Description of Historic Place

74 Victoria Street West is a 1 and 1/2 storey ornate Victorian home in the Gothic Revival style, located in the town of Kensington, Prince Edward Island.

Heritage Value

74 Victoria Street West is valued for its architectural importance, age, good condition and contribution to the streetscape of Kensington. This house is the earliest surviving building on this street and dates from approximately 1895. While the builder is unknown, the home possesses many fine original and restored architectural details and excellent craftsmanship. The house is a rare 3/4 scale structure - a compressed urban-sized farm house. Possibly built for Arthur A. and Sadie (MacEwen) Lockhart, the property has had several owners throughout its history. Other owners of this property include the family of Charles Crowley (ca. 1847 - 1926), James Jardine, the Yeo family during the 1930s to 1960s, the Bernard family in the 1960s, and until 2012, the Brander family. The current owners have undertaken extensive conservation work to the exterior to faithfully restore the home's many fine architectural details, ensuring its preservation for generations to come.

This property continues to be an important contribution to the architectural landscape of the town of Kensington.

Source : Heritage Division, Department of Tourism & Culture, Charlottetown, PE
File # : 4310-20/V30

Character-Defining Elements

The heritage value of the property is shown in the following character-defining elements:

- the overall massing of the building
- the pitch of the roof
- the wood shingle and clapboard cladding
- the fancy-cut shingle detailing, particularly in the upper storey
- the diagonal cut board detailing in the inset panels under, and surrounding, the front windows
- the size, shape and placement of the gabled dormer of the front elevation, and the matching gabled dormers on the east elevation
- the size and placement of the doors
- the verandah on the front elevation with decorative posts, spindles, brackets and intricate trim
- the size and placement of the multi-paned windows, with decorative lintels and hood mouldings
- the round arch windows in the dormers on the east elevation, and on the front elevation
- the lacy trim in the dormer eaves
- the double box bay window on the front elevation
- the protruding belt course on the east elevation between first and second storeys and at attic level on the front elevation
- the location of the residence on a treed lot