Description of Historic Place

58 Weymouth Street is a large Georgian influenced, hipped roof, apartment house of log construction located on the corner of Weymouth and Sydney Streets. Evidence suggests that it is one of the oldest homes in Charlottetown. The designation encompasses the building’s exterior and parcel; it does not include the building’s interior.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of 58 Weymouth Street lies in its age, its Georgian influenced log construction and its role in supporting the Euston Street streetscape.

It is unclear when, or by whom, 58 Weymouth Street was built but evidence suggests that the home is one of the oldest in Charlottetown. Historian, Irene Rogers wrote in her 1983 book, Charlottetown: The Life In Its Buildings that a renovation revealed the home was built with early log construction methods. The walls were constructed with vertical logs of 7- to 9-inch width that were squared on two sides and fastened to the plate and sill with wooden pins and wrought nails. The plate, sill and corner posts were 9-inch squared logs, some of which were 31 feet long! Random, one-inch boards of 15- to 19-inch width covered the logs. The laths were hand split and birch bark had been used as a water repellent over the boards.

Although very old, the home is not mentioned as being on its current site in George Wright’s Survey of 1833, suggesting that the home may have been located elsewhere and moved. Rogers suggests that 58 Weymouth Street might have been the home constructed in 1812 by Robert Jones, which rested across the street on the Notre Dame Convent site.

The first mention of 58 Weymouth Street was in the Islander newspaper of May 18, 1857 where the owner, local shoemaker, Thomas Caseley offered it for rent. In 1864, Hutchinson’s Directory lists Caseley, himself as residing in the home. The June 5, 1908 edition of the Examiner newspaper indicated that the home was sold to Malcolm MacIntosh for $1180.00. At some point in its history, 58 Weymouth Street had been divided into two units and a piece was added on to the east side but is unclear when this occurred. We do know that there were two units in the home as early as 1909. 58 Weymouth Street continues to serve as an apartment house.

One of the few known homes in Charlottetown constructed with this particular type of log construction; it is an important part of our built heritage. The well kept home, located on the corner of Weymouth and Sydney, plays an important role in supporting the streetscape.

Sources: Heritage Office, City of Charlottetown Planning Department, PO Box 98, Charlottetown, PE C1A 7K2
#1517

Character-Defining Elements

The following Georgian influenced character-defining elements illustrate the heritage value of 58 Weymouth Street:
- The overall massing and construction of the building
- The symmetrical façade
- The placement and size of the windows, particularly the tall windows of the first floor and the smaller windows of the second floor
- The placement and style of the doors, particularly the door in the center of the façade with its transom light
- The steeply hipped roof
- The style and placement of the chimney
- The size and shape of the eastern addition
- The siding with its simple, contrasting mouldings, trim and corner boards

Other character-defining elements of 58 Weymouth Street include:
- The location of 58 Weymouth Street on the corner of Weymouth and Sydney Streets