Description of Historic Place

499 St. George Street, Annapolis Royal was built in the mid-1860s in the Greek Revival style. The building is set back from St. George Street in its original setting on a large lot. The designation includes the building, carriage house and surrounding property.

Heritage Value

Historic Value

The historic value of 499 St. George Street as recognized in its municipal designation is its Greek Revival Style, of which many original elements remain in good condition. The building was built during a time of great economic activity and the house, carriage house and spacious grounds speak to the care and wealth invested in developing the property.

Architectural Value

The architectural value of 499 St. George Street is its intact Greek Revival Style. The T-shaped one-and-one-half storey building sits on a full poured concrete foundation. The building has a steep gabled roof, while the single storey rear wing has a low-slope gabled roof. The building is covered in wooden clapboards with cornerboards and ornamentation. Many original elements remain, such as the two joined brick chimneys in the left and right wings and square post supports joined by segmental arcs and decorative spindle balustrade on the covered porch.

The one-and-one-half storey steeply gabled wooden carriage house is also clad in wooden shingles with corner boards. The building is complementary to the main building, with some unusual features such as diamond-shaped window at the peak and a four-sided bellcast cupola with a finial.

Overall, the entire property remains an excellent example of the manifestation of this economic success for some citizens in nineteenth-century Annapolis Royal.

Source: Heritage Property Files, Map #266, 499 St. George Street, Town of Annapolis Royal.

Character-Defining Elements

Character-defining elements of the two buildings at 499 St. George Street relate to their Greek Revival style and intact architectural features, including:

- original intact form, massing, fenestration, and detailing;
- construction in wooden clapboard cladding with cornerboards, full poured concrete foundation and steeply gabled roof;
- various window types and placement including wooden double hung windows with segmental wood trim with plain lintel, label and pilasters and segmental insert dormers;
- a fan panel, central, off-centre original door in wood with segmental wood trim, plain lintel, label and pilasters;
- wide front porch with square posts joined with segmental arcs and decorative spindle balustrade;
- ornamental detail such as a cornice that has a boxed sloped soffit and a rake with verges protecting the frieze in wood;
- two joined brick chimneys in the left and right wings;
- wooden gabled one-and-one-half storey carriage house with four-sided bellcast cupola with a finial and ornamentation complementary to the main building such as a diamond-shaped peak window, cross central gable that has an arched double wooden door to the second storey, with iron strap hinges, two offset garage doors;
-original setting on spacious grounds set back from the streetline.