Description of Historic Place

305 Euston Street is a wood framed house with Second Empire style influences. It features a mansard roof on only two of its four sides, roof dormers, and decorative brackets and window hood mouldings. It is located on the corner of Pleasant Street and Euston Street, among a number of heritage properties in a residential part of Charlottetown. The designation encompasses the building's exterior and parcel; it does not include the building's interior.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of 305 Euston Street lies in its attractive Second Empire influenced architectural details; its association with various residents of Charlottetown; and its role in supporting the Euston Street and Pleasant Street streetscape.

Although it is not clear who built the home at 305 Euston Street, it was likely built in the latter part of the 19th Century. An article appeared in the 21 September 1928 edition of the Guardian newspaper that indicated John A. Fraser, a custom clerk, was selling his home. The article made note of the beautiful hardwood floors. It is not clear to whom Fraser sold the home, but according to the 1935 Telephone Directory, William M. Flynn resided at 305 Euston Street.

305 Euston Street is a unique example of the Second Empire style. The style 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. It is not clear if 305 Euston Street was originally built in the Second Empire style or if it was altered during the time when the style was in vogue.

Located among a number of heritage homes, 305 Euston Street helps support the Euston and Pleasant Street streetscapes.

Sources: Heritage Office, City of Charlottetown Planning Department, PO Box 98, Charlottetown, PE C1A 7K2
#1136

Character-Defining Elements

The following Second Empire character-defining elements contribute to the heritage value of 305 Euston Street:

- The overall square massing of the building
- The Mansard roof that is Mansard on two of its four sides
- The rounded dormers with decorative details
- The mouldings painted in a contrasting colour, including the decorative corner brackets, the window and door surrounds, the corner boards, the pilasters and the decorative carved details of the cornice
- The size and placement of the windows with their decorative window hood mouldings, particularly the paired windows, the canted bay window of the east side of the building, the windows of the porch and the dormer windows
- The size and placement of the doors, particularly the front door with its transom and sidelights that leads into a large porch
- The size and placement of the front porch with its large windows and decorative mouldings

Other character-defining elements of 305 Euston Street include:

- The various additions to the north and west side of the building
- The location of the building on the corner of Euston Street and Pleasant Street and its physical and visual relationship to its streetscape