Description of Historic Place

The house at 22 Water Street is a wood framed two storey dwelling built in the Colonial Georgian style. The flat roofed building has symmetrically placed windows on its front facade and features a prominent cornice with decorative bracketing along the eave line. It has a prominent location near the Victoria wharf. The registration includes the building's exterior and parcel; it does not include the building's interior.

Heritage Value

22 Water Street is valued as an example of the Colonial Georgian style; for its association with early residents of the Village; and for its contribution to the streetscape.

The Colonial Georgian design of 22 Water Street is evident in its rigidly symmetrical facade, its window fenestration, and its central entrance. The decorative bracketing at the eave line has survived intact. The current flat roof may once have been hipped according to an early photograph.

The house was built by Angus Brien who, as one of eight children, was born at Rice Point, PEI, in 1830. He attended Canoe Cove school and in his early life, worked at a variety of jobs including with a hearse and carriage company in Crapaud, as well as farming.

In 1873, he came to Victoria to begin a lumbering and general merchandising business. By 1880, he had his own wharf in the Village and several warehouses. He was noted for his business acumen and contributed greatly to the economy of Victoria. The current property is still in the Brien family.

As a well preserved representation of the Colonial Georgian style and because of its historic links to the development of Victoria, 22 Water Street continues to contribute to its streetscape.

Source: Culture and Heritage Division, PEI Department of Community and Cultural Affairs, Charlottetown, PE C1A 7N8 File #: 4310-20/V28

Character-Defining Elements

The following character-defining elements illustrate the Colonial Georgian heritage value of 22 Water Street:

- The overall rectangular massing of the building with its two storeys
- The simple contrasting wooden trim around doors and windows as well as the corner boards
- The central placement of the door
- The symmetrical façade and its wood cladding
- The placement of the chimney
- The original ornate wooden bracketing maintained along the eaves
- The fenestration and size of the windows
- The original Island sandstone foundation

Other character-defining elements of 22 Water Street include:

- The location of the building near the harbour on Water Street and its physical and visual relationship to its streetscape