Description of Historic Place

The large Gothic Revival and Queen Anne influenced gable roofed house at 27 Granville Street is located on the east side of the street on the northeast corner lot where Hanover Street meets Granville. It is two-and-one-half storeys of abundantly detailed elements that include stacked corner bays, a dominant balconied vestibule and a wrap-around veranda. It dominates its corner lot and is currently an owner occupied boarding house. The registration includes the building and its lot.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of the Beaton House, an impressive residence at 27 Granville Street, lies not only in its affiliation with several prominent families, but also because of its Gothic Revival and Queen Anne architectural influences and for its continuing contribution to the streetscape.

The original two-and-one-half storey woodframed structure was owned by M.F. Schurman in the vicinity of his lumber mill on Eustane Street. In October 1907, it was hauled from its original location to become the future home of Mr. Schurman on the northeast corner of Granville and Hanover Streets, which had been laid bare by the 1906 fire. He purchased the lot in 1907, the year that he and others incorporated the M.F. Schurman Company Limited, which dominated the lumber and building supply industry for many decades in PEI. In preparation for his move from Kensington to Summerside, he engaged "a small army of carpenters, masons and laborers" to carry out a reconstruction of the building. He and his family lived in the house from January 1908 until 1916 when they moved to their newly built home at 156 Summer Street.

Neil McLeod, a mill-hand and carpenter, owned the residence until 1920, when he sold it to Mrs. Emma McNutt, a widow living in Kensington. With the proceeds from the sale of valuable property left by her late husband Charles, she moved into Summerside and took in boarders at 27 Granville, which became known as the McNutt House. In 1928, she sold the property to Dr. Wiley G. Church, a veterinarian, with a special interest in foxes and horses. He then leased it to Dr. J.C. Simpson and his wife Irene, who was the daughter of the previous owner Emma McNutt. The Simpson couple moved to Beaver Street in 1932 and the new occupants of the house became Mr. and Mrs. Albert Woodside. The house was again used as a boarding establishment and Mrs. Woodside became well known as the proprietress of Granville House. Mr. Woodside was a blacksmith in Summerside for many years. They remained in the house until 1946, leasing it for their last five years from new owners, Samuel and Linnie Beaton.

Samuel Beaton was well known in the area, having farmed in various communities around Summerside. He and his wife took occupancy of the house around 1948 and used it as a single dwelling for almost four decades. During their ownership it became known as the Beaton House.

The wrap around veranda on the south elevation linking entryways on the west and east elevations is a circa. 1990 sympathetic addition. It is not known if such a veranda would have been part of the rebuild of 1907, but they were a feature of Queen Anne influenced structures. Other Queen Anne influences include the stacked bays, the beltcourse, and the palladian style window in the balcony. The grand vestibule/balcony structure with its open Gothic Revival style arch is most likely part of the 1907 re-build, based on the fact that these were a feature of several post Great Fire of 1906 construction projects.

The home continues to contribute to its streetscape.

Source: City of Summerside, Heritage Property Profile

Character-Defining Elements

The heritage value of the building is shown in the following character-defining elements:

- the two-and-one-half storey massing and form of the building, with steeply pitched gable roof with asphalt shingles
- the brick chimney
- the original placement of windows on the north, south and west elevations
- the double set of stacked corner bay windows
- the asymmetrical placement of the main entryway on the west elevation and second floor windows on the north and west elevations
- the elaborate entryway featuring mouldings, dentilation, bargeboard and ionic pillars supporting the flared gable roofed balcony which has shingle work and trim on the inner pointed gothic arch
- the enclosed main entryway which is glazed and clad with a vertical cladding
- the palladian doorway opening onto the balcony
- the palladian window on south elevation in the pedimented gable
- the beltcourse showing the division between the first and second storeys
- the wide eave featuring large evenly spaced modillion brackets
- the wood shingle cladding above the ground floor with white vinyl on the ground floor
- the continuing contribution of the building to the streetscape on this Granville and Hanover Street corner