Description of Historic Place

202 Hillsborough Street is a two and one half storey wood framed Georgian influenced residence. It features a symmetrical facade of five bays on the second storey all under a bracketted eave. A decorative vestibule or entrance porch has transom and sidelights. It is located on the corner of Hillsborough Street and Fitzroy Street in a primarily residential area 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 202 Hillsborough Street lies in its Georgian inspired architecture; its association with early residents of the City; and its role in supporting the Hillsborough and Fitzroy Street streetscapes.

The home was built in 1865-1866 for saddler and harness maker, John Stumbles. It exhibits Georgian characteristics such as a symmetrical facade with five bays and a central doorway, a gable roof and simple mouldings. The Georgian style is one of the most common architectural styles on Prince Edward Island. It emerged from 18th Century Britain and was intent on expressing confidence, order, and balance.

John Stumbles was one of nine individuals who operated saddle and harness shops in mid 1860s Charlottetown. His shop was located near Queens Square in a still existing building on present day University Avenue. Although many saddles were probably imported, implements such as harnesses, collars, bridles and whips were made locally. Solid leather portmanteaus and trunks were also offered for sale by the saddlers. A progressive businessman, Stumbles imported a watering cart to keep the dust down in front of his shop - the first innovation of its kind in the City. The City authorities soon followed his lead and procured others. Before streets were paved or macadamized, blowing dust or sand was always a civic nuisance, especially during summer months.

The home has undergone renovations in which a large gable dormer was added on the west side of the building and two stacked bay windows were added to the south side of the property. The house was converted into a tourist home at some point before the 1970s. Despite some changes, the overall exterior has been well maintained and it remains a good example of a Georgian inspired former home in Charlottetown. Located on the corner of Hillsborough Street and Fitzroy Street, it helps support the streetscapes.

Sources: Heritage Office, City of Charlottetown Planning Department, PO Box 98, Charlottetown, PE C1A 7K2
#1228

Character-Defining Elements

The following Georgian influenced character-defining elements contribute to the heritage value of 202 Hillsborough Street:

- The overall rectangular massing of the building
- The two and one half storeys
- The mouldings painted in a contrasting colour, particularly the door and window surrounds, the eave brackets and the cornices
- The gable roof with centre dormer
- The size and placement of the windows, particularly the four large first floor sash windows and the five second floor sash windows directly above, the grouped dormer windows and the stacked bay windows of the south side with gable roof atop
- The size and centre placement of the paneled door with transom and sidelights
- The size, shape and centre placement of the porch or vestibule with its flat roof, decorative cornice, transom and sidelights, and large windows on either side
- The size and placement of the separated brick chimneys

Other character-defining elements of 202 Hillsborough Street include:

- The location of the building on the corner Hillsborough Street and Fitzroy Street and its physical and visual relationship to its streetscape