Description of Historic Place

The house at 2 Howard Street in the Village of Victoria is believed to have been built in the 1870s. It was designed in the Centre Gable style, but has had some alterations in its history. The registration includes the building's exterior and parcel; it does not include the building's interior.

Heritage Value

2 Howard Street is valued for its Centre Gable architectural style; its association with various Victoria residents; and its contribution to the Howard Street streetscape.

Meacham's 1880 Atlas of PEI shows the property as belonging to William Furlong, a 42 year old seacaptain, formerly from Newfoundland. The 1881 Census shows he resided here with his wife, Ann, and four children. Tragedy struck the family in 1883, when, according to the Examiner newspaper of 22 November, he was lost with his crew when their schooner, the "Florence May" sank in a gale. Also lost was his stepson, James Edward Crawford - age 19 - who had lived with the Furlong family in Victoria.

Later owners of the house included: Alexander Campbell, a school inspector (1895) and William Collett (1907-1922) who operated a forge on the property.

The symmetrical facade of the south elevation of 2 Howard Street is rendered in the Centre Gable style with a large steeply sloping roof. A wide verandah extends the full length of the facade with a single two over two window on either side of the entrance door. The verandah is supported by bracketted turned posts. The gable has a single paired two over two window with a round arch window in the peak. Both are capped by surviving decorative hood moulding.

The cladding is both wooden shingle and clapboard. On the east elevation, the owners in the early 1970s added a large multi-paned bay window which had originally been in a house in Charlottetown. A large extension on the north side of the house was also added in the 1970s.

Although it has sustained several alterations in its history, 2 Howard Street maintains many of its original architectural elements and remains an important aspect of the streetscape. The current owners operate an art gallery near the property known as the Studio Gallery.

Source: Culture and Heritage Division, PEI Department of Community and Cultural Affairs, Charlottetown, PE C1A 7N8
File #: 4310-20/V10

Character-Defining Elements

The following character-defining elements illustrate the Centre Gable influenced heritage value of 2 Howard Street:

- The building's wood-framed construction with its original clapboard and wood shingle cladding
- The placement and style of the windows, including the paired windows on the second floor and the small round-headed window in the gable
- The placement and style of the doors, including the centrally placed front door
- The verandah on the front elevation with milled posts and brackets
- The steeply pitched roof, as well as the two-storey centre gable roof design
- The overall façade with symmetrical front and side elevations with centrally placed door
- The decorative lintels and hood mouldings over the windows and doors
- The roof boards under the asphalt which are original to the building

Other character-defining elements of 2 Howard Street include:

- The building's prominent location on the corner of Russell Street and Howard Street, making it an important aspect of the overall Victoria streetscape