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124 Prince Street

124 Prince Street, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, C1A, Canada

Formally Recognized: 1979/10/26

Showing south west elevation - 124 Prince on the left; City of Charlottetown, Natalie Munn, 2005
124 Prince Street
Showing west elevation - 124 Prince on the left; City of Charlottetown, Natalie Munn, 2005
124 Prince Street
Showing north west elevation - 124 Prince in the foreground; City of Charlottetown, Natalie Munn, 2005
124 Prince Street

Other Name(s)

n/a

Links and documents

Construction Date(s)

1872/01/01

Listed on the Canadian Register: 2005/10/21

Statement of Significance

Description of Historic Place

124 Prince Street is one half of a brick Italianate building that was built for local baker, John Quirk in 1872. The building originally housed a shop and a residence but currently houses offices. The designation encompasses the building’s exterior and parcel; it does not include the building’s interior.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of 124 Prince Street lies in its attractive Italianate architecture; its association with one of Charlottetown’s former businesses; and its role in supporting the Prince Street streetscape.

The 11 May 1872 edition of the local newspaper, the Patriot, reported that successful merchant and baker, John Quirk, had begun work on the cellar of his new building. The building would become his shop and residence until 1875 when he built a brick encased structure at the back of his property. According to Hutchinson’s Directory, John Quirk had operated his bakery and general store from the corner of Grafton and Prince as early as 1864.

Quirk’s Charlottetown Steam Bakery produced pilot bread, biscuits and crackers. Pilot bread is a dense, unleavened bread that lasts a long time without spoiling. According to an advertisement for the business in 1872, No.1 and No.2 Navy pilot bread, Medford biscuits and Dyspepsia crackers were always on hand.

After Quirk owned the building for a time, the Nicholson Family bought the building. The Nicholsons' remained the owners for almost seventy years. According to the minute book of the Insurance Underwriters Board, in 1897, D. Nicholson requested that the rating for his building be changed from that of a shop and a dwelling to a dwelling only. The policy was updated and Nicholson benefited from his insurance in 1906 when his building was damaged during a lightening storm!

The uses of the building have changed throughout the years. The 124 Prince Street side of the building housed office space and apartments. The chiropractic office of Dr. W.R. Carson was located at 124 Prince Street from as early as 1928 until as late as 1935. A 1926 article in the local newspaper, the Patriot, mentioned that the valuable effects of Mrs. A.J. MacLaine would be sold from 124 Prince Street. The 124 Prince Street side of the building appeared in the news again in the 23 October 1942 edition of the Guardian newspaper where it was noted that Elsie Nicholson was turning 124 Prince Street into three apartments.

Although the 124 section of the building had various uses, the 120 Prince Street section of the building remained a residence for some time. According to telephone directories from the early 1920s until 1935, Donald Nicholson and his wife lived at 120 Prince Street.

John Corbett who was a mason and talented architect designed the beautiful Italianate building. Quirk imported brick form the United States to create the façade and used cheaper, local brick on the sides and back of the building. The Italianate style was in vogue all over North America. It was considered more fireproof than the wooden structures it invariably replaced. The design was also more decorative, its round arch windows evocative of the Venetian arcades of the Renaissance period. Today, the building remains one of the City's best-preserved examples of the style.

124 Prince Street is half of a well-preserved example of an Italianate building. Used for many purposes throughout the years, it has retained its heritage character. Located near the corner of Prince Street and Grafton Street, it supports the streetscape of both streets.

Sources: Heritage Office, City of Charlottetown Planning Department, PO Box 98, Charlottetown, PE C1A 7K2
#1621b

Character-Defining Elements

The following Italianate influenced character-defining elements illustrate the heritage value of 124 Prince Street:
- The overall massing of the building
- The size and shape of the brick construction
- The placement and style of the grouped, round headed windows, trimmed with well defined corbel and keystones, as well as the contrasting stone sills
- The placement and size of the entrance doors with their brick arch and keystone
- The decorative detail at the roofline
- The flat roof
Other character-defining elements of 124 Prince Street:
- 124 Prince’s placement and overall similarity to the 120 Prince Street section of the building

Recognition

Jurisdiction

Prince Edward Island

Recognition Authority

City of Charlottetown

Recognition Statute

City of Charlottetown Zoning and Development Bylaw

Recognition Type

Heritage Resource

Recognition Date

1979/10/26

Historical Information

Significant Date(s)

n/a

Theme - Category and Type

Expressing Intellectual and Cultural Life
Architecture and Design

Function - Category and Type

Current

Commerce / Commercial Services
Office or Office Building

Historic

Industry
Food and Beverage Manufacturing Facility

Architect / Designer

John Corbett

Builder

n/a

Additional Information

Location of Supporting Documentation

Heritage Office, City of Charlottetown Planning Department, PO Box 98, Charlottetown, PE C1A 7K2 #1621b

Cross-Reference to Collection

Fed/Prov/Terr Identifier

1621b

Status

Published

Related Places

n/a

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