Description of Historic Place

This grand Colonial Revival style house is set back on a large treed lot on the north side of Beaver Street in Summerside. It was the first house on the street and was built in 1910 by merchant H.T. Holman. The homes built on Beaver Street are often considered synonymous with early 20th century wealth in Summerside. The designation includes the building and its lot.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of the Holman-Tuplin House lies in its association with various prominent Summerside residents; its Colonial Revival architecture; and its contribution to the streetscape. This grand home was built by H.T.Holman, son of Prince Edward Island mercantile giant, R.T. Holman. Holman just completed the home in 1910 when the lucrative Silver Fox industry exploded in Prince Edward Island creating millionaires almost overnight. One such wealthy fox rancher, Frank Tuplin, would soon purchase the property by exchanging a breeding pair of silver foxes for the house - a $15,000 value that speaks volumes of the times and the culture that the new silver black fox industry was creating. Holman with his wife and family promptly moved one lot westward constructing a new and larger home on an equally large lot.

The Stavert family of the Summerside Bank and later the Bank of New Brunswick also owned the property. The longest term occupant/owner was Dr. J. Claude Simpson, who had established a medical practice in Summerside in 1927 and later was chief surgeon at the Prince County Hospital and one of the founders of the Summerside Medical Centre. Later, during much of the 1960s and 1970s, D. Alex MacDonald, owner of the local Ford automobile dealership, resided here.

Heritage value also lies in the Colonial Revival architectural style of the Holman-Tuplin House. The use of this style reflects both the influence of New England architectural styles in the Maritimes as well as the new prosperity which was emerging with the growth of the silver fox industry. This example has a square footprint of two storeys, a symmetrical facade, and a hipped roof with triangular dormers. Tradition says that five artisans from England were employed in its construction for over a year, a significantly long period of time when compared to the standards of the day.

The home continues to contribute to the streetscape of Beaver Street. It is evocative of the wealth and social status of its original owners and is a fine example of a Colonial Revival house in Summerside.

Source: City of Summerside Heritage Property Profile

Character-Defining Elements

The following character-defining elements illustrate the Colonial Revival style of the Holman-Tuplin House:

-The massing of the house being a variation of the four square style
-The hipped roof with triangular dormers
-The location and style of the brick chimneys
-The symmetrical placement of the windows on the front façade
-The ornate double door front entry topped by a fanlight and flanked by arched windows.
-The centrally placed entryway with fanlight and arched windows complemented by understated slightly bowed bay window on the second floor and ornate half moon window in triangular gable dormer above
-Italianate moulding under the wide eaves and in the centre gable
-Square dentiled moulding under the eave of the east sunporch