Description du lieu patrimonial

The John Burck House is a one and one half storey Craftsman Bungalow style building with Arts and Crafts design elements. These include its stucco exterior, wide eaves, sloping gable roof, exposed rafters, and use of tapered short columns around the enclosed front porch. The home is located prominently on Main Street near the Wood Island Hill intersection.

Valeur patrimoniale

The house is valued for its well preserved Craftsman Bungalow style elements; for its association with former residents of Montague; and for its contribution to the streetscape.

The original house to stand on this property was owned by Dr. John D. MacIntyre (1864-1925), a medical doctor who had purchased it in June of 1902. This building was destroyed in a large fire which consumed the adjacent Poole and Thompson store on October 29, 1929. An estimated $130,000 damage ensued from the fire which also destroyed two other buildings.

The current house was built by Dr. MacIntyre's widow, Mrs. Rebecca MacIntyre (1868-1934), around 1931. It was later inherited by her son, Dr. Preston MacIntyre. During his career, he was instrumental is establishing the first hospital for Montague in the former Royal Hotel on the north side of town. The hotel's owner, Ada Green, took ownership of the house as part of a negotiated deal.

By 1963, Green's nephew, Edwin Hobbs, inherited the property. In 1967, he sold it to Mary Coulson who briefly operated a nursing home there. By 1970, Hobbs re-purchased the property. Since 1973, it has been owned by the Burck family.

The style of the house is a rare example of a Craftsman Bungalow in Montague. This style was popular in the Maritimes from 1910 to 1940. This example features a stucco exterior, a sloping gable roof which sweeps forward over an enclosed sunporch, a large dormer facing the street, and exposed rafters on the eaves. The short tapered columns in the porch are another aspect of the style.

This well preserved home contributes to its streetscape as a reminder of prominent former residents of Montague and as a fine example of its style.

Source: Culture and Heritage Division, PEI Department of Communities, Cultural Affairs and Labour, Charlottetown, PE C1A 7N8
File #: 4310-20/M11

Éléments caractéristiques

The following character-defining elements illustrate the heritage value of the house:

- the original "speed tile" foundation
- the exterior "speed tile" walls covered in stucco
- the original windows
- the sloping gable roof with wide eaves
- the Arts and Craft elements of exposed rafters
- the central dormer facing the street
- the enclosed sunporch with tapered columns
- the brick chimney
- the location of the house with a manicured lawn on Main Street