Description of Historic Place

The generously proportioned house at 82 Central Street was built after the Great Fire of 1906 destroyed the building that had previously occupied this lot. The Colonial Revival style residence was built for prominent citizen Charles R. Rogers who occupied it until his death in 1951. The registration includes the building and its lot.

Heritage Value

The substantial residence at 82 Spring Street is valued for its Colonial Revival style, its association with Charles Renfrew Rogers, and as an example of a home built on a section of streetscape that had been levelled in the Great Fire of 1906. It is a reminder of that widespread and devastating blaze that left so many families homeless and also as a tribute to those who showed faith in the community by rebuilding.

The property had been procured by Charles R. Rogers and his wife Margaret in 1904 several years after they had moved to Summerside from Alberton. At the time of the fire, they had three small children, Graham (b. 1893), Olga (b. 1894), and Jack (b. 1895). In the aftermath of the 1906 fire, the family left Summerside for Amherst, Nova Scotia, in the spring of 1907 but returned to Summerside in 1909, moving into a house on Spring Street while they made plans for a residence to be built on their Central Street lot. Their new home was built sometime between 1912 and 1913.

Charles Renfrew Rogers was the son of Lieutenant Governor Benjamin Rogers of Alberton, PEI. He earned his living as a commercial traveller, acting as the Maritime representative for a large Montreal wholesale firm that specialized in hot water heating supplies. He held various community posts in Summerside, including president of the local hospital board of trustees, president of the East Prince Liberal Association, founder of the P.E.I. Tourist Association, and charter member and president of the Board of Trade. His wife was the former Margaret Crosbie of a prominent St. John's, Newfoundland family. She passed away in 1947 and he remained in the house until his death in 1951.

The property was left to their daughter Olga Preston who had moved from New York to Summerside sometime prior to 1950. She lived in the house until 1958 when she advertised it for sale. The new owners, Winfred and Elsie MacCausland, converted it into three apartments using one for themselves until they decided to sell in 1978. At that point the house at 82 Central along with the one at 76 Central became the premises of the Prince County Nursing Home. The building was restored to a single dwelling with an apartment on the third floor in 1985 when the current owners acquired it.

Source: City of Summerside, Heritage Property Profiles

Character-Defining Elements

The following Colonial Revival influenced character-defining elements illustrate the heritage value of the property:

- the Foursquare style with its characteristic square configuration
- the two-and-a-half storey height, hipped roof, centred dormers and full width veranda (now sunporch)
- the brick chimney
- the centred bay window and balcony on the second floor, the Scottish-style dormer on the third storey
- the oriel window on the south elevation
- the modillions or decorative flat brackets under the wide eaves
- the location, size and shape of original window and door openings.
- the continuing contribution it makes to the post Great Fire streetscape of Central Street