Description of Historic Place

643 St. George Street, Annapolis Royal, N.S., built c 1890, is a large two-storey house of wood construction. It is set in its original grounds, and has a carriage house contemporary to the main house to the rear of the property, one of the few remaining in the town. The designation includes the building, carriage house, and surrounding property.

Heritage Value

The historic value of 643 St. George Street, as recognized in its municipal designation, lies in its association with the prominent Ritchie family and its construction as part of the substantial residential building boom of the latter part of the nineteenth century. James J. Ritchie, who had the house constructed, was a member of the family of Judge Thomas Ritchie, Annapolis Royal’s most prominent citizen in the nineteenth century. The large, spacious homes still being built on upper St. George Street in the late nineteenth century were a reflection of the lingering prosperity of the town at this time.

Its architectural value, as recognized in its municipal designation, lies in its Italianate style, its intactness and the presence of the original carriage house. It is one of a very few Italianate style buildings in the town of Annapolis Royal. There would appear to have been very few alterations or deletions to the house in the years since its construction. The original fenestration, front verandah, eave brackets, low-pitched hip roof and prominent chimneys reflect the Italianate style. The two-storey bay windows on either side of the front entrance are strong elements of the front façade. Most of the interior woodwork and original room layout remains as well. The house has also retained its original setting, with circular drive and surrounding lawns. The largely intact carriage house sits near the rear of the property, to the right of the house.

Source: Heritage Property Files, MAP#276 - 643 St. George Street, Town Hall, Annapolis Royal.

Character-Defining Elements

Character-defining elements of 643 St. George Street relate its relatively unaltered Italianate architecture and include:

- massing and setback from the street;
- low-pitched roof, with prominent chimneys;
- wooden eave brackets;
- two two-storey bay windows on front façade;
- contemporary carriage house to the real;
- wooden entry doors;
- wooden stairway, rail, canopy;
- wooden clapboard siding, frieze, and water table;
- brick foundation.