847, and it became a home for the Franciscans and the death place of Fleming in 1850. This association with Bishop Fleming is historically valuable as Fleming was highly influential in Newfoundland during his lifetime. Among his achievements, he is the man responsible for the building of the Basilica of St. John the Baptist. |
In 1859 the Sisters of Mercy converted the building into a convent and orphanage and renamed it St. Michael's Convent and Orphanage in honour of their benefactor, Bishop Michael Anthony Fleming. The building soon became too small to accommodate the number of girls. Accordingly, a new orphanage was built in 1885. The rooms used previously to accommodate the orphans now became part of St. Michael's Convent.
In September of 2001, the City of St. John's passed By-law 1445 that designated the Convent and Orphanage as heritage Buildings. Today the Orphanage no longer exists as it was destroyed by fire on April 7, 2017. The fire closed nearby schools and sent a large plume of smoke over the central part of St. John's. The convent next door survived the fire. |
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Brother Brennan's Field
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The open space on the north east corner of the property, fronting on Bonaventure Ave is the area commonly known as Brother Brennan's Field, which has been used as a public open space for many years. The space was developed by, and is named after, Brother Augustus F. Brennan, former Superintendent of the Roman Catholic School Board in St. John's and first full-time president of the Canadian Teachers' Federation.
Brennan guided students to develop the land adjacent to Brother Rice School (now a junior high) on Bonaventure Avenue in St. John's as a usable open space, as part of his strong commitment to environmental education. He went on to found the Brother A. F. Brennan Environmental Centre in Salmonier, now known as 'The Brother Brennan Centre'. In response to his work for the educational community, Brother Brennan was awarded the Canadian Teachers' Federation Special Recognition Award in 1981, an honorary Doctorate from St. Francis Xavier University in 1982, and the George Croskery Award by the Canadian College of Teachers in 1988. |