Description of Historic Place
149 Euston Street is a wood framed two-and-one-half storey house set close to the street. Its features include a gable roof, a symmetrical facade and a centre dormer with a Palladian window. The designation encompasses the building's exterior and parcel; it does not include the building's interior.
Heritage Value
The heritage value of 149 Euston Street lies in its association with noted Canadian author, Lucy Maud Montgomery and its role in supporting the Euston Street streetscape.
When L.M. Montgomery attended Prince of Wales College in 1893-1894 it is rumoured that she stayed at 149 Euston Street. Lucy Maud Montgomery was born in Clifton (present day New London) Prince Edward Island on the 30 November 1874. She attended the local school and went on to obtain a teaching license at Prince of Wales College in 1894. After a year of teaching, she would attend Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia where she studied literature. Montgomery came back to the Island two years later to teach. She continued to write and submit manuscripts to various publishers, with many of her stories being published. Her best-known novel, Anne of Green Gables, became an instant best seller when it was published in 1908. A prolific writer, throughout her career she published 500 short stories and poems, as well as 20 novels.
While she stayed in Charlottetown, Montgomery spent time with the family of her paternal aunt, Mary McIntyre and her husband, Duncan. Their daughter, Beatrice Alberta "Bertie" McIntyre and L.M. Montgomery became good friends and attended Prince of Wales College together. Her novel, Kilmeny of the Orchard (1910), was dedicated to her beloved cousin, Bertie.
Built in approximately 1860, the house at 149 Euston Street is Vernacular in style. A distinctively Maritime style, its features include a rectangular plan, a central doorway and a large, centrally placed dormer. It is unclear if the house was raised at some point or if it was always two-and-one-half storeys. Located in an area with a number of heritage houses, 149 Euston Street helps support the streetscape.
Sources: Heritage Office, City of Charlottetown Planning Department, PO Box 98, Charlottetown, PE C1A 7K2
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Character-Defining Elements
The following character-defining elements contribute to the heritage value of 149 Euston Street:
- the two-and-one-half storey massing of the building
- the gable roof with a central dormer
- the size and symmetrical placement of the windows, particularly the sash windows, the windows of the porch and the Palladian window in the centre dormer
- the centre placement of the entrance
- the size shape and placement of the porch
- the size shape and placement of the brick chimney