Place Description
The MacLennan House is located at the head of historic Prince Street, a popular building area in the 1880s. The Renaissance Revival inspired home is one of the most distinctive on the street. The designation encompasses the building's exterior and parcel; it does not include the building's interior.
Why is this place important?
The heritage value of MacLennan House lies in its association with Reverend John MacLennan and his wife Mrs. Catherine McNab MacLennan and in the home's elaborate Renaissance Revival architectural detail.
The Reverend John MacLennan (1797-1852) was the first Pastor of the landmark Belfast Presbyterian Church built by the Selkirk Settlers to PEI. He worked tirelessly ministering to his parishioners throughout the Island and in his native Scotland. The Reverend returned to Scotland in 1849 for what he thought would be a temporary absence, however he died in 1852 after he contracted diphtheria from a parishioner he was visiting. Some time after his death, his wife, Mrs. Catherine McNab MacLennan (1804-1890) returned to Prince Edward Island. In 1886, she commissioned prominent architects David Stirling and William Critchlow Harris, of the firm Stirling and Harris to design the beautiful home. James Hodgson was hired to build the home. MacLennan must have been an animal lover as her home's trim has an animal theme throughout. The home remained in the family for many years but currently serves as an apartment building.
The elaborate Renaissance Revival inspired home is unique due to its detailing. Perhaps one of the most noticeable features of the home is the high quality decorative finish work. The bargeboard on the south of the façade contains squirrel and quatrefoil motifs. Above the square bay window projections is a continuous trim of cut out rabbits, foxes and squirrels.
The home also features a side entrance, a balcony and a piazza with decorated posts and arches partially enclosed by a railing and balustrades. The MacLennan House is one of the most unique homes in Charlottetown and greatly contributes to its streetscape.
Sources: Heritage Office, City of Charlottetown Planning Department, PO Box 98, Charlottetown, PE C1A 7K2
Record # 1098
Special Characteristics
The heritage value of 235-237 Prince is exemplified in its Renaissance Revival inspired elements, which include:
- The asymmetrical façade with the decorative gables and side entrance
- The decorative finish work including the bargeboard and trim, as well as the board and batten finish on the gables and along the top of the ground storey belt course
- The placement and style of the windows, including the paired windows and the square bay windows
- The piazza with its decorative posts and arches partially enclosed by a railing and balustrades
- The steep truncated roofline with its gables and two tall chimneys
- The flora and fauna motifs of the carved images in the medallions
Other character-defining elements include:
- The location of the home on Prince Street and its physical and visual relationship to the streetscape
