Description of Historic Place

236-238 Sydney Street is a wood framed, symmetrical front gable house located on historic Sydney Street. It overlooks Hillsborough Square, one of Charlottetown's five public squares. Built as a private home, it now operates as a bed and breakfast. The designation encompasses the building's exterior and parcel; it does not include the building's interior.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of 236-238 Sydney Street lies in its symmetrical front gable architectural style; its association with former residents of the City; and its importance to the Sydney Street streetscape.

Painter and paper hanger, John Stentiford, built 236-238 Sydney Street in 1860. It is not known if Stentiford actually lived in the home for very long, if at all. Lovell's 1871 Directory of PEI lists him as living on Weymouth Street by this time. It is also unclear if the home was originally a single dwelling or a double tenement, however by 1887, two employees of the Prince Edward Island Railway, C. Simmonds and Otto Baird lived there making it likely that by this time, the home had been converted into a double tenement.

The house is situated overlooking Hillsborough Square with the front gable facing the street. It has large eave returns and symmetrical rows of windows. Each corner of the facade has an entrance door.

236-238 Sydney Street has had a number of residents over the years. Newspaper auction notices from 1920 and 1949 reveal that Mrs. Duncan Amelia Paterson had lived in the 236 Sydney Street section of the home and W.W. Brown was a resident of the 238 Sydney Street section. The 1928 Telephone Directory lists Mrs. Barbara MacKenzie at 238 Sydney Street. Since 1990, the building has served as a bed and breakfast.

236-238 Sydney Street overlooks Hillsborough Square which was one of five public squares laid out in the 1771 plan of Charlottetown by Governor Walter Patterson and Surveyor Thomas Wright. It is a beautiful green space with a variety of trees and playground equipment.

An attractive home on a street with a variety of heritage buildings overlooking the Hillsborough Square, 236-238 Sydney Street helps support its streetscape.

Sources: Heritage Office, City of Charlottetown Planning Department, PO Box 98, Charlottetown, PE C1A 7K2
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Character-Defining Elements

The following character-defining elements contribute to the heritage value of 236-238 Sydney Street:

- The overall massing of the building with its two storeys and symmetrical facade
- The wood framed construction with contrasting shutters
- The gable roof with boxed eave returns
- The size and placement of the windows, particularly the symmetrically placed sash windows of the facade
- The size and placement of the doors, particularly the doors on either side of the facade
- The shed dormers
- The size and placement of the chimneys

Other character-defining elements include:

- The location of the home overlooking Hillsborough Square