Description of Historic Place

247-249 Prince Street is located at the corner of Prince and Euston Street, a popular building area in the 1880s. The Second Empire inspired building is one of the most distinctive on a street with many large beautiful homes. The designation encompasses the building’s exterior and parcel; it does not include the building’s interior.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of 247-249 Prince Street lies in its architecture and its role in supporting the streetscape.

In 1882, William Boyle (1828-1899), a local tanner, purchased plot 6 for the sum of $930, from William Hamilton Brown of London. Not long after, in 1883-84 construction began on the Second Empire influenced building that had been designed by Charles Chappell. It is unclear whether the building was originally designed as a double dwelling or as a single dwelling but we do know that as early as 1915, there were two individuals residing there by the names of J.J. Bethune and Daniel A. Wedlock. The impressive three-storey building features two projecting bays with mansard roofs, a verandah with ornate detailing and pedimented dormer windows along the façade roof that have similar decorative detailing as that of the verandah. One of the more noticeable and attractive features of the building is the extensive use of trim throughout.

Currently used as an apartment building, 247-249 Prince is one of a cluster of large, ornate homes in this section of Prince Street. A beauty in its own right, the building is very important to the streetscape.

Sources: Heritage Office, City of Charlottetown Planning Department, PO Box 98, Charlottetown, PE C1A 7K2
Record # 1101

Character-Defining Elements

The heritage value of 247-249 Prince is exemplified in its Second Empire inspired elements, which include:

- Its presence as part of the historic streetscape of Prince Street
- The symmetrical facade of the building which has a wood frame and wooden cladding
- The shape and placement of the windows, including the tall windows, as well as the bay windows on the first and second storey, the smaller windows on the third storey and the stained glass transom light on the south section
- The pedimented dormer windows on the second and third storeys with their intricate detailing
- The extensive trim and detailing throughout the building
- The placement and style of the doors
- The verandah with its decorative detailing
- The decorative brackets along the façade roofline
- The shape of the roof which is a truncated mansard style with two evenly spaced chimneys
- The two projecting bays, with mansard roofs on the facade of the building