Description du lieu patrimonial

Joseph Howe Austen House is a one-and-a-half storey wood frame Late Victorian Eclectic house. It is located on Pleasant Street between Portland and Erskine Streets in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. The house is integral to the streetscape by helping to maintain the scale, form and overall image. The heritage designation applies to the building and the surrounding land it occupies.

Valeur patrimoniale

Joseph Howe Austen House is valued for its age and association with its original occupants. The house was built in 1877 by Joseph Howe Austen, who was a relative of and named for the Honourable Joseph Howe. Austen was a partner in Austen Brothers and contributed greatly to the former City of Darmouth. He served as a city councillor, member of the Dartmouth Water Commission, and was a Town Assessor for a number of years. At his death in 1924 his widow Hattie (his second marriage) and his son Brantz, continued to live in the house until 1936.

Architecturally, Joseph Howe Austen House is valued as an example of the Late Victorian Eclectic style. The main feature of eclectic houses is the complex and expressive references to other styles and formal placements of structural features. This one-and-a-half storey wood frame building combines elements of the Second Empire and Italianate styles. The Second Empire style is seen in the mansard roof. The entrance design, brackets and window and door bays have Italianate characteristics. The façade of the Joseph Howe Austen House is extremely decorative with two projecting bays. One bay is square shaped with bracketed eaves, double paned and round headed windows with fretwork. The other projecting bay is three sided with bracketed eaves with dentil and fretwork, and square headed windows on second floor. The first storey of both projecting bay features full length round headed windows with wood moulding, fretwork, and wood panelled drip course.

Source: HRM Heritage Property File: 37 Pleasant Street, Joseph Howe Austen House, found at HRM Planning and Development Services, Heritage Property Program, 6960 Mumford Road, Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Éléments caractéristiques

The character-defining elements of Joseph Howe Austen House relate to the Late Victorian Eclectic style and include:

- formal placements of structural features;
- Second Empire style mansard roof;
- Italianate style entrance design, brackets, windows and door bays;
- one-and-a-half storey wood frame;
- two projecting bays;
- square shaped bay has bracketed eaves, double paned and round headed windows with fretwork;
- three sided projecting bay with bracketed eaves, dentil and fretwork;
- square headed windows on second floor;
- full length round headed windows with wood moulding, fretwork, and wood panelled drip course on first storey of both projecting bay windows;
- bracketed entablature and transom over main entrance;
- shingle siding with corner moulding;
- plain side and rear elevations;
- stone foundation.