Description of Historic Place

The Alexander and Jennie Templeman House is a two storey, small-scale Gothic Revival home located at 17 Temperance Street in Bonavista. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.

Heritage Value

The Alexander and Jennie Templeman House has been designated a registered heritage structure because of its aesthetic value. Constructed around 1895 the Templeman House is one of the best examples of a small-scale Gothic Revival structure within the community, showing the early use of twin peak dormers that came to dominate Bonavista’s vernacular architecture by the 1920s. With its gabled roof and dormer windows the two storey structure is typical of a style found in the area in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Decorative details, such as the original bargeboard in the dormers and the extended chimney shaft, make this house stand out in the community.

Source: Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador unnumbered property designation file, "Bonavista - Alexander and Jennie Templeman House", 1 Springdale Street, St. John's, NL, A1C 5V5

Character-Defining Elements

-twin peaked dormers
-3/2 bay facade
-steeply pitched gable roof
-wooden shingles
-eared window mouldings
-prominent rain caps over windows and door
-single hung 2/2 windows
-bargeboard in dormers
-gable end chimney with extended shaft
-linhay (local terminology for an addition to the rear of a structure) with rear wooden door
-wooden front door with coloured glass and embossed insert