Description of Historic Place

The Young Residence is a one-and-one-half storey Late Victorian Eclectic-style building located in one of the city’s oldest neighbourhoods, just south of the downtown core. The historic place is confined to the building footprint.

Heritage Value

Built around 1890, the Young Residence is an excellent and rare local example of the carpenter ornamentation typical of the era. The highly-decorative gable screens are among the best-preserved examples of carpenter ornamentation in the city.

The Young Residence is a rare, tangible reminder of the original, elegant nature of this neighbourhood. By the late 19th century, this area, overlooking the harbour, housed Nanaimo’s commercial and professional classes. Over time, as the harbour developed and the area became increasingly industrial, the elite moved to areas north and west of the original city. Today, the Young Residence stands out as the sole remaining residence of its type in the neighbourhood.

Source: City of Nanaimo Planning Department

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements of the Young Residence include:

- all of the original elements of the Victorian Eclectic style, as expressed in the tall, L-shaped plan, open front verandah, double-hung wooden-sash windows, side and front-gabled roof, projecting front semi-octagonal bay window decorated with scroll-cut panel work, elaborate gable screens, segmental-arched window tops, corbelled brick chimneys, decorative sill aprons on the upper windows, and front door with sidelights and transom
- the building’s location in one of the city’s oldest neighbourhoods