Description of Historic Place

79 Hillsborough Street is a Queen Anne Revival style influenced wood framed home located on the corner of Hillsborough and Richmond Streets. The large home was built in 1903 for J.A. McLaren, an advertising manager for the local firm, James Paton & Company. The building was converted to apartments in 1960. The designation encompasses the building’s exterior and parcel; it does not include the building’s interior.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of 79 Hillsborough Street lies in its Queen Anne Revival influenced architecture and its importance to the Hillsborough Street streetscape.

In 1903, McLaren hired Charles McGregor to build his home at 79 Hillsborough Street. John A. McLaren was the advertising manager and buyer for James Paton & Co., a company that operated from Victoria Row.

The local newspapers reveal a great deal about the history of 79 Hillsborough Street. The 30 June 1920 edition of the Guardian newspaper noted that McLaren had sold his home to Catherine McPhee, however it appears that McPhee had no intention of living in the home because records show that she leased it back to McLaren. In 1923, a sale notice for the house appeared in the local newspaper. According to the detailed advertisement, the first floor featured a sun porch, vestibule, parlour, living room, dining room, kitchen, pantry and porch. The second floor of the house contained four bedrooms and a bath and there was an additional bedroom in the attic. It is unlikely that the home was sold in 1923 however, because a 1932 newspaper notice stated that Mrs. J.A. MacLaren ordered the house and its contents to be sold. According to the 1935 Telephone Directory of Prince Edward Island, three years later, Mrs. McLaren was still living at 79 Hillsborough Street.

79 Hillsborough Street was built in the Queen Anne Revival style, a style that was somewhat subdued in Charlottetown compared to other provinces. The Queen Anne Revival style was popular in Charlottetown from approximately 1880 until 1910. Richard N. Shaw (1831-1912), a British architect, created the style that incorporated some of the classical motifs popular during Queen Anne's reign (1702-1714). Some distinctive features of the style include, very large asymmetrical designs, a variety of rooflines and complex detailing, all of which have been incorporated into the design of 79 Hillsborough Street.

No longer used as a single dwelling, the building was converted into an apartment building in 1960 and remains an apartment building to this day. 79 Hillsborough Street is a beautiful, large home that supports the streetscapes of both Hillsborough and Richmond Streets.

Sources: Heritage Office, City of Charlottetown Planning Department, PO Box 98, Charlottetown, PE C1A 7K2
#1552

Character-Defining Elements

The following Queen Anne influenced character-defining elements illustrate the heritage value of 79 Hillsborough Street:
- The overall massing of the building
- The asymmetrical facade
- The placement and style of the windows including the grouped windows and the bay windows
- The dominant facing cantilevered gable with brackets accenting the overhanging
- The placement and style of the doors
- The simple contrasting trim throughout the exterior of the building including the protruding belt courses, the decorative cornice and the trim around the windows and doors
- The style and placement of the simple styled verandah
- The various rooflines including the gabled roofs, the roof of the verandah and the roof over the north doorway
- The style and placement of the chimneys
Other character-defining elements of 79 Hillsborough Street include:
- The location of the home on the corner of Hillsborough Street and Richmond Street