Description of Historic Place

18-20 Haviland Street is a Neoclassical/Adamesque influenced, wooden former residence and hospital that has been converted into an apartment building. The building had formerly stood on Dorchester Street on part of the land that St Dunstan’s Basilica now resides. The designation encompasses the building’s exterior and parcel; it does not include the building’s interior.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of 18-20 Haviland Street lies in its role in the history of public health services in Charlottetown and its association with Bishop Peter MacIntyre.

The building that now resides at 18-20 Haviland Street was originally the home of merchant, Joseph MacDonald and his wife Ann. In 1858, the home was offered for sale but no one bought it until 1862, when Bishop Peter MacIntyre made it his residence. The Bishop lived in the home until the much larger Bishop’s “palace” was built in 1875 to house the Bishop and other clergy. The need for a general hospital in Charlottetown had been apparent for quite some time and in 1879, the Bishop delivered a sermon on the need of medical services for Charlottetown’s poor. This inspired many parishioners to give donations, which were used to convert the former Bishop’s residence into a fourteen bed hospital. The Charlottetown Hospital opened in October of 1879. It was open to patients, clergy and doctors of all faiths and was supported by donations from the public. The hospital was staffed with five Grey Nuns and three Franciscan Sisters. Seven of the City’s prominent doctors worked with the patients. An addition was added three years later in order to increase the hospital’s capacity. The building was moved from Dorchester Street to its present location on Haviland Street around 1890. It now serves as an apartment building.

Sources: Heritage Office, City of Charlottetown Planning Department, PO Box 98, Charlottetown, PE C1A 7K2 #1440

Character-Defining Elements

The heritage value of 18-20 Haviland Street is reflected in the following character defining elements:

- The symmetrical façade of the original 1858 section
- The placement and style of the tall six over six windows
- The placement and style of the doors with their side transom lights and fan light
- The pitch of the gabled roof of the 1858 section as well as the roof of the addition
- The large, circular, central dormer
- The wooden cladding, in particular, the band of cladding running through the center of the façade
- The placement of the chimney