Description of Historic Place

The Gillis House is a Queen Anne Revival inspired, former double tenement located at 48 Great George Street. The building is part of the Inns on Great George, a group of heritage buildings that have been converted to inns located along historic Great George Street. The designation encompasses the building’s exterior and parcel; it does not include the building’s interior.

Heritage Value

The historic value of the Gillis House lies in its association with local merchant P.P. Gillis, its architecture and its contribution to the streetscape.

P.P. Gillis was a colorful, local merchant who owned a variety of businesses, including a stable business and a pharmacy, which had a bootlegger located in the back. Apparently the bootlegger was quite popular with local businessmen during prohibition. Gillis had this double tenement built in 1892. Chappell and Phillips were the architects and the Lowe Bros. firm was the contractor. Each side of the tenement rented for $200. per year and in fact, Gillis, himself had lived in the tenement. An 1890 newspaper notice indicated that Gillis had hoped to build four “first class” buildings along Great George Street, however, the current building appears to be all that came of the plan. P.P. Gillis died in August of 1912 and the executors of his estate indicated their intention of selling the building at auction. The building was described as being “finished in first class style…heated with hot water, supplied with baths (and) a complete system of sewerage”. A coach house, stable and land were included in the sale.

Heritage Office, City of Charlottetown Planning Department, PO Box 98, Charlottetown, PE C1A 7K2 Record # 1407.

Character-Defining Elements

The heritage value of the Gillis House is reflected in the Queen Anne Revival character defining elements:

- The stone foundation
- The placement and style of the windows, including the grouped windows
- The placement and style of the doors
- The verandah, with its decorative detailing and twinned stairways
- The second storey enclosed porch with its decorative moldings and trim
- The bay projections with their gabled roofs
- The decorative trim, moldings and siding
- The steep roof with its variety of gabled rooflines
- Its presence as an important structure on an historic streetscape