Description of Historic Place

65 Church Street, known as the Dugald Templeman Property, is located in Bonavista near the centre of this historic town. It is a two-storey, steeply-pitched roof house with wide wooden mouldings, deep raincaps and unique pilaster details. This house sits on a parcel of land surrounded by a picket fence, two outbuildings and is neighbour to many other historic structures. The designation encompasses all that property surrounded by a picket fence and is confined to the property boundaries.

Heritage Value

The Dugald Templeman Property has been designated because it has aesthetic and historic values.

The Dugald Templeman Property is aesthetically valuable for its architecture. Built by Robert Ryder, a noted architect for the area, this house displays many characteristics for which he was well-known. This house is significant for its steeply pitched roof, wide corner mouldings, and wide, decorated window and door trims, including the brackets, wide raincaps and hand carved, painted faux pilasters. The Dugald Templeman Property is essentially in original condition, having changed little since its construction, including the use of traditional paint colours of dory buff with dark brown trim that have always been on the house. The use of traditional wooden materials on this house further adds to its heritage value.

It is further architecturally valuable for its location on Church Street in Bonavista. Surrounded by many other historic structures it is located in one of the most historic areas of the town and its presence adds to the cultural landscape.

The Dugald Templeman Property is historically valuable for its age and association with the Ryder family. Built in 1895 this house was constructed by Robert Ryder, a well-known builder in the area at that time. He is credited with the construction of several important structures such as the Alexander and Jennie Templeman House Registered Heritage Structure (1895), and the Church of England Mortuary Chapel Registered Heritage Structure (1897) and the Dugald Templeman House is another example of his fine craftsmanship.

Source: Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador Meeting October 24, 2009, Minutes #64

Character-Defining Elements

All those original features of the vernacular Gothic Revival interpretation as executed by Robert Ryder, including:
-steep pitch gable roof;
-use of traditional materials such as narrow wooden clapboard, wooden windows and wooden doors;
-wide window and door mouldings, their original shapes and carved faux pilasters painted an alternate colour;
-wide cornerboards;
-heavy raincaps with brackets;
-wooden storm windows;
-2/2 windows, their sizes, openings and locations;
-two gable end chimneys extending above the roof ridge;
-small side linhay with shed roof;
-original paint colours of dory buff and dark brown; and
-wooden picket fence surrounding property.