Description of Historic Place

This large two-and-one-half storey house is influenced by the Craftsman style. The main house has a wide shed dormer roof on the front facade, a side sunporch with railed balcony, and an extension at the back of the house. It is located on landscaped grounds with mature pine trees. The registration includes the building and its lot.

Heritage Value

The home is valued for its Craftsman style influences; its association with former residents of Montague; and for its ongoing contribution to the streetscape.

In April 1930, Alexander Montague or "Mont" Wright and his wife, Florence, purchased approximately 11.5 acres of land from John E. Fraser. This was located a mile and a half from Montague Bridge. At that time, it was on the outskirts of the town, and was seen as the ideal location for the prosperous farmer and cattle buyer to build his new residence, large barn, and workshop.

Despite the ongoing Great Depression, the current house was built sometime around 1935. It shows features of the Craftsman style such as the use of shed dormer roofs, the railed balcony, the pronounced eave brackets, and the bargeboard which extends outward beyond the eave.

Wright would purchase more land in the area and the house would remain in the family until 1965, when his widow sold it to John A. Annear. The current owner purchased it in 1994. Today, the town of Montague has grown around the property, but it remains a well preserved reminder of the prosperity of the Wright family and as an example of an Island farm home.

Source: Culture and Heritage Division, PEI Department of Communities, Cultural Affairs and Labour, Charlottetown, PE C1A 7N8
File #: 4310-20/M34

Character-Defining Elements

The following character-defining elements illustrate the heritage value of the house:

- the wood frame construction and wood shingle cladding
- the two-and-one-half storey massing
- the gable roofline
- the brick chimney and brick fireplace
- the shed dormers
- the fenestration of the windows and doors
- the side sunporch with railed balcony above
- the eave bracketting
- the bargeboard which extends beyond the eave
- the front entrance with sidelights
- the decorative pedimented entrance
- the contribution of the home to the streetscape