Description of Historic Place

The Holmes Residence is a Municipal Heritage Property located on four lots at 585 – 19th Street East in the City of Prince Albert. The property features a two-and-one-half storey red-brick veneer house with a large portico, which was constructed in about 1912.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of the property resides in its association with the property’s builder and original owner, Andrew Holmes, who resided here from about 1912 until 1926. Holmes was born in Scotland in 1860 and at age fourteen became apprenticed to a carpenter and joiner, which would become the foundation for a very successful career. In 1883, Andrew Holmes emigrated to Canada and travelled from Winnipeg via steamship and overland to the North Saskatchewan River settlement which two years later would become Prince Albert. Holmes served as a volunteer during the 1885 Northwest Resistance and later became a building contractor in Prince Albert, constructing many fine homes and other buildings. During his 40 years of residency in Prince Albert, Holmes was active in municipal politics and community organizations. He served as an Alderman in the early 1900s and then as Prince Albert’s Mayor in 1910-11. As well, he was President of the Board of Trade, Vice-President of the Builder’s Exchange, Vice-President of the Agriculture Society, and also was active in the St. Andrew’s Society, City Football Club, the Minto Hockey Club, and the Amateur Dramatic Society.

The heritage value of the property also resides in its Georgian Revival style of architecture. This two- and-one-half storey red-brick veneer house was constructed by Andrew Holmes in about 1912. It is notable for its prominent portico supported by paired fluted Ionic columns, porte-cochere, and curved-front overhang and entrance steps. The house also features wide eaves, prominent gambrel-roofed dormers, and pediment with a round window with stylized keystones over the main entrance, with eyebrow windows on either side. The property also features prominent two-storey bay windows with stylized brick quoins on the east side, and one-storey bay windows on the front and west sides.

Source:

City of Prince Albert Bylaw No. 21 of 2006.

Character-Defining Elements

The heritage value of the Holmes Residence lies in the following character-defining elements:
-those elements of the property associated with Andrew Holmes, including the location of the building on its original site;
-those elements that reflect the building’s Georgian Revival architecture, such as the symmetrical facade, prominent portico supported by paired fluted Ionic columns, porte-cochere, and curved-front overhang and entrance steps;
-other architectural elements that contribute to the prominence of the house, including the gambrel-roofed dormers; pediment with a round window with stylized keystones over the main entrance, with eyebrow windows on either side; prominent two-storey bay windows with stylized brick quoins on the east side; and one-storey bay windows on the front and west sides.