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48 Prince Street

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

Formally Recognized: 1979/10/26

Showing west elevation; City of Charlottetown, Natalie Munn, 2006
46-48 Prince Street
Showing north west elevation; City of Charlottetown, Natalie Munn, 2006
46-48 Prince Street
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Other Name(s)

n/a

Links and documents

Construction Date(s)

1880/01/01

Listed on the Canadian Register: 2006/08/17

Statement of Significance

Description of Historic Place

48 Prince Street is one side of an attractive Second Empire style double tenement in a historic part of Prince Street. It was built as a double tenement by two cabinetmakers that is, furniture makers. Although not a common practice now, in the 19th Century it was common for two landowners to build one large structure over two pieces of land. The designation encompasses the building's exterior and parcel; it does not include the building's interior.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of 48 Prince Street lies in its attractive Second Empire influenced architecture and its role in supporting the Prince Street streetscape.

In 1880, Archibald F. Pentz and Theophilus Hawkins Howe bought two parcels of land side by side and built the large, double tenement over the two parcels. Pentz and Howe both worked for John Newson and Son, a furniture making and importing business on Victoria Row. Although Pentz moved to Summerside shortly after the home was built, the pair retained ownership of the building into the Twentieth Century.

It is obvious that the builders of the double tenement were cabinetmakers by trade. The details throughout the exterior, such as the frieze with pendant motif and the intricately scrolled brackets, exhibit Pentz and Howe's expertise in their chosen field.

The home is a good example of the Second Empire style. The style, which is identified through its Mansard roof. This was named after François Mansart (1598-1666), and popularized by his son, Jules Hardoin Mansart, an architect who worked for Louis XIV around 1700. The Mansard roof is almost flat on the top section and has deeply sloping, often curved, lower sections that generally contain dormers. The Second Empire referred to in the style is that of Napoleon III (1852-1870). The style reached Canada through Britain and the United States and was used extensively throughout Charlottetown from approximately 1860 until about 1880.

A 1914 directory of Charlottetown lists the Chief Clerk of the PEI Railway, Howard Dingwell, at 48 Prince Street. The 1922 and 1928 telephone directories reveal that a later resident of the home was Fred Beers.

48 Prince Street is located on a street that contains many older homes. Part of an excellent example of a Second Empire style double tenement, it is well preserved and contributes to the streetscape.

Sources: Heritage Office, City of Charlottetown Planning Department, PO Box 98, Charlottetown, PE C1A 7K2
Record # 1421b

Character-Defining Elements

The heritage value of 48 Prince Street is exemplified in the following Second Empire style influenced character-defining elements:

- The overall massing of the home
- The Mansard roof
- The style and placement of the tall windows, particularly the bay windows of the first floor, the tall sash windows of the second floor and the dormer windows of the roof
- The style and placement of the double doors
- The beautiful detailing of the home highlighted with a contrasting colour.
- The placement of the scrolled brackets and pendant detailing along the rooflines
- The small canopy roofs over the doorway, the bay window and the second floor windows highlighted with the scrolled brackets and the pendant detailing
- The style and placement of the chimneys

Other character-defining elements include:
- The location of 48 Prince Street on Prince Street adjoining 46 Prince Street as part of a double tenement

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

Historic

Residence
Single Dwelling

Architect / Designer

n/a

Builder

n/a

Additional Information

Location of Supporting Documentation

Heritage Office, City of Charlottetown Planning Department, PO Box 98, Charlottetown, PE C1A 7K2 Record # 1421b

Cross-Reference to Collection

Fed/Prov/Terr Identifier

1421b

Status

Published

Related Places

n/a

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